In all my science fiction movies, I try to blend the familiar with the futuristic so as not to be too off putting to the audience. There is always something familiar they can grab onto.

When you do a studio picture, all the paperwork and legal stuff is already taken care of!

Theres so much diversity of opinion out there, so ultimately you have to listen to it, put it aside, and make what you want to make.

After I script the movie, I have to storyboard it out, I have to budget it, and I have to understand if I can afford all those visual effects or not.

There are trappings of science fiction which I kind of embrace, but there are also cliches which I run from.

To come up short when you reach too far is not such a bad thing rather than not to reach at all, right?

Sometimes, if you leave yourself open, an actor can bring nice nuances to a character.

Strangely, I always have a lot of cut scenes. I keep writing shorter and shorter scripts, thinking that this time, I'll get all my scenes in.

If I know what my finale is when I'm writing a screenplay, then I don't always have to chart out every scene before that. I can adequately find my way. I'm experienced enough to do that.

I guess you don't make any franchise movies unless the fans are there.

I don't want to have so much humor [in films] that it undermines the jeopardy, but enough to sometime relieve tension.

when you're young you do think that things last forever unfortunately they don't Lyra.

It is good to know that every single title/rank you hold is earned in a high cost of hard work, not some random self given title/rank.

To refrain from imitation is the best revenge.

Politics is not a baseball game with winners or losers. What politics is about is whether we protect the needs of millions of people in this country who are hurting.

We have to use our freedoms and privileges to see what respite we can give to those less equipped to deal with their challenges.

I'm not against ratings per se. I think more information is always good. But I certainly don't think the government has to step in and set guidelines for how shows should be rated.

Preventive war is a crime not easily committed by a country that retains any traces of democracy.

I've bashed my body for 30 years and I've just got to eat properly and not drink too much - very difficult!

Recorded music is more a marketing tool than a revenue source.

There is nothing in common between al-Assad and ISIS, they fight against each other.