"Adultery is not a reason for a lifetime ban on the profession"

German director Uwe Boll has been called "the worst director of all time" for decades, and his video game adaptations have become the objects of ridicule by critics. Ball himself continues, despite everything, to make films, which invariably causes loud controversy. His new thriller "Citizen Avenger," starring Armie Hammer, who was "canceled" due to the Hollywood sex scandal, has found itself at the center of a political debate. According to the director, in Germany, the film actually lost its rental after the age classification was refused, and unexpected support was provided by Elon Musk, who organized an exclusive screening of the film in X. After that, Quiver Distribution hastily acquired the rights to show "Citizen Avenger" in the world. On the eve of this event, in an exclusive interview with Izvestia, Uwe Boll spoke about European censorship, Musk's call, the GTA 6 film adaptation, working with Jason Statham and a second chance for Armie Hammer.

"Elon Musk called and offered a deal"

— On June 25, Elon Musk posted your new painting "Citizen Avenger" on the social network X. Whose initiative was this, and is such a distribution model capable of competing with classical film distribution?

— We didn't even plan anything like this, Elon came to us on his own. Apparently, he saw the cutting of fragments in X. Musk spends a lot of time on his platform, and our materials hooked him. He called and offered a deal: "I will provide the film with a large-scale promotion if you let me exclusively show it for 48 hours."

It was a difficult choice for me. On the one hand, you give away content for free, although you need to return the money invested in production. On the other hand, the game was worth the candle: in Europe, and in particular in Germany, the film is actually banned from showing. It is impossible to find him legally, so Musk's proposal became the only opportunity to open the picture to the world at least for these forty hours.

— Why was this done, given the risk of lower box office receipts?

— I hope that individual countries will still make money on the film when it is released. If Elon Musk hadn't advertised my film, his popularity would never have soared so high. I've been recording several podcasts a day for the last five days and answering emails at the same time. The situation is just crazy.

It's cool for any director to finally get the attention you've been craving. And instantly. That's why I'm still very angry that many European countries don't have my film. But the local distributors just need to contact me to release it at home.

— Why are they using legal tricks to actually ban your film?

— Yes, the rating commission refused to give the film any rating at all. And without this, it's impossible to sell the picture on Blu-ray, streaming services like Amazon or regular stores — no one will simply take up distribution. In addition, if a film does not have an official age label, it is automatically classified as "18+", but it is almost impossible to legally promote it in this status. And you're not going to do anything about it. Officials know this very well and gloat: "Good luck without a rating." In about two weeks, I will have another screening where I will be allowed to talk to the commission. Hopefully, then they will at least give the label "18+". The situation is very difficult. But as a German, I knew even at the filming stage that I was hitting a nerve.

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"We have moved away from glossy stamps"

— How do you assess such censorship? It is obvious that you are deeply concerned about Germany's migration policy, and the picture itself looks extremely relevant against the background of European sentiment. What prompted you to work on this project?

— The fact is that for many years the state TV channels have been trying their best to present migration to us as an unconditional benefit and victory: "These guys will pay for our pensions, blah, blah, blah." But it's not like that. The fact that so many people have come to us (mostly from Islamic countries) is not good for the economy. This only leads to an increase in crime. There are a huge number of newcomers who do not work and do not want to do so. But they receive social benefits, commit crimes, arrange rapes and stabbings on the streets.

I thought, "Why do we allow ourselves to be treated like this? What are we doing? Why don't we deport them?" If a person does not contribute to the economy and at the same time commits serious crimes against our citizens, they must be immediately expelled.

— Was your painting conceived as a purely artistic work, or is it a kind of manifesto about the situation in Europe?

— This is a full-fledged art project starring Armie Hammer— a big Hollywood star known for the films "Man from the South" and "The Lone Ranger." Hammer's character is created in the style of "John Wick" and "The Great Equalizer": he is tough, uncompromising and knows no mercy.

I think "Citizen Avenger" caused such a resonance precisely because it is not a banal TV report, but a strong feature film with an extremely clear message. We've moved away from the glossy cliches typical of action movies with Jason Statham. Faced with injustice, Army's hero takes the initiative: "If the law doesn't work, I'm the law."

"I couldn't invite Tom Cruise"

— Was the invitation of Armie Hammer a conscious step, given the trail of scandals and accusations of violence around him? Did you want to give him a second chance or were you guided solely by his acting skills?

— Both factors have converged here. I thought it was important to express my position and bring him back to the industry, since the charges against him have not been legally confirmed. Yes, adultery has taken place, but this is not a reason for a lifetime ban on the profession. At the time of the "cancellation", Armie Hammer was only 35 years old. He is a great artist and, most importantly, perfectly fits into the concept of my film.

— What are his main advantages as an actor?

— There's something James Bond about Armie Hammer. He is extremely convincing on screen, and it seems that he is ready to commit similar follies in real life.

When casting, the director always balances between creative tasks and financial opportunities. I would not have been able to invite Tom Cruise — the project simply would not have been able to withstand such expenses. For our independent film, Armie became a unique opportunity precisely because of the "cancellation" that befell him. I managed to sign him for much less money than the millions he earned at the peak of his career. At the same time, he handled his role flawlessly.

