Director Edward Drake chatted about his new film “Detective Knight: Independence,” and the digital age.
It will be released in theaters, On Demand, and digital on January 20, 2023, via Lionsgate.
On his inspiration to write and direct the film, he said, “The opportunity to work with this sensational cast and crew again. I’m so grateful to Lionsgate for their enthusiasm as we were able to make Redemption the dark heart of the Knight trilogy.”
“The antagonist, Rickie Conlan, is one of my favorite characters to write for. His worldview is one I see echoed frequently in reality: Conlan is a violent mirror of Knight’s own passion and drive. The two were made for each other,” he added.
He had great words about working with Bruce Willis and Paul Johansson. “Paul is a formidable presence on any set and loves wrestling with ideas,” he said. He’s one of the best actors I’ve worked with for this reason. Paul doesn’t suffer fools lightly and I’m so grateful he cares about his art. If we could give actors Yelp reviews I would give Paul five out of five stars”.
“Mr. Willis is one of the kindest men I’ve met,” he said. “His support and positive energy has always been the lifeblood of these films we’ve made. The man is an icon in the truest sense of the word. Nobody has done what he has, and nobody ever will. He’s a great human and one of the best storytellers in the world.”
Advice for hopefuls
For young and aspiring directors and filmmakers, he said, “Have a point of view. Subjective character based narrative filmmaking is always more interesting than making the choice to be objective. Know when to compromise and when to walk away from a film. Know when to ignore the advice of a guy like me.”
“Don’t become a director to fulfill a need to have a sense of control of one part of your life. You won’t find control. Today, directing is more akin to being a foreman on a construction site. Find something else in your life to nourish your soul so you don’t burnout,” he added.
The digital age
On being a filmmaker in the digital age, he said, “You’re more exposed than ever before. Too much feedback is a terrible thing. Try to limit your time spent on social media. Social media is where cultural discourse goes to die.”
“WriterDuet Pro is my No. 1 asset on any production,” he said. “The interface is smartly designed and it greets me each morning at 6 a.m. like an old friend. The ease of which I can collaborate with productions remains undefeated, and the customer service is first rate. The software backs up to the cloud regularly and this removes the anxiety of losing work due to corrupt files or a laptop running out of battery before.”
On his plans for the future, he said, “I’m stepping away from the film industry soon to pursue a lifelong dream.”
Drake is an award-winning Australian writer-director based in Los Angeles. Drake’s feature film credits include Saban Films’ noir-thriller Gasoline Alley, starring Luke Wilson and Devon Sawa; Vertical Entertainment’s American Siege; Amazon’s Broil (Winner of Best Feature award at the Kanab Film Festival 2021); Paramount’s Cosmic Sin, starring Frank Grillo; AMC’s Apex, starring Neal McDonough; and Lionsgate’s Detective Knight trilogy starring Bruce Willis, Jimmy Jean-Louis, and Jack Kilmer.
He was awarded the Austin Film Festival’s 2020 Screenwriting Award (Dramatic) for his screenplay The Young Woman, a true-crime thriller set in the Australian outback. The film is currently in pre-production, and is being produced by Timothy White and directed by Alyssa McClelland.
In July of 2021, Drake ascended Mt. Kilimanjaro while directing the forthcoming feature documentary Mandy’s Mountain, chronicling the life of bilateral amputee mountaineer Mandy Horvath.
Alongside his narrative work, Drake has also directed numerous music videos for artists such as Skrillex, Diplo, and The Fratellis. Beginning his professional journey as an assistant to director Mark Romanek and Academy Award-winning producer Michael Sugar at Anonymous Content, Drake studied at La Trobe University and The University of Melbourne, and was a semi-finalist for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowship.
Drake concluded about this film, “We shot the film in seven days. I hope audiences are inspired to go make their own films.”
