is a riveting thriller about a tuxedo cat named Frodo navigating his way through an apocalyptic New York City that’s come under attack by aliens. There are also several human actors in the cast led by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o ( ). But the purpose of today’s interview is to focus on the feline that’s stealing the hearts of the horror franchise’s fans.
Frodo represented a major gamble by writer-director (who previously helmed another animal-centric title, ). Cats are notoriously difficult to direct, and was Sarnoski’s first major studio project. His script (co-written with John Krasinski) puts Frodo in the center of intimate dramatic moments and action set-pieces — and he didn’t want to use CGI.
But if the cat didn’t work, the movie wouldn’t work. Sarnoski’s boldness paid off. The prequel, which opens this week, has been drawing rave reviews (some critics have called it the best entry in the franchise), for its harrowing survival tale following Frodo, hospice patient Sam (Nyong’o) and law student Eric ( ).
Below, Sarnoski gamely agreed to given an entirely cat-centric interview, taking burning questions about Frodo’s journey and working with the two cats (named Nico and Schnitzel) who were cast in the role. He also teases a potential sequel. ? Frodo grew naturally out of Sam’s character.
A hospice patient isn’t necessarily aiming for survival during the end of the world, and this is a chance for her to reconnect with her life. Frodo became an ex.