Film director Ben Wheatley’s success down to 2000AD, he says

By John Freeman on July 14, 2016

He’s one of the most prominent independent directors of his generation, with a string of critically-acclaimed movies under his belt, but Ben Wheatley still pegs his success to reading 2000AD as a child.

The director of Sightseers, Kill List, A Field in England, and High Rise joins host Michael Molcher on the latest episode of the official 2000AD podcast to discuss his love of the legendary British weekly and the influence the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic has had on his work.

Wheatley says 2000AD not only reinvented comics as its talent migrated across the Atlantic, but it has also subsequently reinvented cinema as those creators have stamped their storytelling mark on both the multi-billion dollar superhero franchises and independent films.

In the latest episode of The 2000AD Thrill-Cast, Wheatley also talks about his films, his style of film-making, his memories and the impact of reading 2000AD classics, and his current work with one of the all-time legends from its pages.

The 2000AD Thrill-Cast is the award-winning podcast that takes you behind-the-scenes at the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic. As well as interviewing top creators and famous fans, Michael Molcher brings you announcements, competitions, and much more.

• You can subscribe to the Thrill-Cast on iTunes – search ‘2000AD Thrill-Cast’ – on Podomatic, or you can listen now at www.2000ADonline.com/podcast – or right here thanks to Soundcloud!

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.