Last Interview on the Left: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett - Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Summary

Last Podcast on the Left

Episode Title: Last Interview on the Left: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett – Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
Guests: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett (Radio Silence)
Release Date: March 20, 2026

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Overview

This episode of Last Podcast on the Left features a lively, freewheeling, and funny conversation between the hosts and the Radio Silence directing duo, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett. The main focus is on their upcoming film, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, but they also discuss their approach to horror and action, satirizing the rich, the ins and outs of being a co-directing team, their punk roots, monster movies, the influence of Satanism in their films, casting stories, and some industry behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

The tone is irreverent, playful, and sometimes self-deprecating, as both hosts and guests openly joke about Hollywood, the meaning of horror, and all things macabre and silly.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Radio Silence’s Love for Horror and Satire

• The duo opens up about their background, referencing how the Last Podcast on the Left was part of their own creative journey (00:52).
• They explicitly frame their movies as warnings and satire about the powers that be, joking about Hollywood’s secrets and governmental conspiracies (01:26).

2. Making Movies in Hollywood: Satirizing the Rich and Power

• The recurring theme of Ready or Not and its sequel is a critique of the wealthy elite. The team discusses how horror allows for social commentary on exploitation by the rich (04:05).
• Matt: “It's just an evergreen truth that the rich will take advantage of everybody else.” (04:05)
• Tyler: “On a long enough timeline, if you’ve achieved that level of success, there’s no way you avoided exploiting somebody” (04:22).
• The team and hosts debate if there are “good billionaires,” resulting in a tongue-in-cheek discussion about McKenzie Scott and philanthropy (05:02).

3. Personal Brush with Wealth & Punk Roots

• Matt tells an anecdote about being in a punk band with Danielle Steele's son, highlighting the contrast between privilege and normalcy in his youth (06:10–08:38).
• They reflect on how their experiences in punk culture shaped the collaborative "band" mentality for directing (09:33–10:18).
• Matt: “We started with the horn section and now we're down to, like, some ukulele.” (09:59)
• They share that the punk-rock, group-collaboration style influences their directing on-set, letting everyone "play their instrument as loud as possible." (10:03)

4. The Directing Duo Dynamic

• They joke about having a partner makes everything better, from dealing with anxiety to reading bad online reviews together (10:24, 11:34).
• The duo admits to being the “kids table” at industry events with other co-directors (12:22).
• Matt: “They straight up said, so it's like a half a brain each. How does this work? Like, why do you need each other?” (12:52)
• The collaborative process helps them troubleshoot problems and share both successes and failures (10:34–11:17).

5. Crafting Action and Stunt Sequences

• The hosts dive into technical aspects: how much is scripted and how much is improvised, especially in Ready or Not 2 (13:59–15:44).
• Tyler: “Most of the fighting in our movies … you're watching people in a bar fight, basically. That's the kind of action that we love … it lends itself to this very improvisational kind of style.” (14:52)

6. Samara Weaving’s Performance & ‘The Scream’

• Matt and Tyler praise Samara Weaving’s talent, specifically her ability to embody physical chaos, her primal scream, and her lack of vanity on set (16:02–17:59).
• Matt: “[We] definitely…were like, where is the right moment for [the scream]?…You can't overuse it. You have to save it.” (16:38)
• Tyler: “…she is one of the most beautiful human beings you'll ever see. But there's zero vanity…the way she approaches, like, every moment of her life. She's so gross and silly… fearless.” (16:59)

7. Genre Bending: Horror, Action, and Comedy

• The team dislikes being pigeonholed; they borrow from horror, sci-fi, and action genres, drawn to movies that blend multiple tones like Aliens and Terminator (18:29–20:56).
• Tyler: “It's so fun to like have a grab bag of tricks…all these little subgenres…you have so many tools at your disposal to, at the end of the day, surprise the audience.” (19:52)

8. On Realism, Rich Families, and Satire

• They discuss if the Le Domas family (from Ready or Not) is based on real families, admitting the wildest ideas often aren’t that far-fetched (22:27–23:28).
• Tyler: “It's fun to look at a class so out of reach that you can dream up the wackiest thing and it’s probably not that wacky…bummed that some of it is real.” (22:44)

9. Satanism & Occult Influences

• The filmmakers openly discuss their love for Satanic horror, taking cues from Hammer films and the duality of modern rituals versus ancient ones (24:52–27:42).
• They note critics disliked the Satanic elements in the first film, so they went even harder in the sequel (25:45).
• Matt: “Our thing…was the Le Domases in the first one are low-rent amateur versions of Satanists…” (27:13)
• They emphasize world-building: the Le Domas go from making-believe to being seriously good at Satanism, with real temples and goat pits (27:20–27:48).

10. Sequels and World-Building

• The challenges and appeals of creating a direct sequel are discussed: balancing expectation, not being too nostalgic, and offering something fresh (28:09–29:47).
• Tyler: “How do we…not be overly cautious and not try to be too nostalgic about [the first film], but maybe challenge ourselves and challenge the audience’s notion of what the movie could be.” (28:26)

11. Special Effects, Exploding Rich People, and Blood

• Fans of the films' practical effects get the inside scoop: the evolution of their faux-blood tech, blood cannons, and exploding-corpse gags (35:37–37:44).
• Tyler: “Our guys on this movie engineered this blood cannon that looks like a drone out of Star Wars…it’s just a blast.” (35:47)
• The magic of “one-and-done” practical gags: "the set is sticky and gross…the rest of the day." (36:48, 37:05)

12. Working with Genre Legends and Casting Stories

• David Cronenberg appears in the film; Matt and Tyler describe directing Cronenberg as both surreal and delightful (38:17–39:17).
• Sarah Michelle Gellar’s late casting as a Buffy-style action heroine is recounted, as is her professionalism and energy (40:06–41:39).

13. Directing TV vs. Film Actors

• They reflect on working with actors experienced in TV versus film, noting TV actors tend to show up more prepared and ready for a fast pace (42:03–44:27).
• Cited Matthew Goode in Abigail as embracing his “big swing” opportunity (43:43).

14. Upcoming Projects: The Mummy Reboot

• Radio Silence is helming a new The Mummy featuring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, aiming to honor the spirit of the 90s films without relying solely on nostalgia (45:46–47:51).
• They want the new film to “create the same feeling” as the originals (46:58).
• Fun speculation about other Brendan Fraser vehicles and possible horror reboots of Encino Man (50:26–51:12).

