Max Brooks News
Because fannes of Anne Bancroft are likely interested in following the success of her son, I am including this section for him.
First, some trivia. Graduated from film school at American University, 1994. Was a writer for Saturday Night Live. Worked as a production assistant on Michael Palin's African rail pilgrimage at the BBC. Author of The Zombie Survival Guide. Became engaged to Michelle Kholos in September 2002, married in 2003. A note in the Fall 2005 issue of Emerson College's alumni magazine under "Class of 1990:"
Michelle Kholos and husband Max Brooks announce the birth of their son, Henry Michael, in March. Michelle has had two plays produced, Two Parents, Two Weddings, Two Years, at the Wings Theater in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, and Allergic to Walnuts, at the Hollywood Court Theater in Hollywood, California.
And read here Only Child magazine's extensive interview with Max on what it was like to grow up the child of famous parents. Lots of fabulous photos, as well.
Latest news:
September 11, 2009
I'm excited to announce that Max's site has come into its own this summer, so my page here will no longer be updated as it used to be, apart from occasional interviews or pics. He's got news, project updates, multimedia, and more! Bookmark him here. His latest item is an interview on Olbermann -- priceless. Don't forget to join his mailing list!
Max at the San
Diego Comic Con in July 2009, courtesy Avatar
Press
(click for full size):
Fun video interview with Max here.
Great coverage about Max at Canada's FanExpo here and here.
A piece of concept art from the in-production movie adaptation of World War Z.
Max's publisher has a trailer for Recorded Attacks here.
Don't forget to bookmark this most excellent page for the latest Max Brooks news. Remember, my site is not a site for Max, it's for his mom! You'll definitely want to find sources that can provide you up-to-the minute info about Max, unlike this page.
August 10, 2009
Max has been very busy this summer, most recently at San Diego's Comicon in late July:
Max Brooks found a unique way to read comic books while he was meant to be signing at the Avatar booth. He hid. I approve!
more
courtesy Rich Johnston
Here's a video interview from SDCC! "The worst part of doing an audio book is hearing my own voice, and hearing the nasally, Hebraic sound of my own nerdvoice." Too funny.
This lucky young lady chatted with Max at the Wizard World Philadelphia Comicon in June:
A nice Max Brooks slideshow from Philly here.
The Z script is still in development and far from realization (link). In fact, it looks like they're getting a new writer (link). Max sez:
“I believe they have a new writer on board,” Brooks stated. Then adding with a hint of sarcasm, “Because you know, Straczynski apparently can’t write science-fiction, so naturally they need a new guy.”
But besides knowing that a new screenwriter is being brought aboard, Brooks confesses to not knowing too much more about what is going on behind the scenes with the film.
“It’s still rolling along, he said. “They renewed the option on it, so apparently they still want to make it. But that’s about all I know.”
And although he wrote for Saturday Night Live for two seasons, if Plan B were to approach him to take a crack at the screenplay himself, Brooks stated that he would definitely pass on the opportunity.
“Never,” he stated emphatically. “I don’t want to go near that movie. They’re going to kill my baby and I don’t want to help them.”
Max also sez:
"This movie has to be epic...and if it isn't the Lord of the Rings of zombie movies, I don't want to see it get made".
And therein lies the problem, the Catch-22, the double edged sword, etc. With a smaller budget, Brooks would have more creative control and possibly be able to score even more street cred with the low budget fans of the genre he is also just as nerdy about. However, the scale of World War Z is so huge, it requires a giant budget resulting in Brooks being cut out of the picture like an old boyfriend. It seems once again that the big budget world, while offering copious amounts of option money as well as a promise for an epic movie, doesn't seem to care about the artists. Brooks, along with many others, is just a cog in the big budget machine. But as Brooks stated: "Hey, that's Hollywood" and that the fans "...Are the ones with the most control...if you want to see this movie get made, call the production companies, they're done listening to me".
more
And the new writer is... Matthew Michael Carnahan, who specializes in political thrillers. Some have speculated that they might be dumbing down Max's book for the masses. Zombie car chases, explosions, etc. Others speculate that his involvement portends more government involvement with the zombie attacks.
