You may know Garth Ennis from all his work in the comic book world, but now he’s taking on a new role: movie writer and director.
The "Preacher" and "The Boys" writer has directed a short film, “Stitched,” which is about soldiers in Afghanistan. It's also part of a bigger picture, because it sets up a continuing comic story and another anticipated movie down the line.
Speaking with Bleeding Cool, Ennis said where the idea for the movie originated: “‘Stitched’ began as little more than a series of images, really – three little figures stumbling across a barren landscape, exhausted people struggling to survive against the odds, blood on the rocks of the mountains, and lots of frantic, close-in combat.”
“The knowledge that people have done and continue to do these things gives the war story an intensity that I don’t think can be matched,” he went on. “We’re talking about the most extreme edge of human experience here, the often literal border between life and death.”
Ennis said that working with the actors was fantastic and that getting behind the camera didn’t feel odd at all. “I felt very much at home behind the camera,” he said. “Watching the action develop, making mental notes as to how to alter angles and performances. It seemed like a very natural process in terms of moving the story along, getting what you need to tell it.”
The movie will premiere at San Diego Comic-Con on July 21. Despite his well-known name, Ennis remains humble about how many people he expects to have show up for it.
“With total astonishment, I’m expecting three people and a cat,” he said.
Are you interested in “Stitched”? Let us know in the comments section or on Twitter!