15. Elijah Wood as 'The Devil's Lawyer'

• Elijah Wood’s role as a mysterious, rule-explaining lawyer in Ready or Not 2 is described as essential to making the exposition entertaining. Elijah quickly agreed to the part and made it his own (53:42–54:31).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tyler Gillette, on co-directing:
  “We have bugs. We have so many friends. Like, they're just on an island alone with their anxiety. Fuck that.” (10:27)

• Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, on rich satire:
  “It's just an evergreen truth that the rich will take advantage of everybody else. Right. At the end of the day.” (04:05)

• Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, on Samara Weaving’s 'scream':
  “You can't overuse it. You can't make it. You have to, like, save it. You have to be like, this is. You're waiting for this. It's like when you're waiting for, like, that special part of a song.” (16:38)

• On dealing with practical gore:
  Tyler: “It’s a blast. It’s like, there’s a countdown. And I mean, everything about it…just feels so grand and exciting and messy as hell.” (35:47)

• On making a new Mummy:
  Matt: “It's about those two characters [Fraser & Weisz]. Let's have fun with it.” (47:51)

• On being starstruck by Cronenberg:
  Matt: “[He] couldn’t have been kinder…He very much was like, ‘You guys, just tell me what you need.'” (39:07)

• On world-building in Ready or Not 2:
  Matt: “…What if these guys are good at it? Like, what if they're. They've got a cool temple and the real robes, and they, like, got the real goat pit and all this…” (27:20)

• On the fun of a horror-action hybrid:
  Tyler: “...all of those little subgenres…have little dials you can turn at different moments…so many tools at your disposal to…surprise the audience.” (19:52)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:52 — Radio Silence on listening to Last Podcast on the Left during early days
• 04:05 — Critiquing the rich in their films
• 06:10-08:38 — Matt’s punk band story featuring Danielle Steele’s son
• 10:24-11:17 — The joys and perks of being a co-directing team
• 13:59-15:44 — Improvising action and fight sequences
• 16:02-16:59 — Samara Weaving's scream and physicality
• 18:29-20:56 — Crossing genre boundaries: action, horror, comedy
• 22:27-23:28 — The Le Domas as a satire of hyper-wealthy families
• 24:52-27:59 — Satanism, ritual, and increasing occult elements in their movies
• 28:09-29:47 — Direct sequel challenges and sequel philosophy
• 35:37-37:44 — Gore FX: exploding people and blood cannons
• 38:17-39:17 — Directing David Cronenberg
• 40:06-41:39 — Casting Sarah Michelle Gellar
• 42:03-44:27 — TV vs. film actors; rapid-fire storytelling
• 45:46-47:51 — Remaking The Mummy with Fraser & Weisz
• 53:42-54:31 — Elijah Wood as the Devil's Lawyer in Ready or Not 2

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Conclusion

This episode is a boisterous, insight-packed exchange that fans of genre movies, filmmaking, and horror satire will relish. Radio Silence emerge as filmmakers passionate about mixing horror, action, and social commentary; maintaining humor and humility; and pushing the boundaries of practical effects. The conversation delivers behind-the-scenes peeks, candid opinions about the industry, and a clear affection for both horror tradition and moviegoing itself.

Transcript

[Interviewer 1]

All right.

[Interviewer 2]

Today we are joined by a directing team. We're joined by the directing team of Matt Bettinelli Olpin and Tyler Gillette, the men behind Radio Silence. You've seen their movies. You've seen Ready or Not. You've seen Scream 5, Scream 6, Abigail, Devil's Do. And you are gonna see on March 20th their new movie, Ready or Not To. We're here with the Radio Silence boys. How you doing? Matt and Tyler.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Hey. Yes. Very, extremely excited to be here. I know we said this earlier, but, like, my God, this is

[Tyler Gillette]

unrecorded preamble. Yes. Let's run it back, guys.

[Interviewer 3]

What makes you fans of us?

[Interviewer 1]

How long you got?

[Tyler Gillette]

Where do we begin? Yeah, where do we get.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

You know when we used to do our own shorts? I'm not even kidding. And we used to do shorts and we'd drive up to, like, Lone Pine. We would listen to your guys episodes the whole way. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

I can comfortably ask because we talked about this. We want to keep this light. We want to keep this fun. But would you feel that your entrance into the major Hollywood system has given you information that you're trying to disseminate through your pop culture films in a way that we would find entertaining and not frightening due to the truth of the information that you hold?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yes. They're warning.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah, we're just fully training.

[Interviewer 1]

Interesting.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

You're going to get us killed.

[Interviewer 3]

Are you excited that there's two of you? That way, if one of you mysteriously has a heart attack after this comes out, they can't do it to both of you.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yes, we will. The Radio Silence legacy will continue on.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

It's a long game. We've been planning.

[Interviewer 1]

If there was a way for the government to leave your bodies, how would you want that? Like, honestly, how would you choose the government to kill you both?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Oh, man.

[Tyler Gillette]

I want to be found in, like, a fountain of a shopping mall. Like a busy shopping mall.

[Interviewer 3]

Okay.

[Tyler Gillette]

I think would be great.

[Interviewer 3]

Yeah, no problem.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, we could have you. You can fall through the skylight to make sure that it's.

[Tyler Gillette]

That's fun.

[Interviewer 2]

At the busiest time of the holiday season. You fall through the skylight and into the middle fountain.

[Interviewer 3]

Yes. Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. And of course, the little girl must scream.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer 3]

Matt, how do you want to die?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

By the government. By the government. Oh, boy. Geez. Could it be one of those things where it's like, there's a bunch of versions of it. So there's a bunch of conspiracy theories. I hope it becomes one of those is he dead Things.

[Interviewer 1]

You're poisoned, you're shot, you're hung by. You're hung from the ceiling. You're electrocuted. Yeah.

[Interviewer 3]

Yes.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

In, like, different countries. And so there's a bunch of mystery.

[Interviewer 3]

His suicide note was just the letter Y.

[Interviewer 1]

Just know I will make sure. I will make sure your penis is preserved in formaldehyde for the rest of time.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I didn't want to ask, but the

[Interviewer 3]

Moody Museum's already on the line. Yeah, it's great. We're going to have it there for you.

[Interviewer 1]

They're desperate for cock.

[Interviewer 3]

So let me ask you guys, how much. Why do you hate the rich so much?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 3]

Cause obviously I'm looking at your home.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I don't know.

[Tyler Gillette]

It's weird you, ain't it?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

On the sort of desperate climb to reach that. It's very odd how critical we are of it.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Right?

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

But I mean. Cause, you know, the Ready or Not films, like, both of them are definitely like, criticisms on the rich and how they play with the. I mean, we're doing a series on the Dupont. Like, we're working on a series on the duponts right now. And, you know, the Dupont Foxcatch murder was very much just a man playing with the lives of those that they see below them. Like, what is it about that. With the Ready or Not films that you guys wanted to bring to the forefront?

[Interviewer 3]

Abigail, too.

[Interviewer 2]

And Abigail as well.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah. Abigail's a lot of it. I think it's something that it just. I mean, it's unfortunately just a truism. It's just. It's an evergreen truth that the rich will take advantage of everybody else. Right. At the end of the day.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah. And I think that a long enough timeline, if you've achieved that level of. Of success, there's no way that you've avoided exploiting some. Somebody or something on the path to that. It's just. It's just not. That's just how the. The world operates, unfortunately.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

So you have no grace for good billionaires,

[Tyler Gillette]

Donnyland, who are the good billionaires?

[Interviewer 1]

Are there good billionaires? Do you not have any sympathy for billionaires? Do you think of how much pressure.

[Tyler Gillette]

The ones that give it all away. Yeah, the ones that give it all away.

[Interviewer 2]

I mean, come on. Did you see how concerned Bill Gates was about his wife's sta.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

He was concerned on that. Oh, my God. But.

[Tyler Gillette]

But how much money has McKenzie Scott given away now? Do. What's the current?

