Ep. 106: Surrogates Creator ROBERT VENDITTI Comes to SiDEBAR

Once again, my man Dwight brings something cool to the show. Nothing new, right?

About six months back, he stumbled across a soon-to-be-released movie called Surrogates and got intrigued. It was an action-thriller set in the future that dealt with robots and murder, so it was an easy sell (we're both big sci-fi heads).

After snooping a bit, he found out the film was based on a limited series comic that Top Shelf had put out in 2006. He also found out the writer of the series, Robert Venditti, was living right here in Atlanta.

Dwight shot me a link to the trailer—I kinda dug it. We both scooped up the trade, LOVED IT, and that began the hunt for Robert.

After some bush beating and a helping hand (thanks, Barron), we eventually found him and carved out a date to chat.

Our interview with Rob covers how he broke into the business working in the mailroom at Top Shelf, writing the comic and linking up with artist Brett Weldele and the wily beast that is Hollywood.

We also discuss how the idea for the story developed, the new sequel Flesh & Bone and some upcoming projects he's got simmering on the stove.

As to the film, Surrogates opens nationwide on Friday, September 25th. It stars Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames and Rosamund Pike with direction by Jonathan Mostow.

We wish Venditti, the movie and everyone involved the best with this project. The Surrogates explores some pretty provocative ideas way beyond the science fiction elements on the surface. We can't wait to see what they do with 'em on the big screen.

Rob's blog