Martin McDonagh Wrote Wild Horse Nine Five Different Ways
Summary
The idea began nearly two decades ago on Easter Island as a father-and-son story before becoming a CIA comedy.
"Martin McDonagh told MovieMaker that Wild Horse Nine went through ""five fully different versions"" before reaching the screen. The writer-director first visited Easter Island during post-production on In Bruges, almost two decades ago, hoping the island could work as a character, and wrote several drafts inspired by it. ""It was always two guys, but it started with a father and son,"" he said.
The story found its final shape about four years ago, when McDonagh combined the island with his longtime interest in the CIA and its history in Chile, an interest he dates to his teens and describes as being ""fascinated and horrified."" The father-and-son pairing became the film's two agents, though he said a ""gentle shadow"" of that relationship remains.
The first version was heavily plot-driven, he said, and gave less attention to the two leads. ""So, I knew in this final version to let plot twists and all that stuff go,"" McDonagh said, calling the finished film ""sort of a love story about these two guys."" Starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, Wild Horse Nine opens Friday from Searchlight."
