Inquire Within: Zoo Origins

Today is the debut of a new feature entitled Inquire Within… Through your submissions, Cameron will answer your questions in his own words. The goal is to have a new question and answer posting every few weeks leading up to the releases of The Union, Pearl Jam Twenty and We Bought a Zoo this fall. I’ll kick it off with a question around We Bought a Zoo and how it came to his attention.

The Uncool: How did We Bought A Zoo come to your attention?

Cameron: We Bought A Zoo came to us from Fox Studios, and producer Julie Yorn. It was immediately interesting, a true story that really stayed with me. I loved the book. There was also a wonderful script by Aline Brosh McKenna and a documentary that the BBC produced on Benjamin Mee’s story. It was rich with characters and had a strong beating heart in the tale of Benjamin and his family’s quest to bring the Dartmoor Zoo back to life. Gail Levin (our longtime casting director) also read all the materials and said “let’s have a blast.” Which we did. So happy to have had a chance to work with these actors, each one different and each one so committed.   It’s the kind of movie that they say doesn’t get made much anymore – a big story without a lot of fancy fireworks. Just strong actors, a great cinematographer in Rodrigo Prieto, and a chance to tell a human story with every emotion built into it. I could have never written this out of thin air – it all happened to Benjamin Mee – but I related so much to his journey.  I felt like it was my job to bring it to life.   I told Clay Griffith, my friend and production designer, “get ready to build a zoo.”  And so it began…

Please send in your questions for Cameron and maybe yours will be part of a future installment of Inquire Within…