Spielberg: "There Will be a time when Superhero movie go the way of the Western"

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In a recent interview while taking a break from editing "The BFG," the director spoke about making the true-life tale, the unexpected success of "Jurassic World" and his distaste for superhero movies.

AP: What attracted you to "Bridge of Spies"?

Spielberg: I've always wanted to make a spy movie. This is not James Bond. Only James Bond can be James Bond. I've always been fascinated with the entertainment value of the James Bond spy series of movies, as well as the serious John le Carre spy novels, especially the Martin Ritt movie "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold." Also spy pictures like "The Quiller Memorandum" and "The Ipcress File," and "Torn Curtain" by Hitchcock in the '60s.



AP: Were you interested in making a film set during the Cold War?

Spielberg: I lived through the Cold War and I was very aware of the possibility of walking down the street and seeing a white flash and being atomized. I was very, very aware of what a tentative and insecure time it was, especially for young people. It's something that made a big impression on me as a kid. We were shown instructional 16mm films of what to do in the event of the air raid sirens going off or seeing the flash and ducking and covering under your desk and holding, hopefully, a very large book over your head.

AP: Do you see a connection between that time and today?

Spielberg: There's so much relevance between the late '50s and today. We fly drones today; they flew U2 spy planes over Soviet Russia in the '50s. Our story is also about the shooting down of Gary Powers' U2 and the apprehension of a Soviet spy working in this country for over a decade: Rudolph Abel. And the negotiator — a fish-out-of-water — an insurance attorney who used to be the associate prosecutor at the Nuremberg war-crime trials who was called upon to defend an alleged Soviet spy, and the kind of charged atmosphere he was willing to endure to see justice served. It's a story about a very righteous, principled individual — and for Tom Hanks, it's right up his alley.

AP: This is your fourth film with him.

Spielberg: Every collaboration is better than the one before. We're having a great time together.

AP: You caused a stir two years ago when you predicted Hollywood was headed toward an "implosion" because of the over-abundance of mega-budget movies. Do you still feel that way?

Spielberg: I do. I still feel that way. We were around when the Western died and there will be a time when the superhero movie goes the way of the Western. It doesn't mean there won't be another occasion where the Western comes back and the superhero movie someday returns. Of course, right now the superhero movie is alive and thriving. I'm only saying that these cycles have a finite time in popular culture. There will come a day when the mythological stories are supplanted by some other genre that possibly some young filmmaker is just thinking about discovering for all of us.

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