"Sometimes video game adaptations can harm the original"

— You once filmed computer games, which many people laughed at. Today, game adaptations have become one of Hollywood's most lucrative genres. One of the most high—profile upcoming releases is GTA 6. Are there any plans for this game?

— Yes, it's a great moment, but I don't think I'll be able to get the rights to GTA. This episode is somewhat similar to my movie "Postal": a deliberately politically incorrect, crazy comedy thriller - tough, but funny at the same time.

I think a GTA movie could have turned out great — at least if I had taken it on. However, I'm not sure if the developers are planning a film adaptation at all. I have come across insiders that work on the film is still being discussed. By the way, now major game projects are actively being transferred to the screen — for example, work is underway on adapting Call of Duty (a series of computer games in the genre of first—person shooter - ed.). In general, the trend towards big game adaptations is now very noticeable.

— Nevertheless, box office success does not guarantee artistic value. In your opinion, do large-scale film adaptations always benefit the industry?

— Sometimes it seems to me that video game adaptations can harm the original. Take, for example, World of Warcraft ("Warcraft" — ed.) and Prince of Persia ("Prince of Persia" — ed.) — these films can hardly be called successful.

In my case, I was among the pioneers who decided to bring games to the big screen. Among my projects are the film adaptations of House of the Dead, originally an arcade shooter from Sega, where players shoot waves of zombies; Alone in the Dark, a cult horror series; and Far Cry, the famous shooter franchise from the first person from Crytek. In those years, almost no one undertook such adaptations. And in the end, it was for this courage that a wave of negativity hit me.

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"Statham is very similar to his on-screen characters"

— Do you follow modern Russian cinema? Are there any directors or films from recent years that have impressed you?

— I don't really follow. I know old movies. Elema Klimov's "Go and See" is a great movie! And, of course, I know Sergei Eisenstein and Andrei Tarkovsky.

— You worked with Jason Statham. In Russia, he became a meme: he is credited with "wise" boyish quotes about life. Does he really use quotes on set?

— He is very similar to his on-screen characters. I think he's kind of playing himself in the movies. Of course, he doesn't shoot everyone in real life, but he's incredibly athletic and has excellent martial arts skills. I used to do professional diving, easy somersaults, and everything like that. He performs most of the stunts on the set himself. He also has an amazing dry British humor that fits perfectly into Guy Ritchie's films.

The coolest story happened when we were sitting in a bar and a crowd of girls came up to him. Jason just took out a wad of money and said: "I'll give you 20 bucks each if you leave." He just wanted to have a beer in peace. He's already used to having girls watching him everywhere.

Are you ready to work with him again?

— I would love to shoot Jason Statham at any time.

"Look at history — money always wins

— What is your opinion about the use of AI in film production?

— For ordinary users on social networks, this is the perfect tool to create crazy videos. But as a director, I see that AI is increasingly replacing traditional VFX. It can already be used to create special effects, simulate spaceships, and everything else. In addition, neural networks automate routine tasks: DIT work, script adjustments and breakdowns, production schedules, and even accounting. AI really helps the industry every day. Will jobs be lost because of this? 100% of it.

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Web designers and storyboard artists will soon be unnecessary. These professions will simply disappear. It's the same with music — AI is already generating great tracks, and that's a fact. So when people shout, "We have to stop AI so I can keep my job," I say, "No." Many professions will become a thing of the past. It's easier to retrain and do something else.

— Should it be beneficial to someone?

— Look at the history — money always wins. As far as I know, Morgan Freeman has already sold the rights to his digital image to an AI company. He's under 90, so why not? If you can get a substantial sum of money and leave it to your family, that's logical.

Tom Cruise probably shouldn't do that right now. Its demand is already at the peak of its market value. But if there is a need to monetize your digital image in the future, why not? Everyone has their own financial strategy.

— And what would you do yourself if you were offered to use AI?

— It's stupid for an independent producer without huge budgets to abandon AI. If I can get a great soundtrack for free, goodbye, composer, I'm sorry. But if I had 100 million, I would hire Hans Zimmer and a symphony orchestra. And when you have only two million in your pocket and you need to squeeze the most out of the project, then it's wiser to spend this money on a star actor.

"I miss Russia's participation in the World Championships"

— Today, relations between Europe and Russia are going through a difficult period. Do you think cinema can become a way of talking between countries again, or is this era over? Do you have any ideas for co-production?

— I believe that all these relations need to be restored. The conflict in Ukraine must end. The parties need to sit down at the negotiating table and find a solution. All this has been going on for too long and is causing serious economic damage.

For example, we had Nord Stream, the cheapest way to transport gas. And since he's gone (let's face it: Ukraine blew him up), we're suffering now. The German industry is suffering losses, large companies are leaving the country because of too expensive energy. All this points to the economic need to overcome the crisis and then restore the old ties. I miss Russia's participation in the World Championships, the Olympics and other similar tournaments. She must return to the global community. And the first step to this is the settlement of the conflict.