The other day, while speaking to director Brett Ratner about his new Rat Press book imprint, we half-joked that he'd taken up publishing because filmmaking wasn't keeping him busy enough. The half that's not a joke goes like this: Ratner has been attached to no fewer than nine separate projects in varying stages of development over the last two years, from his New York cop pilot Blue Blood to Conan to the Web-polarizing Beverly Hills Cop 4.
Together, in a much-needed lightning round of titles, rumors and gossip, we squared away his priorities for the record -- and, with any luck, a little more accurate IMDB page. (And we didn't even get to Playboy, his reported Hugh Hefner biopic.)
OK. So: Whatever happened to Blue Blood?
That's a pilot I shot for NBC; it's not going to air.
Why not?
Ask NBC. I don't fucking know. I just shoot them and they decide. It was only a week of my life. There are a hundred different reasons. I don't know what the numbers are; you could look at them. I think one of every 10 pilots gets picked up if they're lucky. But then they pick up Knight Rider, so your guess is as good as mine.
Carnavale 3-D?
I don't know why that's on my IMDB [profile]. That was a documentary I was offered by Quincy Jones -- a documentary on Brazilian music. Why is that on there? That was years ago. I don't know if he ended up doing it or not. But I love documentaries. I produced a documentary about Helmut Newton called Helmut by June, and I just produced one just recently about John Cazale. [I Knew it Was You, which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival.]
Mr. S: My Life With Frank Sinatra?
That's a book I'm developing. We're still working on the script. You know, when the studio buys the property and it gets announced, all of the sudden it's like, "They're making the movie!" But like any other director, there's tons of movies I'm just developing. I bought the rights to Harbinger. I bought the rights to Youngblood. That's a year process at least to get a script. It takes months just to get the papers finalized.
Conan?
Yes. That's something I'm actively attached to. We're just budgeting the script and trying to figure out when's a good time and where to shoot it. It's kind of a global landscape.
Guitar Hero: The Movie?
That was just a commercial I directed.
Well, right, but then there was that whole--
No. Never. These are the kinds... My branding deal is with Guitar Hero. I did all the commercials with Kobe, A-Rod, Heidi Klum. And then some reporter from MTV News says, "Would you turn Guitar Hero into a movie?" And I said I would, but only if the game was defunct. And then the quote was, "Brett Ratner wants Guitar Hero to fail." I was never interested in turning it into a movie. I was just saying, why would they jeopardize a billion-dollar franchise with a movie? It wouldn't make sense.
Untitled Sketch Comedy Film For Overture (with Todd Phillips, Mike Judge and others)?
Yes. I'm gonna do one of those. I also did New York, I Love You; I love doing shorts. So I'm doing one in the sketch film.
Beverly Hills Cop 4?
Yes.
After Conan?
I don't know. I'm developing the script.
Another rumor said you're looking for a PG-13 for it.
No. That's ridiculous. It's a hard R.
Trump Heist?
Yes. That's the script that's closest to getting made, in my opinion. Ted Griffin, who wrote Ocean's Eleven for me when I was attached, is writing it now. I just hired him to come in and write Trump Heist, which is one of my favorite projects. Because of the way that the business is, you never know which slot you're going to get, or when you're going to make the movie. But that's one I'm really, really interested in making. There's no order to these movies, though. I don't control the financing. Whichever gets greenlit first is the one that's gonna go.