Max sez:
“They say it’s a positive move because they’re very excited, but the truth is, it’s also positive because they just paid him a buttload of money, and [with] the money they paid him, the money they paid Straczynski and the money they’ve paid me, they’ve really dug themselves a deep hole, so they better make this thing!"
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Ummm, maybe a new director as well (link)??
Here is a Facebook page for the Z movie, keep it bookmarked.
This is nice -- how Max brings a new perspective to an old genre.
Great news, and great interview here!
Brooks is going to jumping fully into the world of comics over the next few months. The previously-announced comic adaptation of Zombie Survival Guide is due in early October. But as IDW revealed at SDCC today, Brooks will also be penning a new G.I. Joe mini-series. This as-yet-untitled project will be five issues long, with each issue focusing on one Joe and one Cobra character.
We were able to get Brooks on the phone and chat about this announcement. Brooks revealed his love for the Joes and how he plans on tackling the franchise. He also discussed Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks and the status on the movie adaptation of World War Z.
More on this story here.
June 6, 2009
Items of interest for Max fans.
This first item is a MUST READ, if you haven't already caught it elsewhere -- Vice magazine's interview. If this link is ever broken, let me know, because I've saved a forever version.
Some book signing pics:
courtesy Forbidden
Planet
thanks to Kacey3
Another great pic here.
Bookmark this link for the future, MaxBrooks.com!
January
8, 2009
Some exquisite interviews with Max, which Jody H. uncovered
at YouTube and which you've just gotta see: Very cute little item from WizardWorld 2008
Terrific interview at Indiana University, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
Max at Comic-Con 2008 in San Diego, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
I've got tons of stuff on Max which I've accumulated of late, will work on getting some links up ASAP. Lots going on!
September
16, 2008
Archaeology has an item of genius from Max
Gotta love it -- The Zombie Survival Guide Flash Deck!
July
30, 2008
We really have a bit of a problem here... Max is so
incredibly busy, there is so much news that pertains to him, that I can no
longer keep up with him. Someone out there really needs to create a site
just for him that I can link to! Max was a big hit at the recent Comic Con 2008. (My pal
Jody H. pointed out that his room number was 5AB, ha!). I'll just
post links here for you guys to visit as you wish (these links have not
been vetted):
Spotlight on Max Brooks Panel (nice color pic of Max)
2008 San Diego Comic Con: A Day in Pictures
courtesy jennerator
Max was selling and signing copies of The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z. He was also giving away free preview comics of "recorded zombie attacks." Avatar Press announced that his next book, The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks will get an early 2009 release. Pre-order yours today:
The Fangoria site always is a good source for Max News:
July 3: It’s a wrap for SATAN HATES YOU
Writer/director James Felix McKenney sent along word that he has wrapped principal photography on his new feature SATAN HATES YOU, the homage to religious scare films that we last talked about here. Boasting a cool genre cast consisting of McKenney regulars Don Wood and Christine Spencer, PHANTASM vets Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister, Michael Berryman, Debbie Rochon, Larry Fessenden (whose Glass Eye Pix co-produced the film with McKenney’s MonsterPants Movies) and WORLD WAR Z author Max Brooks, SATAN finished shooting in Manhattan on Tuesday. “This film is significantly larger than anything we’ve done before,” McKenney says. “With a huge cast and multiple locations around New York, Los Angeles and even hell itself, I went into this shoot fearing I bit off more than I could chew. But our incredible cast and amazing crew made getting this ambitions project in the can a breeze. It was almost too easy.”
Adds Fessenden, “It is always very special to team up with the Monsterpants gang. They make films the way I like it: seat-of-the-pants resourceful, lotta heart, lotta love on set. That’s what Glass Eye has always been about and collaborating with McKenney keeps us honest. As for SATAN HATES YOU, I think the title says it all.”
While McKenney readies to enter the postproduction phase with an eye on an early-2009 release, he’s also prepping a new genre project; look for more on that one at this site tomorrow! And check out SATAN’s official website here. —Michael Gingold
source
Wizard World Chicago 2008 -- great new interview with Max
here. Talks about his upcoming book, his dyslexia, comic books, graphic novels, and his film.Max also appeared at Kalamazoo's library recently -- such a busy guy! Holly got to meet him.
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away."
