In 2021, Michael Sarnoski wowed critics with a small, strange film about a reclusive truffle farmer’s pig being stolen.
Pig, starring Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff, defied genres, bringing emotionality, character and quirk to an entirely unique story – and it drew the attention of John Krasinski, the writer, director and actor behind the first two A Quiet Place films. He picked Sarnoski to write and direct the third film, a prequel set in New York City on the first day of an alien invasion.
We talked with Sarnoski about growing up in Milwaukee, helming this film, and his future plans.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
You’ve mentioned that your first real introduction to the horror genre was through a high school teacher. Could you tell us a bit about that?
I had a high school teacher named Mr. Zarwell at University School, who introduced me to zombie movies. It was one of the first times that a grown-up takes you seriously and shares something that they’re passionate about. That kind of gets you like, “Oh, wow, we can talk about zombie movies together? This is cool.” And then it just got me really into zombie movies. I watched a ton of them. I got really into special effects makeup, and then I was like, I’d also like to write things and then I’d like to direct things. It was the beginning of the slippery slope of being passionate about making movies.
A Quiet Place isn’t entirely horror, but there’s definitely horror in it. What’s it like to return to that early interest?
In high school, I was like, “Oh yeah, the bloodier the better.” I wouldn’t say I’m a diehard horror genre fan [now]. You drift away from that, and then you come back around in other ways. I was really excited about exploring the dramatic side of these stories and the character-driven sides, and that’s something the Quiet Place movies tend to do really well. And then I can use some of those genre trappings to play in that world.
What were some of the first ideas you had for taking this franchise in a new direction?
The initial prompt was “New York City. Day one invasion.” There are a lot of elements of these movies that we’ve seen before, and I wanted to avoid redoing stuff that had already been done. I always start with my protagonist – who is the main character that I would want to see this world through and follow through this story? I spent a lot of time just thinking who I didn’t want this protagonist to be, what kind of characters I’d seen these kinds of movies before. Whether it’s military, or someone trying to save their loved one or something like that. Out of that, this character of Sam emerged [played by Lupita Nyong’o.] What if she wasn’t focused on any of those things? It was shedding away all the expected things and seeing what was left. [Nyong’os] performance is incredible. She had a lot to carry in this movie, and she did it incredibly.
What was it like going from a smaller-scale film like Pig to a franchise tentpole?
We worked with [Industrial Light & Magic] for our visual effects, and they’re the best in the business. That made it not a difficult transition. You have a team of literally hundreds of people working on the visual effects, and they’re at the top of their craft. Basically you just say, “Wouldn’t it be cool to do something like this?” And then they say, “Well, we could do that. Or we could do this.” It wasn’t overwhelming or confusing. It was really just kind of more people and things to play with.
This is the first Quiet Place movie John Krasinki hasn’t directed. How involved was he in this one?
Early on, he was very involved. We were bouncing ideas back and forth about what this story could be. Initially, when I presented him my idea, I was very much ready for him to be like, “OK, well, good try. Interesting. Talk to you another time.” But he was like, “Heck yeah. Let’s do it.” From then out, he was very supporting of, “Make this a Michael movie.” He was encouraging exploration within this universe and for me to make it my own.
Jumping back a bit, did you already know you wanted to pursue filmmaking when you left Wisconsin to attend Yale?
I didn’t really know that I wanted to pursue film until, at the earliest, senior year of college. And even then, it was like, “I want to pursue this as an enthusiastic hobby.”
I think this is an important thing for people in Wisconsin. Being in Wisconsin feels kind of far away. You’re not in New York. You’re not in LA. The world of film and art feels far away and hard to reach. I think I grew up just thinking, “Well, this is something I enjoy … but that world is not for me, and I’ll have no way to get to that world.” So I just didn’t believe it was accessible. It took me a long time to realize that it was something I could do, and to realize that it was something that was worth pursuing and that I deserved to pursue in some way, and that it was OK to go out to LA and give it a shot. Even though I didn’t know anyone and it felt like an impossible task. It’s a really weird industry to break into. But I think anyone can go for it if they want.
It seems to me like that first year or two probably was a little terrifying.
Oh, it’s still terrifying. It hasn’t stopped.
Was there a moment when it started to feel like this might be working?
There are dozens of those moments, where you’re like, “Oh, wow. Someone has offered to pay me to do a thing. This might be it.” Then three years later you’re like, “I thought that was gonna be it, but like…” You make a short. Then you make another short. Then you write a script. Every moment felt like maybe this will be the moment where someone will give me permission to make movies. I think a big moment for me was when I realized, “Why am I waiting for permission to do something?”
I wrote Pig in a way that I could make it on my own with very little money and just go out and do it. I think that mentality helped me. I was just writing something I cared about. I wasn’t trying to create something that I thought other people want to buy. I think the specificity and uniqueness [of Pig] gave me the ability to make it. I think if it had been something more generic, it probably would have gotten sold and I would have been struggling as a writer.
Was there any aspect of Pig‘s story that took shape for you first?
I probably was watching a YouTube video about truffles or something. I remember, in thinking about truffle pigs, the image of just an old man in the woods with his truffle pig came to mind. I was curious to explore who that character was and why he was alone in the woods with his pig. The story developed from that—where he came from, what he left behind.
Alex Wolff is returning for A Quiet Place: Day One. What’s that collaboration like?
The real heart and soul of Pig is that dynamic between Nic Cage and Alex Wolff. I just kind of lucked out that there was a perfect role for Alex in Quiet Place. He just brought so much soul and specificity to the role. It’s fun having someone to work with that knows the dynamic. You each know how each other work and bring out the best in each other.
A Quiet Place has a strong in-theater viewing culture around it. Is that in your mind while you’re working, knowing how it will be received in a dead silent theater?
Oh, absolutely. In every phase. Every time I’m writing, I’m always thinking about editing, finishing, sound. [The sound] sings so beautifully, all the delicate little sound moments. Both in scary ways, like all the silence and the breaths, but in emotional ways, too.
Looking ahead, you’re also working on The Death of Robin Hood. Could you tell us a bit about that movie?
I wrote that script right before A Quiet Place. I kind of made a deal with myself, where I was like, “If I’m going to do a studio movie, I want to have something [else] that is just mine.” Part of me thought I would write it and it would maybe fall by the wayside. But it was one of those scripts I oculdn’t get out of my head. Pig was the same way. When you think about it, it’s like, “There’s no way I’m going to make that movie. A movie about a truffle hunter and his pig?” It was kind of the same with Robin Hood. “We’ve had plenty of Robin Hood movies. There’s no way I’m going to make a Robin Hood movie.” But then you write it and hone it, and it’s like, “I have to make this movie.”
This is so different, I think, from what people expect from a Robin Hood movie. It’s a very loose retelling of the old Robin Hood legends, but in a way that tries to both reinvent the character and get him back to some of his original roots. We’re putting the cast together now with Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer. I’m so excited about it.
One last question. When you get back to Milwaukee, do you have any spots you have to visit?
Kopp’s Custard. I get a burger and the vanilla custard with the little cookie triangles in it. Marcus North Shore Cinema was where I saw most of my movies growing up – that’s a great spot to go watch some movies. But mostly, I’m at home hanging out with my mom and playing with her dog.
