Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies | Tagged: Deathstalker, SHOUT! Studios, steven kostanski

Deathstalker Director Steven Kostanski on Cameos, Filming & More

Deathstalker director Steven Kostanski spoke to us about if he considered cameos from original films, why film was difficult to shoot & more.

Steven Kostanski has been able to accomplish in his career thanks in large part to his work in special effects in projects like NBC's Hannibal, Warner Bros Suicide Squad (2016), and It (2017), which in part, also funnels into his filmmaking career directing projects like Leprechaun Returns (2018), Psycho Gorman (2020), Frankie Freako (2024). His latest project is a reboot of the '80s classic franchise Deathstalker, the sword and sorcery classic born in part thanks to indie legend Roger Corman. The popularity of the original spawned three sequels starring various actors in the title role, including Rick Hill, John Terlesky, and John Allen Nelson.

The fifth Deathstalker film stars Daniel Bernhardt as the title character in the Kingdom of Abraxeon, when it finds itself under siege by the Dreadites, heralds of the long-dead sorcerer Nekromemnon. When Deathstalker recovers a cursed amulet from a corpse-strewn battlefield, he's marked by dark magic and hunted by monstrous assassins. To survive, he must break the curse and face the rising evil. Death is just the beginning… of great adventure. Kostanski spoke to Bleeding Cool about whether he considered bringing any of the surviving cast in cameo roles for his film, especially Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans (1987) star Terlesky; what his most difficult sequence was; and his future.

Deathstalker Director Steven Kostanski on Whether He Considered Cameos from the Original Films and His Future

BC: With retaining just a lot of the spirit and core of the Deathstalker franchise, you get some of the old classic villains in there, like the pig demons, and the (1983 film's original villain) Munkar reference. Did you consider expanding on it by inviting some of the original actors from the franchise for some cameo work?

SK: That's always my goal is to try and do that stuff, but that was outside of the scope of my abilities to pull that off. It came down to what the producers were able to do, and we put every penny on screen as best as we could. As much as I wanted to give everybody cameos, I definitely would have been on board, but it wasn't in the cards financially, maybe the next one. I would love to do.

I'm guessing, as a fan of the second Deathstalker, you would like to have John Terlesky in a sequel if this one does become successful.

It would be amazing to have John Terlesky come back. He's so charming, but yeah, I think a lot of these people have moved on to bigger and better things, like I believe he's like a TV director now. He's got a full plate, probably doesn't have a ton of interest in flying up to Canada to shoot a cameo in a Deathstalker sequel, but who knows? Maybe he will if this one does super well. I would love to do that. If I can get him in the movie, that would be a big win in my books.

What was the most difficult sequence to film?

The whole movie was tough. Every scene was a different challenge. It's a quest movie. We're going from one location and one situation to another; each scene is a new challenge, new visuals, a new way we're shooting it. Going back between sets and locations, every day was a new challenge, and new obstacles were thrown in our way. It's hard to pick a specific thing that was difficult. All the fights were tough in that these were the most ambitious fights I've ever had in a movie.

Having Daniel and his team, and he brought up these guys, Shane and Lee, who he's worked with a lot, are amazing stuntmen and fight choreographers. Also, my stunt choreographer and my fight choreographer, Alex Chung, did a fantastic job. The film's scope was so big. I found that difficult at times, because there were a lot of moving parts and pieces to keep track of. Those were the scenes where I felt like we were operating on a higher level than what I'm used to operating at, as far as my films go. There was a lot of stress to that, but I loved it and would happily go even bigger and better on the next one now that I have a taste for it.

What's next for you?

Sleep, and I mean that is a joke. I'm working on three different projects right now, doing effects. Prosthetic effects are my day job, and that's what pays my bills in between making movies. The next little while is going to be that, working on different movies and shows. We'll see how this does and what [Deathstalker] leads to. We love to make another one, but yeah, we'll see how it goes.

I want to thank you for your time. I love the movie. I love how it's bare-bones filmmaking with the mix of practical and CGI. The stop motion effects of the skeleton fight remind me so much of the [Ray] Harryhausen films.

Deathstalker, which also stars Christina Orjalo, Patton Oswalt, Paul Lazenby, Nicholas Rice, Nina Bergman, and Laurie Field, is in theaters.

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