The Hollywood Byte #51: Luc Besson

"When your film is a new, imaginative world, I think it's a good thing to have a game," said Besson. "It gives you an opportunity to participate and act inside of the film and continue the story. I think it's a good combination. When a film's more real, I don't think it's essential. But with Arthur, because they worked together for three years, I think it's complimentary. I usually don't play games at all, but I picked up Arthur and I was surprised because they invented so many things. They even took some of the monsters and animals that we developed, but didn't use in the film, and they put them in the game. It's good, because at least it's not lost. And I was happy to see some of these creatures in the game, because I remembered them from the beginning of the process five years ago."

Although Besson is now producing a videogame movie in Hitman and has had two of his films turned into games, Arthur and The Fifth Element, he's not interested in getting into the videogame business like Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro have.

"I respect the process and I see a lot of kids have fun with videogames and I'm happy for them and I have no problem with videogames," said Besson. "If it makes Mr. Jackson and Mr. Del Toro get into videogames, then I'm happy for them because I like them."

Besson said when he was growing up, there was no TV, no Internet and no videogames.

"I'm not coming from that technology background," said Besson. "I'm a little old now. I was playing with rocks and pieces of wood and flowers. I was raised around the Mediterranean Sea and my relationship with nature is very important to me."

When it comes to Arthur, Besson is hopeful that a second film will be made. He said if the first film is successful, the sequel would tell the story of the second two books.

"I know that I have 700 technicians that are dying to do the sequel," said Besson.

Because of advances in technology and the vast digital back lot that Besson and his team has created for the first film, he believes a sequel would take about three years to make.