A Conversation with Director Ralph Hemecker
Q: What is WITCHBLADE about?
A: WITCHBLADE is Excalibur meets a female New York City homicide detective, Sara Pezzini, who, by fate or chance or destiny or karma, comes across this gauntlet with special powers. It's a symbiotic weapon that shape-shifts. Throughout the story, she meets people associated with the Witchblade and through them learns about the gauntlet's special powers.
Q: How is this film different from the comic book?
A: We use the comic book to get the essential DNA of the story. We've maintained a lot of the elements of the original eight issues of the comic book. Our film is much more about the powers that the gauntlet gives to Sara Pezzini, and less about the Witchblade itself. So in that respect, we're minimizing the gauntlet and making it more of a character-driven piece.
Q: Is it hard for you as the director to walk the line between the reality of the film and the mystical aspect the Witchblade?
A: It's an interesting challenge to determine the tone of the show. I think that what we've done is to try to create a very real-feeling environment, so that the supernatural elements come across even more strongly than if the whole show had a supernatural flavor.
Q: What does Yancy Butler bring to this role?
A: I think Yancy is particularly well-suited for this role, not only because she is a truly gifted actress and beautiful, but she's also very athletic and physical. She manages to portray a strength and toughness and at the same time real vulnerability, which is the core of Sara.
Q: What can viewers expect when they watch WITCHBLADE?
A: The one thing viewers can expect when they tune into this show is the unexpected. It's a combination of interesting plot lines and some really cool action.
Q: How do you think fans of the comic book are going to react to seeing these characters in the flesh?
A: Fans of the comic book will really love the story that we've created for television because we've maintained the integrity of the characters in the comic book.