[Interviewer 3]

I think seven.

[Interviewer 1]

She must have so much fun throwing his money into every single place. But, like, she must satisfying.

[Interviewer 3]

Yeah. This is 1 billion to keep men bald. This is.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

The anti Viagra donations.

[Tyler Gillette]

Has the last podcast got any of that Mackenzie Scott dough? Has she kicked any of it your way guys or we haven't, have we?

[Interviewer 1]

Obviously you could see I had my tits enhanced. All of this body is reconstructed there. This is no way. No one would choose this naturally. This doesn't happen naturally.

[Interviewer 3]

It is interesting to see in horror movies how it mirrors society a lot of times and I feel like you guys are really hitting that nail on the head. Did you grow up wealthy? How do you know so much about these societies?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

You know, I. It's funny, I actually had a brush with it when I was a teenager. One of my really good friends who I was in a band with for a lot of years was Daniel Steele's son. And it was a. It was a very funny. I was like in a punk band, just a bunch of scrappy kids. And then our singer was Daniel Steelson. And you know, and he was a lovely, wonderful person who was like one of my best friends and. But it was a weird toe dip into. I live in Oakland, I'm up at my parents house actually right now. And he lived in San Francisco. And it was a weird toe dip into this entire other world that you know, I don't think most of us are familiar with.

[Interviewer 2]

Daniel Steele, the author.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

The author, yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Do you think that.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, her son was this guy Nick. And he was. He was wonderful and he. But. But. And he was really complicated, right. It was really complicated relationship with his wealth and yeah, we didn't know that he was her. He. He joined the band. We were kids. I mean we're like teenagers. And he joined the band I think when we were like maybe 16 or something. And it was at least probably. I mean it felt like forever as a kid. But it was probably like six months before we even knew that his mom was Daniel Steele. But there were like weird tells where like someone would drop him off at practice and there was like a car phone. This is like in the 90s. Yeah. So it was like what you have a car phone?

[Interviewer 1]

Do you feel like it had made him. It gave him extra room to just be something extra and something special. That it was harder for somebody like you.

[Interviewer 2]

What's weird?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I. I mean again I. I could go on about this forever because he's probably one of the most charismatic, talented people I ever knew. And he had this. And he had this like real. I. There's a duality that was obvious all the time where he was he had this life that was different than the life that we all kind of lived with him. I mean, we just did it like normal, like, in a van with a bunch of guys sleeping on floors. And then he'd come home and he had a different life. But it's like we were saying a second ago, he was always very conflicted about it and he was kind of embarrassed in the way that a teenager is embarrassed about anything that they're not comfortable with around their friends. Yeah. I don't know if that answers the question, but, yeah, it was weird. I'm just going down memory lane now.

[Interviewer 2]

No, no, this is a great. Actually a great no Dogs in Space moment where we get to have that little trivia of. The lead singer of Link 80 was Daniel Steel, Son. That's incredible. I didn't know that because. Yeah, you guys were the. Y' all were the first band sign playing to Asian Man Records, right?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

That's right. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

You got a little bit of punk. So, like, in that. What, like, have you ever thought about, like, using that punk pass to kind of make a, like, green room style, like, punk horror movie?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I mean, we've talked about it a lot, right, Tyler? Like, there's been a lot of. Yeah, it's. It's such a rad subculture and a world to live in, especially in the 90s. It was so, like, special, and at least it felt like that to me at the time and. But you're always. The entire experience is you're going to, like, the worst places with, like, the scariest people who you've never met before. And then you're like, let's play songs and run into each other and jump on each other for a few hours and then go to somebody's random house in the backwoods somewhere to do whatever shit we're going to get into. Every. Every turn in that feels like there's an on ramp to some great movie.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah, yeah, but that sort of band past, I mean, that's very much built into, like, just how, you know, the two of us work. Like, it's. You know, we were a band of five when we started out, and. And now we're just a sort of shitty old duet. But, like, the idea of just, like. You know, normally it's the opposite.

[Interviewer 1]

Normally they start as a hot duet and then all of a sudden there's like a horn section. You know,

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

we started with the horn section and now we're down to, like, some ukulele.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Do you guys.

[Tyler Gillette]

How we run everything, you know, like, we're just. We show up on set and we want everyone to just play their instrument as loud as possible. And. And I mean, it's. It's.

[Interviewer 3]

We.

[Tyler Gillette]

It's very, very similar in, you know, in its process to just playing with your buds.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. Do you ever look at directors who direct movies alone and think that they're chumps who work too hard?

[Tyler Gillette]

Dude, yes.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yes.

[Tyler Gillette]

We have bugs. We have so many friends. Like, they're just on an island alone with their anxiety. Fuck that.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Our buds, who are directors, we talk to them about it. And there's a very consistent from everything like, oh, wait, one of you can just go to the bathroom during the day without the entire crew shutting down. Yeah, it's not like, I got eyes on Tyler. He's going into the bathroom. It's just a. Hey, man, I'll be right back. To the moment to moment thing of like, hey, this isn't working. How do we get through this? And it's so nice to not be stuck in some world where you have to believe you have all the answers and they have to be perfect to have that relationship where we can just be like, I don't think this is working. What do we do? And in the moment, you know, like a sport or like a band, just kind of get through it together. It makes all the difference.

[Interviewer 1]

And it probably also helped to spread the success and failure to two, you know what I mean? Because I'm certain that you walk away. You and you have a massive success. One of you walks away and he's like, thank God he has me. You know, like,

[Tyler Gillette]

one of our favorite things to do is to go on Amazon and read, like, for something that we've made and read the worst reviews. That's no fun to do by yourself. It's only fun if you can, like, screen grab it and send it. Send a deer to your friend.

[Interviewer 2]

Is there one that, like, really stands out in your mind? That, like, that. Actually. That was very clever.

[Tyler Gillette]

Oh, shit. I mean, we can pull some up and read them. We do a review.

[Interviewer 1]

Don't give him any fucking credit. Don't fucking give him an inch.

[Interviewer 3]

You guys ever commiserate with the Filippo Brothers? Do you know them at all? You ever talk about being directing duos?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

No, we know.

[Tyler Gillette]

We've never. Yeah, I haven't met them. There's. It's actually, it's a small group of people when the DJ occasionally puts on these events and all the co directors end up sitting at the same table. And it's A small. It's a small.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

It's the kids table. It's the outcast table.

[Tyler Gillette]

And we're all looked down on by the rest of the dga. You know, it's like Phil and, you know, Phil Lord and Chris Miller. I mean, like, good. Like great people, great directors, but we're all. We're all the step kids.

[Interviewer 1]

Do you think that's what happened to the Coen brothers is they were so sick of that fucking table?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah. They were never at our table, weirdly enough.

[Interviewer 1]

Can we get them at separate tables just to get them back together?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

We. They. They do. The president of the dga one year did come up to us at our table. And I remember it was like Akiva and Yorma from Lonely island and us, and I think Chris and Phil, but they were just. They straight up said, so it's like a half a brain each. How does this work? Like, why do you need each other?

[Interviewer 1]

We're both going to attack you. That's how it works.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, totally.

