I guess you don't make any franchise movies unless the fans are there.

We got together and realized that Universal made it clear that they were out of the Riddick business. They didn't want to spend that kind of money anymore. So, it was going to be an independent movie.

If I know what my finale is when I'm writing a screenplay, then I don't always have to chart out every scene before that. I can adequately find my way. I'm experienced enough to do that.

Theres so much diversity of opinion out there, so ultimately you have to listen to it, put it aside, and make what you want to make.

To come up short when you reach too far is not such a bad thing rather than not to reach at all, right?

Had we had all the money in the world to spend and we were doing another studio movie, we probably would have jumped quickly into the Necromonger universe and done an Orpheus Descending movie there. We didn't have that kind of resource. So, we said, this time, "If not that, this time, then what is it? What does this new movie look like?" Quickly, just in talking about it very simply with Vin [Diesel] in his kitchen, we decided on a survival, left-for-dead story, where Riddick could, as a character, reclaim the animal side.

There are trappings of science fiction which I kind of embrace, but there are also cliches which I run from.