'Beowulf' producer Steve Starkey

It might be based on an Old English poem from 700 AD, but producer Steve Starkey is hoping that Beowulf's timeless themes of heroism, hubris and deceit are capable of captivating the iPod generation. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the film boasts a "digitally-enhanced" nude scene from Angelina Jolie - what could be more 2007 than that? We hooked up with Steve, who's also worked on Forrest Gump, Cast Away and The Polar Express over the years, to learn more about the movie.

What is it about the Beowulf story that's kept people fascinated for 1300 years?
"I think great myths about heroes - in Beowulf's case, a hero who's also a flawed human being - will always captivate people. We were drawn to the screenplay because it combines this great theme of a flawed character who faces his own demons and faces the consequences of his actions with a backdrop of wonderful spectacle."

As a filmmaker, was it difficult to tell the story for today's audience?
"Well, I don't think so because the themes are somewhat timeless. You can find a similar theme of desire for power in The Godfather. Obviously the style and genre of Beowulf is very different to The Godfather, but the themes that it contains have been drawing people to literature and the cinema for years and years."

What was the biggest challenge facing you while you were making the movie?
"When you make a movie of this scale, you're always going to face all kinds of challenges. Casting the picture and getting everything together creatively is always tough, but on top of that we were trying to stretch the form of cinema. There were all kinds of technical hurdles that we had to jump over to get to the finish line. We just can't help ourselves - in all our movies we've tried new experiments and aimed to create new illusions on screen."

One technical hurdle you had to overcome was getting to grips with 'digitally-enhanced live action', the new technique you've pioneered on the movie. What exactly is it?
"Well, what we want to get across with this term is that none of the technology is possible without the performances of real actors. It's live action that's thrown into a digital environment and then enhanced - it really is digitally-enhanced live action."

Do you think audiences will be quick to embrace this technique?
"Well, it's different from animation and it's different from live action, but I think it's a fascinating world unto itself. Here's how I see it: if the only paintings you'd seen throughout the years were oil paintings from the 14th, 15th, 16th centuries, and then all of a sudden somebody played around with some water and different dyes and came up with something called watercolour, everyone would look at that and find it strange. They'd say: 'That's a painting, but not as we know it.' With digitally-enhanced live action, the purists might not like it, but people who regard cinema as an experience will embrace it at face value. If people are drawn into the story, I think the technique we use to tell the story will go away."

You've been working with Robert Zemeckis for over 15 years now. Why do you think your creative partnership has lasted so long?
"One of the reasons is that we work outside Hollywood, but the main reason for me is that every time I make a movie with Bob, it's different to the last one. We explore different genres and different styles of movies every time we work, so I never feel like working with Bob is the same old thing. Bob's always pushing new ways to tell stories, which really keeps you on your toes picture after picture. Plus, we're best of friends and we have a kinship in a way, so I always look forward to coming to work."

You and Robert are currently working on a big screen version of A Christmas Carol. How's it coming along?
"Well, as much as all of us think we're familiar with A Christmas Carol, when you read the book closely - really read between the lines - it's clear that nobody's ever brought that version, artistically speaking, to the big screen. I think it's because nobody ever had any idea how to do it! Inspired by Dickens' writing, we think we can bring A Christmas Carol to the screen the way Dickens intended it to be seen. He wrote it so visually that we just want to get all of that across."

Is it shaping up to be one of your most difficult projects?
"Well, I'm currently living in a state of what I'd call 'contained fear', but that's pretty much my normal state of mind when I'm making a movie. It's a good thing. Maybe if I didn't feel that way, I wouldn't feel as though as I was doing my job properly."

You've worked with Tom Hanks on numerous occasions throughout your career - Forrest Gump, Cast Away, The Polar Express. Do you have any plans to work with him in the future?
"Well, I would say that on any movie I make, if Mr. Hanks wants to come on board, he's always welcome. Bob and I got him to promise, at the end of the last movie, that he'd never make more movies with anybody other than us. He can make the same number, but not more!"

Is there any actor you're still desperate to work with?
"I'd love to work with Sean Penn, but he would never in his life make one of our movies. When he came onto the Beowulf set to see his wife Robin Wright Penn, who's in the movie, he said: 'I would never in a million years put those dots on my face and do this movie. If I'm stuck in this genre, I guess that's one actor I'm never going to work with."

Beowulf is released in the UK on Friday. Click here for our review.