Tuesday saw the release of the eighth film in SONY’s Sniper franchise, Sniper: Assassin’s End. Starring Chad Michael Collins and Tom Berenger, the newest movie is directed by Kaare Andrews (Cabin Fever: Patient Zero).
If Kaare’s name is familiar among the comic book community, it is because, for the past two decades, the director has also been making contributions to Marvel comics. His works include popular characters such as The Incredible Hulk, Iron Fist, Wolverine, X-Men, and the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
In support of his newest film, Sniper: Assassin’s End, we at ComicBookMovie had an excellent opportunity to speak with the director one-on-one. You can read everything the director had to say about his new movie here.
While speaking with him, we also asked Kaare about his work for Marvel comics, which earned him the 2005 Shuster Award for Outstanding Artist – marking him as the first to win the award. Check out what he had to say!
Joe: I’d like to ask you a little bit about your comic book work. Do you think your experience in that industry has any influence on your skills as a director?
Kaare Andrews: I’m sure it has. I can’t identify what they are, but I always get asked that. I regularly see comments that I have a very film-ic approach to storytelling in comic books, and I still hear in my directing work that people see the comic book aesthetic in the filmmaking.
So I’m sure it’s there, but I try not to think about it too much because I don’t want to over-analyze what I do, but it’s a very copasetic art form. I tell people that it’s like when you’re a firefighter and a policeman, they aren’t the same jobs, but there’s a lot of overlap.
Joe: You’ve written for Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Fist, and more. Can you share anything about your experience working for Marvel?
Kaare Andrews: Yeah, I’ve worked for Marvel for two decades. And I’m in a weird spot where I direct movies and television and write and draw comic books.
What I find interesting is that when I was a fan of comic books, there was a cost, as a social stigma. And even when I was trying to do that professionally, it came with a price.
When I started drawing comic books, Marvel was in bankruptcy protection, and the industry was almost collapsing. And editors were telling me not to waste my time and to work on something else. What that did was it created a creator-base of people who love the genre and were willing to do it despite the social cost.
And it’s funny because at the time action films were the most significant genre, and in today’s world we flip the script. If you ask any actor what they want to do next, everyone says comic book projects. And it’s weird.
One of the most devalued genres in cinema today is action. You still have films like John Wick and Netflix’s Extraction, but these were films made by people not trying to acquire social status, these are films made by people who loved the genre and were in the position to make them.
And I think that is the advantage of action films in today’s market – these are films you get into because you love the genre. As an artist, you have to have a cost in your art to make sure you are doing it for reasons that are true and not just for social status.
Joe: Which of the comic book characters that you’ve lent your creative fingerprint to do you think speaks to you the most?
Kaare Andrews: It’s always been Spider-Man. When I broke into comic books, I was about Spider-Man’s age and height, and I’ve always liked his style. He’s a bit of a loner and trying to do the right thing. Probably not doing an excellent job on it, but he’s trying.
And anytime you work on a character like Iron Fist or Hulk, you kind of learn to love them. I guess it’s like dating someone where those deep dives you take into the characters always unravel new things to appreciate.
Joe: I understand you were the first recipient of the Shuster Award for Outstanding Artist, which you earned for your work on Spider-Man: Doctor Octopus. What was it like to lead a list of outstanding talents such as Pia Guerra (Y: The Last Man), Fiona Staples (Saga), and Stuart Immonen (Ultimate Spider-Man?)
Kaare Andrews: It’s always a fun and exciting honor to get an award, but I also distrust awards in general. People say that it’s still the person who needs the award that receives the award. And when I got it, I was younger in my career, and someone else probably should have gotten it who was further along in their career.
You know awards are crazy because what do they mean? They’re careful to get, but the process to get them is something you always have to be wary of.
What do you guys make of these comments from Kaare Andrews? Check out the trailer below and make sure to share your thoughts in the regular place.
Special Ops sniper Brandon Beckett (Chad Michael Collins, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare) is set up as the primary suspect for the murder of a foreign dignitary on the eve of signing a high-profile trade agreement with the United States. Narrowly escaping death, Beckett realizes that there may be a dark operative working within the government, and partners with the only person whom he can trust: his father, legendary sniper Sgt. Thomas Beckett (Golden Globe®-winner Tom Berenger).
Both Becketts are on the run from the CIA, Russian mercenaries and Lady Death, a Yakuza-trained assassin (Japanese actress and singer Sayaka Akimoto in her Hollywood film debut) with sniper skills that rival both legendary sharpshooters.
Sniper: Assassin’s End is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital.
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