[Interviewer 1]

Diversion.

[Tyler Gillette]

The others attacking from behind.

[Interviewer 1]

I actually, I have a technical question. I. Because Ready or Not, Abigail, these are a lot of. It has really, really intense, awesome action pieces, which I think are probably the hardest thing is, like, stunt action things are probably one of the hardest things you shoot. Right. When you. When you're going through this, when you are building these things out, how specific are you in the script versus it changing as you go on the day? Like, all of the things that Samara Weaving goes through and Ready or not, is all of that fully scripted, or are you also playing things by ear and changing things as you go?

[Tyler Gillette]

It's always pretty loose. I mean, I think you have to have somewhat of a blueprint. There has to be some specificity so you can design the set and get all of the ingredients for the sequence. Have to sort of show up. And so that has to be present in the script. But with Ready or Not two, I mean, we were moving so fast and flying so by the seat of our pants with a sequel that we knew the sort of broad strokes of how the thing was going to start and how it had to conclude and what that had to mean emotionally for the characters. But within that, if you've got a great stunt team that is really good at improvising, it's like watching any sort of great performer improvise. You sort of look at the set and what you have and, oh, we've got these things. They're all breakaway. And the brainstorm in the, you know, in the moment of, well, shit, let's throw this person through this. And it's. It's one of the most fun things because it is. It is so alive. And I mean, the only big stunt things that have to ever feel for us anyway are, like, super, super planned and rehearsed are the things where you're, like, pulling people up into the sky, you know, wire work, things that require real rigging and there's real danger. You know, you just have to premeditate all of that. But the fight stuff, man, it's really fun to. And by the way, to throw at a cast member, like, hey, we know you rehearsed this. What if we do this? It's amazing to see how, you know, most of the fighting in our movies, you know, it's not like John Wick shit. You're watching people, like, in a bar fight, basically. That's the kind of action that we. That we love. And that stuff, like, it lends itself to this very improvisational kind of style, but it is the hard stuff to shoot, man.

[Interviewer 1]

Samara Weaving's a fucking star, and she's also one of those people. She sells the physical acting of abuse because, like, normally you got these, like, skinny leading ladies. They don't look like they can't kill people. They can't kill fudgeing people. Samara, I believe, can kill people.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Did you.

[Interviewer 2]

Did you know that she had that, like. Her guttural primal scream is one of the best in the business. Did you know that she could do that before you got her on set?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

No, we had no clue when she did that. The first time, I remember us being. It was very early because we shot the end of the first. Ready or not first. It was all in the first week. And when she did her. She, like, rolls off the table and does, like, ah, screams. And that was the first time we heard it. And it was like, oh, my God. What?

[Tyler Gillette]

Everybody on set was like, yeah, yeah.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

And then when we went into this movie, to the sequel, we definitely. That was a thing. We were like, where is the right moment for this? And we found. We found a really good one that we were like, oh, yeah. That's when this has to happen. Because you can't overuse it. You can't make it. You have to, like, save it. You have to be like, this is. You're waiting for this. It's like when you're waiting for, like, that special part of a song.

[Tyler Gillette]

But Sam's a unicorn. I think one of her superpowers is, like, she is one of the most beautiful human beings you'll ever see. But there's zero vanity in the way that she approaches, like, every moment of her life. She's so gross and silly and isn't afraid to, like, up and be weird. And, you know, there's. There's. She's fearless and. And you need that for. For that character.

[Interviewer 2]

Very specifically, you're saying she. So in other words, she's Australian.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah, yeah, totally.

[Interviewer 1]

More. I remember I met Margot Robbie and she was like that. She'd like, burp and spit and then go like, sorry, that, mate. Like, do that. And you're like, I'm mesmerized. You're literally. You could do anything. You can do anything. I love you. Anything you want.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

It's the best. There's actually a moment in Ready or Not too, where Sam was like, I want to spit at the end of this. Is that cool? We're like, absolutely. Please hawk a big loogie. Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Ready or not. It's. I, like, we got to see it. It's such an incredibly fun movie.

[Interviewer 3]

Yeah, it's a lot of fun, man. It's such a great time.

[Interviewer 2]

It's so much fun. Just as good as the first one. But, like, I mean, you guys, like, one of the things that I love about y' movies is that your sense of pacing is so fucking good. Like, you really know how to pace a movie. So, like, when you approach a movie, like, as directors, do you all see yourselves as, like, primarily, like, horror directors or action directors? Because y' all are just action. You're so fucking good at it.

[Tyler Gillette]

Thanks, man.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, thank you. I mean, you know, it's like, it's. We never, like, think about it too specifically, because I think the way we came up, it's like. Like we were both, like, raised on Twilight Zone, you know, like, that was like the touchstone that started everything for us. And so it was sort of like, we love genre stuff. We love sci fi, we love horror, we love action, we love adventure. And so, like, when we first started working together, a lot of our stuff would kind of dip into. It would, like, one little 10 minute short would be sci fi, horror and adventure all kind of mixed up together. And I think we've just taken that with us because it's like, we feel weird when something's not edging towards scary. We feel weird when something's not edging towards action. And we also feel weird when it's, like, lacking emotion because that's kind of what we always tie everything together with is how do you get someone like Samara at the center of this. That can kind of ground all of the action, all of the horror, all of the emotion and make it feel like it's cohesive in one thing is always sort of the goal, but it's, it's a bit of we love it all and we get to play, you know, kind of for a living now, which is incredible. So it's this, how can we. How can we make this more actiony? How can we make this more scary? I mean, that's a conversation we have, I think all the time. It's like, let's lean harder this direction or that direction.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah, yeah. And it's so fun to like have a grab bag of tricks. Right? Like you don't. And tropes to play with. All of those little sub genres they have, they have little dials that you can turn at different moments. And so it just means you have so many tools at your disposal to at the end of the day, surprise the audience. And that's the movie. The movies that we grew up on did that so effortlessly. And it feels like, I mean, we could go on and on about how the business and distribution has changed and how niche things have become because of streaming. We loved Terminator and Aliens and those movies that felt like they could do all of these things. And it all felt so effortless. And it was because these were big ideas that were being made for huge audiences for everybody to see instead of just one person interested in robots sitting on their couch in their house. We have a real muscle memory for those types of movies and are really just trying to replicate the feeling of that in the stuff that we make.

[Interviewer 3]

Yeah, man. Going to the theater is fucking awesome. I love it so much. Your movie comes out on March 20, correct? Ready or not? Yeah. Yeah, dude. So make sure you go out and see that movie in the theater. It's big fucking action movie, big horror movie. You guys are going to love it. I'm sure it's going to be amazing. But I got to ask about like.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh, I thought you were going to Hardcore. We were talking about Gaza now, right? You're. Now it's a hardcore.

[Tyler Gillette]

You give him the love.

[Interviewer 1]

You set him up with the knife.

[Tyler Gillette]

Actually, yes.

