CraveOnline: Let’s look at something you do that’s actually really daring. Let’s look at the Bootleg Universe films, because they’re all really cool, but you don’t own the rights to the characters so you really can’t make money off of it. Are these entirely labors of love or are you getting something different out of this on a practical level that we’re not seeing?
Adi Shankar: Well, it’s like an art project for me. It’s literally an art project. It’s the same thing as drawing a picture of the world leader but with devil horns.
Okay, fair enough, but are you eager to… Let’s take Venom: Truth in Journalism. That’s one of my favorites. Is that in any way a pilot for you to try to do something bigger on that scheme, or is it only it’s own thing?
No! No, not at all. In fact weirdly enough… you’re really just getting a peek into my mind here, right? Because I came up with the idea for Venom: Truth in Journalism as The Voices was coming together. You know I make a cameo in Venom: Truth in Journalism, right? After the credits, with the mustache, and I’m yelling at everyone and then Bullseye kills everyone?
“It would also be cool if George Clooney played Batman in a bootleg. […] I would do ‘The Dark Knight Returns.'”
Yeah.
Right, so I literally grew that mustache while I was on set of The Voices, and Ryan Reynolds was making fun me. He’s like, “Wow, you just look really sketchy now, don’t you? You look really sketchy. Don’t go through security, man, you’re going to have a hard time.” What happened when I was in Berlin going through security? I got detained. Then I come back to America the next day I was filming that scene.
It makes sense to me that you like The Voices and Venom: Truth in Journalism because they were made at a similar time and [with] a similar consciousness and stuff.
Do you have other bootlegs that you’re working on at the moment, or do you like to keep them all a surprise?
No, I like to surprise people. I like the idea of doing a The Crow one, kind of in the vein of… I want to mix gothic neo-noir with a kind of European pop sensibility. Have you seen Refn’s Only God Forgives?
Yeah.
The Crow done like Only God Forgives?
That would be kind of cool.
Yeah. It would also be cool if George Clooney played Batman in a bootleg. That would be cool.
That would be awesome! Would that be set in the Batman & Robin universe or would you completely reinvent that?
No, no, no, I would do The Dark Knight Returns.
