DRAGONSLAYER is Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins' 14th screenplay, their first success being The Sugarland Express, directed by Steven Spielberg. Making their debuts as producer and director in their last production, Corvette Summer, Barwood and Robbins are repeating their successful formula as writers, producer and director on Dragonslayer.
"We have always been fascinated by science fiction, fantasy and horror," they say, "we've written several screenplays exploring these genres, but Dragonslayer is the first one to get made into a movie in ten years of working together."
Although the film bombed in America, it was probably more due to the mishandling of the promotional campaign by Paramount (who were facing such movies as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Clash of the Titans as competitors) than to any lack of quality in the film.
With a 14 million dollar budget, filmed at London's Pinewood Studios and on location, Dragonslayer is a visually stunning and sensationally atmospheric fairy tale.
Barwood and Robbins confessed that the origins of Dragonslayer lie in the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence from the earlier Disney film Fantasia. They were both raised on Walt Disney movies and never got over them. Eventually, they became curious about George and Dragon, and began to research the myth in the children's library. Instead of using traditional medieval conceptions like knights in shining armour, pennants streaming in the breeze and ladies with diaphenous veils waving from turretted castles, they have created a strange world steeped in superstition where clothes and manners of the people are rough, their homes and villages primitive, so that the idea of magic is a natural part of their existence.
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