[Interviewer 3]

Not Gaza. But I'm excited when you see this because obviously we all want the movie theaters to survive. I go to the movies at least once a week. We want everything to be great now when everything that's going on in the news right now with the files coming out, are you looking at this? And be like, we can't buy this type of publicity,

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I will say shocking

[Tyler Gillette]

and disappointing how topical the movies that we make have become.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

And sad how unsurprising it is. Yeah. But the weird thing that we saw bubble up when they released the new trailer was that this is Hollyweird conditioning people to be Henry. I believe you were circling this at the beginning. Conditioning people, circling it to the idea.

[Interviewer 1]

I'm sorry, I believe I just said it out right.

[Interviewer 3]

Do the Le Domas family represent any particular family? Do you have an inspiration?

[Tyler Gillette]

Oh, man, you are really trying to make a step in it. No, I mean, look, you're just laying fucking trapped.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I think we know.

[Tyler Gillette]

No, but it's the fun of, like, living in this sort of heightened world of these billionaires is it feels like you can sort of be broad and specific at the same time. And, you know, it also, I mean, it's fun to like, look at a class that is so out of reach for everyone that isn't in it that you can just, like, you can dream up the wackiest thing and it's probably not that wacky. And I think that was really the compass, like, the sort of guiding light for us on both of these movies was, well, we don't know. Like, let's. What's the craziest rich people you can. You could think of and.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

Just bum bummed that some of it is real. Some of it's real.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah. Dude, when you talk, when you go into these executives offices, this is one of my favorite phenomenons in this whole new awareness that we're getting as a country right now, I guess, which is you get to go into these very, very powerful people's rooms, the most elite of the entertainment industry. And you pitch these things. What are the looks on their faces? Like, when you say, like, so this is when they systematically murder all of the rich people. And are they just sitting there just going like, that is simply fantasy. What a wonderful trip down a dream world that cannot happen. Like, do you think that, like, how do you. Like, how do they react in those rooms? Like, in being in that world?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I am actually. I think we're surprised at how much everybody's always into. Always feels like.

[Tyler Gillette]

I think there's enough self awareness.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

And a willingness to kind of to hold up a mirror and.

[Interviewer 1]

Because they better.

[Interviewer 3]

I mean, I felt that way when I watched the. The Hunt that came out recently. And like, how it showed, like, bloodthirsty Democrats. And I was like, this is a lot of fun.

[Interviewer 2]

Sure.

[Interviewer 3]

I had a great time with this, you know, and So I, I'm enjoying this. But you guys, really, not only do you focus on the rich, you focus on Satan.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yes.

[Interviewer 3]

And, and, and so, so Satan is a big part of your thing. It's Satanism. Are, are you all Satanists? Do you, do you dabble?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I was raised Catholic. No longer.

[Interviewer 1]

You're halfway there, buddy. You're halfway there, buddy. I was raised Catholic too, man.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

You're halfway there.

[Interviewer 2]

Don't notice that. I didn't, don't think that I didn' slipped the satanic version of Hallelujah into Ready or Not. I, I, I heard it.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I, I was gonna ask, what do you say? This one, it's, there's, and there's a lot of, in this. It was funny. There was a lot of conversations when we were going, you know, going in like pre production where we went back and we looked at, there's this thing that the studios do where they do a toe dip with critics. And so before the movie's even finished, they show like a dozen critics and then they tell you how shitty your movie is.

[Tyler Gillette]

It's the worst idea.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

They tell you how it's shitty and then you're just kind of bummed for a few weeks until you totally forget about it, which has happened in both of these movies. And we went back when we were making this and looked at what the critics said about the first movie and like the number one headline was all the Satan stuff is awful and horrible and needs to go.

[Tyler Gillette]

Maybe don't say Satan somewhere.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah. And then, and it was quite, it was for us, we were like, well, they're gonna hate this next one because

[Interviewer 2]

so much harder it goes so fucking hard with the Satanism. And I love that. That's what I love so much about because I'm a huge fan. Like some of my favorite horror movies are the 70s Hammer horror films that really dig into this like the Satanism. Like, was this movie ready or not to. Is it inspired by movies like, you know, Devil's Reign to the Devil A Daughter, like where they're, you know, there's these cabals lurking in the background.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I mean all of it we talked a lot about and I think it maybe had to do with having come off of Abigail because we talked a lot about like the Christopher Lee stuff. Yeah. Where it's just so gothic and it's so, there's such a vibe. And our thing on this was the Le Domaces in the first one are like low rent amateur versions of Satan is kind of like pretending because maybe they saw a movie Once, and they put on a stupid fucking robe.

[Interviewer 1]

And so with this one, we were in the movie. In the first one, he's like, oh,

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

it was the 80s.

[Interviewer 1]

It was like the first thing he talked about.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

They're playing make believe. It's like when you hear, like, how the mob watched the Godfather, and we're like, oh, we're gonna do that. That's our new thing. Yeah. And then for this one, we were like, yeah, but what if these guys are good at it? Like, what if they're. They've got a cool temple and they've got the real robes, and they, like, got the real goat pit and all this kind of fun stuff. So we. It's kind of a spoiler. Sorry, I didn't realize I was dipping into that.

[Interviewer 1]

But audiences gotta know. No, I think that that brings them in. I think it brings them in.

[Interviewer 2]

I think they're gonna like that.

[Tyler Gillette]

There's.

[Interviewer 2]

Our audience is gonna like that.

[Tyler Gillette]

There's more Satan.

[Interviewer 2]

They're gonna, like, like. I mean, you can use the words goat pit in relation to a movie. Our audience is gonna go see.

[Interviewer 3]

It's actually, like, a good thing for them.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

I like when sequels, but honestly, I like when sequels expand versus, like, let's just do the whole thing again.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, I love it. No, no, the. The world building in. This was, like, so much fun. Like, you really expand because it's a direct sequel. I mean, it begins. It begins where the first movie ends. Like, was there. Was there any, like, challenges to doing a direct sequel to a movie?

[Tyler Gillette]

I think the big thing for us was just knowing that over seven to seven years since we made the first one, that it somehow, like, magically found a fandom that we wanted to deliver, something that felt satisfying and obviously in the world of the first movie, without being overly precious about it. All of our favorite sequels, like T2 and Aliens, they take the DNA of what's great about the first movie, and they apply it to something new and fresh and surprising. And ultimately, those movies, whether you see the first or not, you could be such a fan of and enjoy them as a singular experience. And I think for us, the pressure was just, how do we make something and not be afraid to, in some ways, maybe shit on the first movie a little bit and not be overly cautious and not try to be too nostalgic about what it is, but to maybe challenge ourselves and challenge the audience's notion of what the movie could be. And that was. That was just. It was fun, but there was a lot of pressure in it, too. Because you obviously want to deliver something that people, you know, that people love and enjoy in the same way as, you know, as the first movie.

[Interviewer 1]

The first movie felt really effortless. I feel like that's what's so beautiful about that movie is the reason why it found its audience is because it is wholly its own. And it, like. It feels real. It feels awesome. I love their reactions, the family's reactions, and they're so fucking funny. And I guess that's also what works about it, is that it's funny, scary, bloody.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah, totally. And I think that, like, so much is like. And what we were sort of talking about, like, the Satanist stuff that we love the idea of a modern. The modern interpretation of something, like, really ancient and full of tradition and how just bastardized that has become. And by the way, I feel like that happens with all old, old institutions. And we just. We love that you have people with all of, like, trappings of modern life, like, still trying to, like, hold on to something that has its roots in a time and a mythology that are maybe, like, not even understandable. There's. It's so old and so, you know, so uncanny and strange. And that, to us is like, where all of that fun lives, like, people, you know, like, not knowing if the fucking devil exists. Like, all that's just. Just so. It's just so sticky and fun.

