Director David Yates, who directed parts of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts sagas, explained why he wanted to completely change the atmosphere.
David Yates he said that spending so much time in the wizarding world of Hogwarts to make the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films pushed him to take on a completely different project such as Hijackers of pain.
The director, mentioning a feature film that will be presented at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, talked about the project in which Emily Blunt plays a saleswoman who makes moral compromises while working at a pharmaceutical startup.
Change of atmosphere
Interviewed DiversityDavid Yates said when talking about Pain Hustlers: “Having spent so much time making wizard films, I wanted to make a real, socially motivated film, but not too serious and real. I wanted to tell a story that was interesting and funny, almost subversive. I’m moving away from the over-the-top world of JK Rowling, but I’m not going straight to the drama. The characters are so over the top and crazy and the world is so intense.“.
Fantastic Beasts by David Yates: “Stories like Harry Potter are fascinating because life is imperfect.
The director added: “I wanted people to feel guilty. I wanted to allow them to fall into the same tunnel of desires and ambitions and ultimately fall along with our main characters. I needed to show that their actions had consequences. The atmosphere was like walking on a tightrope.“.
The atmosphere is great
Yates also admitted that Eliza’s rise to power, despite also dealing with alcoholism and partying, had to be adjusted a bit: “There were versions of the film where he was even more insanely funny. We had to tone it down a little. If it’s too funny and entertaining in the first half or two-thirds of the film, people feel a little cheated when they get to the final third act, and we want them to be moved and shocked by that. It’s about careful calibration“.