San Andreas director Brad Peyton dives into disaster

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      LOS ANGELES—In a hotel conference room, lined up for the media to gawk at, sit an impressive array of characters promoting the earthquake-disaster film San Andreas (opening May 29). An Oscar nominee, the second-highest-grossing actor of 2014, the cocreator of one of the most popular television shows of all time, and two unbelievably beautiful women: all arrayed before us, all operating at various levels of jadedness.

      However, Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, screenwriter Carlton Cuse (Lost), Carla Gugino, and Alexandra Daddario—for all their star power, intrigue, and magnetism—are being considerably outtalked by a 34-year-old director from Newfoundland. To say Brad Peyton is the centre of attention here is probably a lie, because, at least physically, the 6-5, 260-pound Johnson is always going to be a considerable presence. But even though his last credits before this film were four episodes of The Republic of Doyle, Peyton is gushed over by all the members of the panel.

      San Andreas focuses on a massive earthquake (centred on the famous fault line of the title) that splits California in half. At the centre of the action are first responder and fire chief Ray (Johnson) and his family, estranged wife Emma (Gugino) and daughter Blake (Daddario). It’s a tricky endeavour because even though the movie deals with tragedy on a major level, including thousands of on-screen deaths, it’s also a popcorn movie by design.

      “I feel as a filmmaker and as a group, we respected what the movie was about in terms of theme. But also the earthquake and natural-disaster aspect of it, we didn’t make light of it,” Peyton says. “Some people ask me about natural-disaster movies and I almost feel that this movie has something more akin with Jaws, where that’s real; sharks are real.”

      It’s not the only time Steven Spielberg is referred to during the media conference, as Johnson admits that Raiders of the Lost Ark made him want to be an action hero when he was eight years old. It was also a major influence on his decision to take this role. “We sat in Budapest [where Johnson was filming Hercules] and just said, ‘Wow, this feels like a Spielberg kind of movie,’ ” Johnson says. “We had this private conversation, all about how much Spielberg had inspired us, and we didn’t write him or call him or anything, but we are just such big fans of his movies.”

      It’s here that producer Beau Flynn (Requiem for a Dream) pipes in: “In my mind, Brad Peyton is the next Steven Spielberg, and that’s why Brad is in this business.”

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