[Interviewer 3]

How important was it to you that you be incredibly accurate about Satanism? Were you. I don't even know personally to be.

[Interviewer 1]

Unfortunately, no. But I love you both.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I would love to know everything that we got wrong and how we. What we did. Because we had, like a. There's a whole. Like, Elijah does a whole chant or speech or, you know, I don't know what you call sermon. And you can kind of hear at the beginning of it before. And. And that was one that we. Ryan. Ryan, one of the writers guy and Ryan are the writers. And Ryan, he's. He's big into this stuff. And he was like, I'm gonna get you guys a nice long thing. So he wrote us out, and it was funny. We did it in adr, and Elijah Wood was like, okay, so I'm just reading this. What I hope I'm not. Like, this is not some incantation. Like, what is this entire paragraph?

[Interviewer 1]

No, it's easy to write stuff that sounds like it. You know what's funny is that in my mind, when I look at those types of ritual sequences, whenever it throws to Satan, it's like. I think it's good for the audience to understand Because I think most people, the audience doesn't fully understand Satanism as a whole and all that. Like, so it's like fine. But it's like to me, I always want to see a specific demon that is like literally my actual like nitpick with every one of these, which is I want a specific demon and a specific ritual for a specific demon. Otherwise.

[Tyler Gillette]

Right.

[Interviewer 1]

I'm good to go.

[Interviewer 3]

Who is Belial?

[Interviewer 1]

Belial's one of Satan's guys.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

Well, it's an anagram.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

Satan Henry, right?

[Interviewer 1]

No, he's one of the guys. He's a figure representing ultimate wickedness.

[Interviewer 2]

Well, I've just always. I always think of the guy in the basket.

[Interviewer 3]

That's where I always go to.

[Interviewer 1]

Because you know what it is, is that in Satanism they replaced blood sacrifices with sex sacrifices. So the idea was, is that eventually Anton lavey was trying to say, no, no, no, no, we don't sacrifice animals, we come. That's what this. To mimic the spurt of energy from the neck of an animal. Like essentially that's what you're doing. You are recreating the creative burst of life that is a flow of blood from a freshly opened vein, but you are transmuting it with your powerful seed. Yeah. Did you know your movie was about that?

[Interviewer 2]

And my question is now is it for Ready or Not three, are you gonna have people explode with cum instead of yes and just have come explosions.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I think you just unlocked how we. How we up the up the Annie here.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah. You know they said that they pitched Aliens where James Cameron went in the room and he wrote alien and then he wrote like a dollar sign after Aliens. You just write ready or not three come. Yeah, but like underneath on the big.

[Interviewer 2]

Because here two is Here I come. Big square around here we come with a U.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

The come in. The title is not accidental, guys,

[Interviewer 1]

But otherwise it was great. I think the Satanism was great.

[Interviewer 3]

Yeah, awesome.

[Interviewer 1]

Fantastic.

[Tyler Gillette]

Fly from your grave.

[Interviewer 3]

Let's take a break to thank our sponsor, Searchlight. Ready or not to Here I Come is a biting and hilarious satire revealing the absurdities underpinning wealth, tradition and exclusivity. Moments after surviving in a all out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace discovered she's reached the next level of the nightmarish game. And this time her estranged sister Faith is at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive and claim the high seat of the council that controls the world. I can't wait for you all to see this movie. If you liked ready or not. 1. This one takes it up to a freaking 11. The blood, the action. It's so much fun. And guess what, folks? You get to see rich people die.

[Interviewer 1]

You love it.

[Interviewer 3]

Directed by Matt Bettinelli Olpin and Tyler Gillette, the full tilt insanity of the action and combusting villains is a sharp and unsparing takedown of the kinds of people that crave power. Ready or Not 2 is now playing only in theaters. Get tickets now.

[Interviewer 2]

Speaking of the explosions, like, how much fun is it to make people explode on camera, like, to do those, like, pops?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Extremely. Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah. It's evolved over the course of the many people we've exploded. The first movie was like, just a literal, like, pyrotechnics in a plastic bag full of goo. And we've sort of moved on to safer, more reliable technology. Now our guys on this movie engine near this blood cannon that looks like a drone out of Star Wars. It has all these holes cut in the side and these kind of fins that stick out of it, and they hook it up to a big pneumatic tank and just fire air through this thing, fill it with blood and fire pressurized air through it. There really is a feeling of excitement on set. Those events are the reason you show up. You know, it's. It's like there's a countdown. And I mean, everything about it, it just feels so. So grand and exciting and. And messy as hell. It's just. It's. It's a blast. It's like

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

this level there. You don't reset. It's. They're one and done. They are. It is. It is. And then the rest of the day or week or however long it has to be there, the set is sticky and gross and over the rest of the time. But it's a vibe. It's fun. It's. You know, I love that.

[Interviewer 3]

That's great. What do you use? Karo syrup. Do you know what's your blood? What's your blood mixed?

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah, we use the same mix on. On the last few movies, and it's. It's a mix of Karo syrup. And then I. You know, they sort of thin it out for the blood cannons because you want. You want more projection. And then the stuff that we use on the actors is just a more viscous because it, you know, it's. It stretches better. Like, you get the webbing and all of that. You know, that great effect that feels really cinematic. And so you can kind of water it down. You put. Sometimes they put dish. Dish detergent in it, like dish soap.

[Interviewer 3]

Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

Also help it not break. Break up a little bit. There are a bunch of little tricks and tricks of the trade, but it's.

[Interviewer 1]

And then it helps clean easier too.

[Tyler Gillette]

Mix a few times.

[Interviewer 3]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

One question. I. One question. I had you on set that you had legendary director David Cronenberg as an actor. Now, when you're. When you're looking at this guy, how do you tell him what to do? Like, what is he doing? How do you tell him what to do? Is he one of those where it's like, I dare you to direct me? Like, is it one of those.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I mean, he's the nicest dude. He was. He was. That idea came about. Our casting director was. We were trying to find some. We had to cast it locally. And he was like, david Cronenberg is a Toronto native and might be into this. And we were like, oh, my God, that is the best idea we've ever heard. And he. It was literally one call. And Cronenberg was like, yeah, I'm in. And you didn't have to push the

[Interviewer 1]

script through, like, a membrane. Like, I thought that you'd have to. You'd have to push it through an open sphincter into, like, a goo.

[Tyler Gillette]

But he was so lovely, though. Like, just the sweetest guy. And, like, was like, I really like the way you run the set. Like, just a lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely dude. But giving him any direction was, I mean, nerve wracking. You're starstruck the entire time.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, yeah, it was. But he couldn't have been kinder. He was like. He very much was like, you guys, just tell me what you need, you know? And of course, it's like,

[Interviewer 1]

do the thing that you do. Just do what you do, Mr. Cronenberg. And he's like, I will haunt your dreams. Yes, of course I will haunt your dreams. You know how many different ways I can have sex with surgery? I think about it all day. Organs and blood and organs.

