In 2009, independent filmmaker Jordan Galland premiered his new movie Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead at the Slamdance Film Festival. Since then, the film has garnered much critical acclaim, including the Comedy prize at the DC Independent Film Festival, and has been snapped up for distribution by Indican Pictures. Despite several false starts, release dates have now been set, and the buzz continues to build for this mythological, comical take on Shakespeare’s brooding Dane. Also, it���s a love story.

The film stars Jake Hoffman (yes, he’s Dustin’s son), Devon Aoki, John Ventimiglia, Kris Lemche, Jeremy Sisto and -- wonder of wonders -- Ralph Macchio.

Here, we talk to writer and director Jordan Galland about life, the vampires and everything...

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GS: First of all, let’s talk release dates. Or, please, for the love of all that’s holy, just give us one definitive release date, whether it be limited or wide. We beg of you.

JG: We start in New York City, June 4. There will be no more changes to the NY release date; the distributor said this is it. June 4. But the other cities: Seattle, Chicago, San Fran, LA and a few others (I think it's eight in total) will happen through the end of June and beginning of July in various "art house" theaters affiliated with Angelika.

GS: After debuting at Slamdance last year, your film has been on the festival circuit… you even took it to ICON [Israeli Annual Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival – Ed.]. Which showing did you enjoy the most?

JG: There’s a tie for favorite festival: AFI Dallas and Stony Brook. Those festivals had it all. AFI flew our stars and producer down, put us up at a nice hotel, had a driver take us around, organized a whole slew of press interviews, and did such a great job promoting locally that both screenings of the film were sold out. And they were at great theaters. AMC and Magnolia. At Stoney Brook, they did the same, and we showed in one massive 1500 person theater. Felt like a football stadium.

GS: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead is such a great title. Seeing it for the first time, I felt the same amused, almost scandalized awe as when first seeing the novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Which came first for you: the story idea, or the name?

JG: I tell people the name came first, because I thought of it in 1994 when I was in a high school production of the play at Rudolf Steiner, but truly, it was convergence of obsessions. The title just gave me a focused umbrella under which to put them.

GS: There has been some confusion in the reporting of your film’s plot: that great title has led many to suggest that it’s a parody of Tom Stoppard’s play. But am I right in thinking that the only things the two have in common are the title and the creative use of Hamlet?

JG: Yes. There is a moment when we drop Stoppard’s name as part of the conspiracy behind it all.

GS: So, what is the plot?

JG:Julian (Jake Hoffman) - a young, heartbroken, out of work theater director, living in his dad’s office, gets hired to direct an off broadway play, which is a vampiric retelling of Hamlet. The play is called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead and it’s author slash producer and his helpers are vampires. But Julian – like anyone in that situation – just thinks they are weird, pale, theater people. Julian arranges for his best-friend Vince (Kris Lemche) to play Hamlet and Julian’s ex, Anna (Devon Aoki) who’s now dating a wealthy mobster (Ralph Macchio), gets cast as Ophelia. Then Julian gets approached by a member of a secret society devoted to protecting the Holy Grail from vampires, who warns him that the off-Broadway production he’s involved in is part of 2,000 year old conspiracy and unless Julian helps them from the inside, all hell will break loose.

GS: In what genres would you categorize it?

JG: It’s a historical conspiracy romantic horror comedy.

GS: Tell us about “The Shakespiracy.”

JG: The Shakespiracy is the doctrine of the secret society known as the Rosicrucians and Goldenstonians and it decodes clues in Shakespeare’s text of Hamlet that prove every single plot point of the film to be true. It also alludes to other sources like the King James version of the Bible and works of Queen Elizabeth’s astrologer, John Dee. [More on The Shakespiracy here. We’re convinced. - Ed.]

GS: Such a great cast! Do you have Devon Aoki doing any swordplay in your film? Or at least kung fu of some kind?

JG: I love the cast of this film. No words can describe how lucky I feel to have worked with them. Devon shows a side of her acting talent that no audiences have seen yet; she’s witty, charming and breathtakingly gorgeous while remaining gentle and natural. A performance that needs no swordplay or kung fu to draw you in.

GS: Regarding your budget: $600 000? You shot an entire movie for $600 000? Some companies can’t make a commercial for that. Have you always been good with money?

JG: I know we starved, and froze and fought, and got sick and nearly died to complete this film with such a small budget, but sometimes it felt like the god’s were smiling on us. Luck played a huge roll. And so did the iron fists of my awesome producers, Mike Landry and Carlos Velasquez, and co-producers, Chris Carrol and Marco Henry, who kept everything in perspective and had the hard job of keeping everyone in line.

GS: In addition to making movies, you’re a musician, cartoonist and clothing designer, and you have both your own record label and production company. What was your first job? Astronaut?

JG: Ha. No comment. Except, please buy my new solo record Search Party available on line for download or an actual physical CD [released April 20; get it here! - Ed.].

GS: If you had to choose--and I mean gun to the head (or vampire teeth to the neck), you had to choose--to which career would you commit?

JG: Film, in a heartbeat. It’s film without a gun to the head. I only make music because there is down time, and writing for other artists and composing for other films and TV shows is my day job.

GS: Speaking of vampires… what’s your take? Creepy and evil or sexy and cool? Or something else entirely?

JG: Vampires are a mythology or a genre, like time travel or the mafia. The world of “Vampires” offer a place for people to indulge their imagination in various ways. From temptation in Shadow of a Vampire to teen angst in The Vampire’s Assistant to manic depression in Interview with the Vampire, filmmakers debate the pros and cons of immortality, and ultimately, through exploring the supernatural, come to a definition of the “natural,” or try to identify what makes us a human.

GS: What was the first vampire movie you ever saw?

JG: An early BBC version of Dracula. On Channel 13, I think. Some Halloween night in the mid-80s.

GS: Your favorite vampire movie? TV show?

JG: Movie: The Hunger. TV: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

GS: What about the vampires in your movie--could they kick other movie vampires’ asses?

JG:John Ventimiglia’s character is the like the Tony Stark of vampires, so if he had that Iron Man costume, yes. He would kick other vampires’ asses in second.

THE FINAL 5 WITH JORDAN GALLAND:

Trek or Wars? Wars in 70s and 80s largely because of Han Solo. Trek now, because JJ Abrams is a delightful sci-fi genius.

Marvel or DC? Marvel because Wolverine (in the comics and graphic novels) is the best character ever. And because Marvel characters are so much more inventive and weird.

Vampires or Werewolves? Duh.

Dragons or unicorns? Dragons in fairy tales and unicorns on bikinis.

Time travel: pro or con? Yes, please.

  -- Rachel Hyland

For more on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead, see the Official Site.

Watch the trailer!