I have at least one quality, I think, which is recklessness - Director Guillame Canet on 'Asterix & Obelix'

The latest venture in the world of Asterix & Obelix is set to arrive in India in the form of Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom. The French comedy based on two of the most-loved comic book characters, Asterix by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

In an interview, director of the film, The Middle Kingdom sat down and went on to talk about multiple things.

Let's start at the beginning of this incredible cinematic adventure, which has lasted four years in total. Were the adventures of Asterix and Obelix part of your culture as a child?

Totally! My father owned almost all the Asterix comic books, and they were definitely his. When he wasn't sharing them with me or my sisters, he'd dip back into them when he was alone, so it's pretty moving now to be able to read his books with my children. That's one of the reasons I got Involved in this project—to make a movie for my children at last. For everybody's children.

What are your recollections of the first four movies in the franchise?

I saw Claude Zidi's film in 1999. I liked it a lot but it was Alain Chabat's 2002 movie that was a real eye-opener. That was the movie that really built audience interest in the live-action adventures of Asterix and Obelix. It preserved the DNA of the comics while bringing a special touch or tone to the mix. It came up with something nobody had ever seen in a French movie. I saw the next two movies as well and, even if it's hard to compare, I find the art direction in the 2008 Olympic Games installment is top quality.

At what point did The Middle Kingdom project reach you?

Alain Attal, my longtime producer, partnered up with Yohan Baiada, who had developed an Asterix and Obelix in China project, and had obtained Hachette's approval for this original story. They asked me if the project interested me on paper and gave me a treatment to read. Initially, it wasn't something I could see myself doing, but as I was reading I glimpsed the possibility of making a great travel and adventure movie. 

I pictured all the things that cinema could bring to the story, with battles, action scenes and fabulous settings, all on an epic scale rarely seen anymore in France. I knew that Asterix was a franchise that offered the resources to do all that. But once I had indicated my interest in the project, I had to pass the director's test and prove my credentials. Then, I was given the first draft of the script written by Julien Hervé and Philippe Mechelen. We worked on it together, then I kept going alone because I wanted to make the film more personal by adding touches from my own universe. In total, I think I wrote about a dozen drafts before we started shooting!

As you were saying, Asterix is one of the rare blockbuster franchises in French cinema. Worldwide box-office of nearly $450 million, and nearly forty million admissions at home. Is it easy to liberate yourself of all that?

I always set that aside when I make a film. I have at least one quality, I think, which is recklessness! I mean, it doesn't stop me being realistic and serious but I want to maintain a carefree attitude by telling myself that the reason I'm on this project is that people have faith in me. Then it's up to me to do the best I can with what I know how to do. It's like mountain-climbing barehanded: when you stop to think if you can make it to the top, your grip stiffens up and you fall. On a project like Asterix, once it's launched, there's no going back. It's a monstrous machine involving an army of people, and every question you're asked, as well as every answer you give, has immediate, monumental consequences. The moral of the story is never to second-guess yourself and always act like you have the answer! More seriously, this is my eighth film as a director and my past experiences on set were very useful, because even though I didn't want to preoccupy myself with the scale of the budget, I still made sure I kept within bounds. I also realized that even with such a huge budget, spending issues can arise. It's crazy!

As we said, you’re coming to the end of a four-year cinematic adventure, with the film’s hugely anticipated release. How do you feel?

Exhausted but very happy! I’m proud of this movie, which is close to how I pictured it in my dreams. During all those years of preparation and the months of shooting and post, I never gave up doing my best. And I have only one wish with regard to Pathé and my producers (Alain Attal, Ardavan Safaee and Yohan Baiada), who invested a lot of money in the project: I’d like the film to work for them. Finally, and with all my heart, I hope audiences will enjoy watching this Asterix. I hope they’ll laugh and have a lot of fun. That would really make me very happy.