[Interviewer 3]

Now, we had a little technical difficulty, and we loosely talked about this, but I want to bring it back around you. We love that you're doing all this action stuff and you're bringing action to the horror movies. And of course, you cast Sarah Michelle Geller. Like, who better to, like, do a bunch of action scenes than Buffy? Was that. I mean, we haven't seen her in a while. Was that one of your ideas? Was that the casting move? Like, who was. Who was this? This is great. My wife was so happy.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Well, Sarah was a she. She raised her hand. It was. And it was late in the Process. We had been trying to cast that role, and I feel like it was, like, two weeks out. Does that sound right, Tyler?

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah, it was two.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

It was two. We were like, oh, my God, how are we gonna shoot this? We had a lot of another story, but Samara's back was basically broken leading up to shooting, and we didn't have either of the brother sister roles cast. And so it was like, oh, my God, how are we gonna start this movie in two weeks? And then we got so lucky that somehow Sarah heard about it and said I would be way into that. And so we zoomed with her and she was on a plane like, a week later. And it couldn't have been cooler. Couldn't have been, like, more just into everything and excited about it. And one of her first notes was, though, that her character, before she had been cast, her character's weapon was a crossbow. And she was like, this just might be a little too Buffy.

[Tyler Gillette]

He's such a pro, though. I feel like we've had the chance to work with, you know, a few actors that have just been doing it since they were kids. And, I mean, it's insane to see somebody that's just that good at what they do. They show up, they, like, know exactly what the moment needs, and. And you nudge. You nudge here and there, but for the most part, you just do a bunch of takes because you can't stop watching them be awesome. And that was. That was Sarah every single day.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

She's great.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, I did. You know, I was looking at the, you know, the cast for all your movies. And I know that, you know, you guys have worked with a lot of people who have done a ton of tv, like people who were in, you know, for the OC for Friday Night Lights, Friends, Lost, fucking Downton Abbey, you know, you got Matthew for fuck's sake, right?

[Interviewer 1]

The guy from the pitch.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

It was great.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. Yeah. But do you notice, like, as a director, is there a difference between actors who have done, like, primarily TV and actors who've done, like, primarily film?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

That's a great question.

[Tyler Gillette]

I do feel like actors always feel like they understand, like, the sort of run and gun pace of things in a different way. Right. Like, they're. They're used to. I remember, I mean, talking to Sean on this one, he's like, yeah, we show up on the set of the Pit and we're, like, jamming through 12 pages a day. And, you know, you land on a film set and, like, you're. You're lucky to get through five and A half without it feeling, you know, really, really pinched. And so I think that there's. There's. They come into it with, like an. Like an energy. There's this sort of like, caged animal. Like, fuck, we gotta, like, get out of the gate and run as fast as we can. And I think it's always. It's always. They're always. They love to have time to give more. And we've found that with. With all of. With all of the cast that has. Has TV experience, they, like, show up super on book, super prepared, because that's what TV demands of them, right? That. That you just. You. You gotta get it and move on,

[Interviewer 1]

and you gotta be locked in. And they don't. Like when you're slow.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

And because of that pace, like, they get to do a lot of different things, right? It's. He shows that, you know, like Buffy, for example. I mean, tons of action, tons of emotional stuff. And so they. There's just a. I think there's a real. There's a real sort of, like, school of work that comes out of that. Out of that process.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

And it's also coming in with, like, a strong. Oh, sorry, I was gonna say coming in with, like, a strong choice already made. Cause it's like, I gotta be there on take one. Cause I remember just to talk about Matthew Goode for a second and Abigail. I mean, he shot for half a day on that movie. It was the last half of the day of the whole shoot. And he. And he comes in and he's like, you know, so I'm just gonna kind of have fun with this and, like, really take some swings. And we're like, that is exactly. This is the end of the movie. You're fucking Dracula. Just be as big and wild and weird as you want to be. Like, we are here for it.

[Tyler Gillette]

You know, I remember him coming up to us and like, asking, like, is it too much? And he even asked Melissa, like, am I. Is this this. Am I maybe? Is this weird? And she's like, no, no, no. The guys will tell you if. If you cross the line.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

They'll tell you it's always easy to give more. You know what I mean? It's easy to give more. Well, I guess the difference between working. Talked about television actors and film actors. It looks like you guys are working on the new iteration of the Mummy with Brendan Fraser. Is he bringing back his character from the whale.

[Interviewer 3]

Top?

[Interviewer 1]

You were saying about applying old ideas to new things.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

That's it. That's how we're doing it.

[Interviewer 1]

Can you just imagine?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

This isn't. This isn't that Mummy? There's a brand new version of the Mummy with that character.

[Interviewer 1]

Wow, that's amazing. But honestly, how is it going into this process of. Obviously you did Scream films. This is a, like you did a reboot of ip. You've done a couple other things. This is big. This big time. Old school ip.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

And they're, they're bringing it like, how's that?

[Interviewer 3]

There's a ride based off of this.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, dude, like, how do you, like, what do you have to do with that? Like, do you have to go on the ride a lot?

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah, it's based on the ride. The movie's actually based on the ride.

[Interviewer 1]

Dude, my best part of that movie is gonna be when it goes backwards.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

The second half of the movie just rewinds. Yeah, dude,

[Tyler Gillette]

I. We sort of told ourselves after Scream, like, ah, fuck, we're not gonna, we can't get involved in another like, you know, pre existing franchise or something that we didn't originate. And, and then like we started working with, with the writer Dave Kogashal and our produce, our like dear friends are producing it. The same dudes that we've been working with for, for many years.

[Interviewer 1]

See, that's the dream.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Ready or not. Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

And, and got the band back together and, and, and when we started breaking the story and hearing Dave pitch on it, it was like, fuck, man. It's just too good to not steer fully into it. And it has remained that it's such a special, such a special script and to have the two of them back for just feels really good. It's one of those things. We've been doing this long enough to know that that's, that's ultimately the thing that you follow is that feeling. And this one just feels, it just feels really good.

[Interviewer 3]

Rachel Weisz come back too?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, she is awesome.

[Interviewer 2]

That's amazing. Is it a, like a reboot with the same characters or is it like a continuation of the, you know, the old, the 90s mummy movies?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

It's, it's, it's finding them now. I mean, we, you know, we want it to not overcomplicate anything. We really want it to be like, here they are. It's been that many years. This is what they're doing and here's their new adventure and making sure that I think for us. And again, we did this on screen. We had to really focus on what is the thing that makes this special and how do we. Tyler, you mentioned this earlier. How do we create the feeling that we all had watching it back then. It doesn't have to be the same thing. It doesn't have to be nostalgia overload or just, like, ripping it off, but it has to create the same feeling. And I think for us, when you watch that movie then and now, Rachel and Brendan are that feeling, you know, you're just like, oh, my God, they're so good. I just want to be with them doing their thing. And so that was kind of our, like, headline going into this, was, this is about those two characters. Let's have fun with it.

[Interviewer 1]

And the Brendan Fraser character has eaten himself into immobility, into a wheelchair, and he has to. And then he's facing the struggles of being gay.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

He's the mummy.

