Listen on SoundCloud
DESCRIPTION: This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for – we interview living legend and the filmmaker behind the first “Mission: Impossible” film, Brian De Palma. We are joined in the conversation with Susan Lehman, De Palma’s co-author for his debut novel “Are Snakes Necessary?” In this installment we discuss the foundation of the book, where the title came from, and get into some “Mission: Impossible” talk, including the crucial feedback George Lucas provided. Buckle up, this was worth the wait. Released June 25th, 2021.
SHOW NOTES: Buy Brian and Susan’s book “Are Snakes Necessary” from Hard Case Crime in hardcover, paperback, or on Kindle.
In the interview we discuss the origin of the title from the Preston Sturges movie “The Lady Eve.” You can buy the Criterion blu ray of that movie or you can rent or buy it on VOD...
We also find out from De Palma that this scene in “Mission: Impossible” was a reshoot suggested by George Lucas. You can see Kristin Scott Thomas separated from the other actors because they weren’t able to schedule her for the reshoot...
In the interview we also discuss the prison breakout scene that was discarded from the movie. In our episode about Oliver Stone’s abandoned version of “M:I-2,” we go into detail on the script pages for the prison breakout sequence. You can listen to that episode here.
You should also check out our interview with screenwriter David Koepp and go through the script archive on his website, which includes multiple drafts of the first “Mission: Impossible.”
Also, if you want to check out our fantastic chats with De Palma’s long time editor Paul Hirsch, here are the links to the first interview, second interview, and third interview.