“The Property [Cowboys and Aliens] isn’t what was appealing to me as much as the concept and the script. I read a great script and I loved the idea of mashing up those two genres and juxtaposing a very intense alien movie up against a very sincerely played Western. We draw inspiration tonally from movies like ‘Close Encounters’ and ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’ for the alien side and for the Western side we’re looking at John Ford, Leone, and even a little bit of ‘Butch and Sundance.’
Once again, I’ve been very lucky in exceeding all my expectations in getting Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde. We’re slowly assembling a cast around this property, and I want to do something mind-blowing and it’s a great way to do a Western. I’ve always dreamed of doing a Western, and this seems like a way that’s actually responsible from a marketing standpoint, doing an alien invasion Western seems like something very unique and different in the summer next year, which is going to be all superhero movies and sequels. Seems like an exciting thing that might actually emerge as something unique and different. It’s a fun ride and it’s a chance to do something that plays a little bit older and a little bit more fun.”