[Tyler Gillette]

Mummy.

[Interviewer 1]

It's the mummy.

[Interviewer 3]

The tummy.

[Interviewer 1]

This is all of this you can take?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah. Fired now, guys.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 3]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

My primary memory with this movie is having a really awkward movie date in high school. What are you doing to erase that memory from my head?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

We gotta. We gotta. We gotta. We gotta work that in somehow. That's the. I have a very funny story about it, but I'll tell you later off camera.

[Interviewer 3]

Is the Tom Cruise version dead? Is that just, like. Just have nothing to do with this?

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah, this. This. This sort of resets with those original characters.

[Interviewer 2]

All right. Yeah. And is this just. Is it a part of the, like, Universal monsters universe?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Interviewer 3]

Awesome. Congrats.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, man. It's gonna go in the amusement park, dude. You're gonna be the new Mummy ride, man.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Have it go upside down.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 3]

We're gonna scare up the. Out of you.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

No, no.

[Interviewer 2]

Like, what's it like to be a part of, like, the. Arguably, like, the greatest horror movie tradition in history?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

I mean, it's. It's unreal. Like, honestly, we. We. We text each other about it all the time where it's like. Just like. Like a random te. Holy shit. We're making a mummy movie. Like, how is that real life? That's. It's hard to, like, crazy.

[Tyler Gillette]

So kind of have to forget about that because you, you know, again, you, like, don't want to. You don't want to be hanging on to that too tightly. I think you feel. I think you can feel that in the. In the wrong way. And so it's finding out how to, like, express it in the right way. And that's really just what. What you challenge and what you. You know, what you revive. And again, I just. We can't say enough about how stoked we are. It feels we feel so ready. Like just on a script level, we could like start shooting now. You know, it's just a lot to build a movie of this size.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, let's, you know, let's just. I'll just have you know that the whole country will finally be excited by a project when you reboot George of the Jungle. And that's really not, unfortunately, until we're talking about that. I don't know know where the excitement's gonna be.

[Interviewer 2]

Actually.

[Tyler Gillette]

I love the idea of just making a bunch of sequels. Brendan Fraser sequels, airheads, Biodome.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

No, you can.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, you can.

[Interviewer 1]

He's not shows up as a Cao man in Biodome. I believe briefly.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, very, very briefly. He shows up as. It's more of a Poly Shore vehicle.

[Interviewer 1]

Casino man is now caveman, lawyer.

[Interviewer 3]

You guys need Polly's Pauly Shore's info? I can get it.

[Interviewer 1]

We can call Polly. Sure. For you. We can give him your address.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Are you willing to do an Encino man reboot? A horror Encino man reboot?

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Oh, the dream. The dream. I just watched it again. It's so good.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Within the past like six months. And I was like, this is a great movie.

[Interviewer 1]

You ever seen that thing where they showed what Neanderthals would probably sound like? Where they go, like the high voice? That's what you got to do. You reboot in Ceno, man, with a real Neanderthal and that they dig out. It's just like, it's like a screaming monkey thing.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

We do the serious version of it.

[Interviewer 2]

Yes, but with the screaming, High pitched.

[Tyler Gillette]

1, 2, 3, 4.

[Interviewer 1]

Guys, this is awesome.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

I mean, is there anything you could tell us, like where, where you at in the Mummy production? Like where, where have you started shooting yet? Have you got locations?

[Tyler Gillette]

So we are scouting. We, we, we went on a really amazing scout to Morocco just recently. And so, I mean it. We're at the be, we're at the beginning. We're at the bottom of a very, you know, tall, tall mountain. But we start prep in earnest in a couple months and probably, I think, shooting by end of the summer.

[Interviewer 1]

You sweet little boys are living the dream.

[Interviewer 3]

I heard there's a lot of pyramids in Egypt.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 3]

You guys, I know you went to Morocco, but you should try Egypt. Think about it, you know, I mean, it just seems logical to me.

[Interviewer 2]

It does seem logical.

[Interviewer 1]

You thought about that?

[Tyler Gillette]

I want this Egypt place. Send me some links on Egypt.

[Interviewer 2]

You know, it sounds like you guys really aren't doing this radio silence thing, right? I think you need Ed.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah, dude, I think.

[Interviewer 2]

I think you need Ed.

[Interviewer 1]

You go to Morocco and you take a right.

[Interviewer 3]

Yeah, you really gotta top there. You gotta get past all the other bad guys. You know, they got your Boko harams and your ISIS's. You just gotta skip past them because that's bad for insurance.

[Interviewer 1]

A lot of those guys you can pay off.

[Tyler Gillette]

Ed, you're. You should run our production services department.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, God.

[Interviewer 3]

So.

[Interviewer 2]

Well, Ready or Not 2 coming out March 20th. Go see it in the theater.

[Interviewer 1]

Seriously.

[Interviewer 3]

Here you go. Here I come. It's gonna be amazing.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, it's such. It's such a great horror movie, such a great action movie. It's funny. It's just if you love the first one, you're gonna love, love, love the second one. And it just. I just. I also have to ask, like, how much fun is it to take someone like Elijah Wood and be like, you're gonna be the devil's lawyer.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Extremely fun. And, like, that was a character on the page, too, that was. You know, it's a lot of exposition, right? It's a lot of, like, rules and talking about. And we emailed Elijah and said, hey, this is super weird, very random, and it's an interesting character. He doesn't have a name. He's the lawyer. Would you have any interest in coming up to Toronto for a few months and doing this with us and we can send you the script? And I think he emailed back, like, the next day. I love it, guys. I'm in. And he just. He just made that his own. And, I mean, and Avery, our costume designer, that costume he has is so. It just. It all works together so well. And, I mean, Elijah's really, like, a lot of the magic trick of the movie, right? Because he has to tell you everything in a way that's entertaining when it's rules, rules, rules, rules. Yeah. And he's the devil's lawyer, which is.

[Interviewer 1]

He's a real g. Elijah Wood's a real. A real. Yeah, I like talking to him.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

He knows what's going on. He also knows movies. I think that's also one thing we're kind of seeing, too, is a lack of. What you're talking about is actors that know what to do. It's because they have a. A wonderful understanding of film and of watching film and of. I feel like that's one thing we're sort of missing, and that's why it's more and more like, we got to go to the movie theaters. We have to see these things. We have to have a set of references that's not just saying le boo boo, fka twigs over and over again.

[Tyler Gillette]

Yeah. And I think for us, it's like, how do you find people that are like. Like Elijah to do the most absurd possible thing with the most. Most. With the most seriousness, like, with absolute commitment? And that's him.

[Interviewer 1]

It's a good guy.

[Interviewer 2]

Fantastic. It's a wonderful movie.

[Interviewer 1]

I forgive him for north.

[Interviewer 3]

Sure.

[Interviewer 2]

Guys, thank you all so much for joining us today. We really appreciate it, you guys.

[Interviewer 3]

It was awesome.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Thank you, guys. This is really, truly awesome. Yeah. Yeah.

[Tyler Gillette]

Thank you.

[Matt Bettinelli Olpin]

Yeah. This is very special to us.