Lisa Carroll
“Star Trek Beyond” scribe Doug Jung was by no means a newbie to writing, but approaching the iconic series was certainly a challenge, he relates. Moviehole got a chance to learn more when Jung spoke about hanging out with co-writer Simon Pegg, his admiration of Sulu and whether the new alien Jayla kisses James T. Kirk or not.
Moviehole: How did you start writing?
Doug Jung: I went to NYU (New York University) film school and when I came out, one of the only things I was okay at was writing. I started to pursue that and moved to L.A. and got PA jobs. I ended up falling in and working for a TV executive. I started to do TV work while writing feature films on the side and the first feature film I wrote, ended up getting made and sold – it was “Confidence” in 2003 with Dustin Hoffman. I loved the director James Foley, he directed “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
Moviehole: Tell me about the new “Star Trek” – what were the biggest challenges?
DJ: With the third film, the biggest challenge was trying to find a story that got back some of the things that Justin (Lin) and Simon (Pegg) and I were interested in, a sense of adventure and exploration. That was tough, especially under the time constraints we had. We managed to do that and also find a way to do some character work that hadn’t been explored in the other films.
One of the things we wanted to do, was shake up the predictable roles when they were all on the bridge together and doing the same thing — like have Sulu and Chekhov there, who never have had a conversation onscreen. We were trying to pair up characters like just Bones and Spock together, they were challenging but we were happy to try and get to.
Moviehole: Did you meet any of the cast?
DJ: Simon was the only cast member I met, because we were co-writing together — he knew the characters and also the actors playing the characters, like how Chris (Pine) could pull off something without so many words. In a way, it felt like I met them.
Moviehole: Which one is your favorite character?
DJ: I love them all, but I have to say I love Sulu because I’m Asian American and I think John (Cho) did a great job with that role. I also saw George Takei in that role and that was revelatory at the time. We got to play up John’s character a bit.
Moviehole: How is this “Star Trek” different from the last two?
DJ: I think it’ll have a different feel. Justin is an amazing director and has a different aesthetic than J.J. (Abrams) did. I think the second reason is the context of how we placed it, in deep space — which will have a different sense of adventure and fun to it.
Moviehole: Who is the alien Jayla? Is she good or bad and does she get to kiss Kirk??
DJ: I don’t want to give away about Sophia’s (Boutella) character Jayla in the movie, she does kind of rise to the occasion about becoming a de facto part of the crew. She’s fierce and independent and learns what the Federation and Starfleet stands for. She’s a first contact alien that knows nothing about the Federation.
Moviehole: What was it like working with Simon Pegg?
DJ: Simon is just as smart and funny as you imagine him to be. We were thrust in a high pressure situation but created a kind of working rhythm and space and a kind of joy to it, where we could pinch ourselves and say we are writing a “Star Trek” film.
We (he and Simon) were apart for long stretches and I went out to his house in London and it was amazing, because we were across the ocean from everything else and we could create and be alone with this amazing project. Then we’d go and watch a few episodes of the original series which was a nightcap to the day, cribbing names for the red shirts, and think of Easter eggs here and there for the film.
Moviehole: What have been the major challenges of your career?
DJ: Probably as a creative person, one of the major challenges was to keep a fresh perspective on things and to try to find projects that you can have a deep connection with – it’s not easy to do because sometimes you need a gig. I’ve been lucky, more often than not I’ve done things that mean things to me. Like “Star Trek,” I felt we all had a connection to it, it was part of our DNA in our childhoods, something like that is very rare to find. You try to hold onto that and relish the situation.
Moviehole: Who are your writing idols?
DJ: I look up to guys who seem to be able to do everything, someone like Hitchcock, or the movies of Sidney Lumet, and Spielberg — I’m just a fan of movies really.
Moviehole: Do you have a writing method that works best for you and how do you get your ideas?
DJ: My writing method seems to be, I procrastinate as long as I can until I feel I am being negligent (laughs). I so have writers block, I generally procrastinate some more, and then I panic, and then sometimes working on something else will unlock it. But mostly it’s working through it and going down dead ends. You feel like you are failing at every word. You’ve got be willing to throw it away. You have to reduce it down to nothing.
Moviehole: What do you advise beginning/new writers?
DJ: I don’t know anyone who has done things the same way twice (to break in) – the common denominator is a script that is undeniably good. I’ve been on screenwriting panels where I hear of people who don’t continue writing. The only thing you can control is how much you write.
The other thing is, you keep working and rise above all those things. You are alone in a room feeling nobody cares.
I’ve seen a lot of times, where people go to screenwriting panels and ask how to get noticed. When asked about the condition of their script they said, “I have an idea.”
Sometimes it’s a little too easy to get caught up in the minutiae of things. I’m geared towards sitting alone in the office, it’s pressured time. You treat it like you are a professional. Someone said, I look for my muse but it’s in my office from 9-5. It’s work, really good work if you can get it. But it’s work.
Moviehole: What do you hope for the future, do you have some big plans?
DJ: I’m just focused on writing, but who knows about directing in the future. I think we are in a fortunate time of writing where movies might feel like they are becoming more franchised-based – conversely we have this time with television which is incredibly freeing and diverse, there’s been a shift in what is possible and successful. That is a boon if you are a writer and can do both television and film. I hope to keep a foot in both worlds, television and film.
Moviehole: Upcoming projects?
DJ: Developing “Scalped” (television pilot for WGN America) – a really great graphic novel and the author is a big comic book writer (Jason Aaron). He did this series based on real issues and places. It’s in a world where it’s hard to come by in – to do a show set on an Indian reservation with a Native American cast, you haven’t seen that before.
There’s also “God Particle” (J.J. Abrams is producing the film for Paramount Studios) – I did a couple drafts that is shooting now or soon, I did them right after “Star Trek Beyond.” It’s a Sci-Fi thriller that takes place on a space station where a group of scientists are trying to unlock a source of energy through a particle accelerator and what they unleash becomes a big threat.
