Syfy and production company American World Pictures unleash another Bulgarian beastie in JABBERWOCK, airing this Saturday at 9 p.m. as part of the channel’s ongoing slate of creature features. This period horror/fantasy tale, helmed by I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE remake director Steven R. Monroe, centers on a young squire (WAR WOLVES’ Michael Worth) who, alongside his brother (TRICK ’R TREAT’s Tahmoh Penikett), must become a warrior to save his people and the woman he loves (RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE’s Kacey Barnfield) after a horrific monster is unleashed on the village. Fango spoke with JABBERWOCK co-writer Rafael Jordan, a Syfy vet who previously scripted ARCTIC PREDATOR, YETI: CURSE OF THE SNOW DEMON and LOST COLONY: THE LEGEND OF ROANOKE, and we’ve got an exclusive creature pic to go with his comments.

FANGORIA: Was the Terry Gilliam film JABBERWOCKY the inspiration for this?

RAFAEL JORDAN: Only to the extent that both are obviously inspired by the same source material, the classic poem by Lewis Carroll [in ALICE IN WONDERLAND]. So there are inherent similarities between the two, but their respective tones couldn’t be more different. Gilliam’s was a black comedy, and a very funny one at that, but even though there are plenty of lighthearted moments in ours, we play it pretty straight. It’s also not really about the Jabberwock, despite what the title would have you believe. I mean, sure, the creature drives the plot forward, but at its heart it’s ultimately a story about two brothers and what it means to finally grow up and embrace responsibility. My guiding rule with these movies is that for them to really work, you have to be able to take out the creature completely and still have a compelling story. Otherwise, it’s just people reacting to a monster, and you’re never really invested.

FANG: There are two writers listed on the movie, you and SAND SERPENTS’ Raul Inglis. Did you collaborate? If not, how was the script developed?

JORDAN: I never actually met the other writer, which in my experience has always been the case. I’ve shared credit with lots of writers on these movies, but I’ve never directly collaborated with anyone. It usually just means one person worked on it for a while, and then time passed while the producers raised money or prepared to make the movie, and then someone else came along to rewrite or revise things when it was actually time to make the movie many months—or years—later. In this instance, there was already a script when I came on board. The development process had taken quite a while, however, and by the time they were gearing up to shoot, the network and production company decided to change the tone and scope quite a bit. It went from being a fantastical epic full of sorcery and royal politics and intrigue to what it is now. We basically stripped it down to its core, which is a small medieval village being terrorized by a mythical creature. It all happened very fast. My good friends Mark Lester and Dana Dubovsky at American World Pictures—the production company that basically gave me my start in the business—contacted me in September to reshape the script, and they were shooting by October.

FANG: Did you go overseas to work on the movie?

JORDAN: No, not on this one. I’m up to a dozen Syfy movies now, and I’ve been lucky enough to be on set as the writer/2nd unit director on four of them, but it’s not always practical. Each movie is basically three months in Bulgaria, or someplace similar like Romania or the Czech Republic, and I usually only go if I’m not too busy writing the next script or if I’ve already got a working relationship with that film’s director. I did do six months in Bulgaria for THE IMMORTAL VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN DRAKE and HAMMER OF THE GODS, back in 2007, and that was an amazing experience. The reality is, when you’re single, you like being overseas for as long as possible. Once you have a great girlfriend, though, you never want to leave LA for any amount of time. That’s why young filmmakers in their 20s should never have girlfriends! I’m kidding, of course…but not really.

FANG: How was Steven as a director? He has been doing good work.

JORDAN: Steven, as you already know, is an amazing filmmaker. Things were so rushed during production, though, that I never even met him face to face. He was already over in Bulgaria prepping the film, which usually starts about six weeks before shooting, so he and I just corresponded via e-mail and Skype. Even under those conditions, it was a real pleasure getting to work with him. Some directors are definitely easier to deal with than others, I’ll tell you that, and Steven was an absolute joy.

FANG: Tell us about the creature. CGI?

JORDAN: Yes, the creature is completely CG. That’s almost always Syfy’s preference these days. There used to be more limitations with CGI on these films—things like creatures with hair were too hard to render, etc.—but it has come a long way, even on limited budgets and time frames. As for the creature design, we took the inspiration straight from the source: the body of a small dragon and the head of an insect. So that’s pretty much what you get!

FANG: What is the secret of Syfy’s enduring ratings success?

JORDAN: I’m sure it’s more than just one thing. I’ve known [network movie chief] Tom Vitale for years, and one thing we both love about these movies is that they’re really among the only true anthologies left on television. I actually see myself as a writer on an ongoing TV series, and every Syfy movie I work on is just a new episode. So that’s one of the things I love about it. Beyond that, they’re just a lot of fun. They’ve become something of an institution; you know that every other weekend, you get a brand new Syfy Saturday movie. As a writer, I love the period pieces like JABBERWOCK the most. I love immersing myself in the research for weeks on end during the writing process. For me, that’s a special time because for a short while, I feel like I’m really living it. I know that sounds very NEVERENDING STORY of me, but it’s true.

FANG: What else do you have coming up?

JORDAN: I’m really fortunate in that Syfy keeps me really, really busy. As I mentioned, I think I’m up to 12 of these movies now, and I’m developing one or two more. My latest one just shot in Bulgaria over the summer—BLOODTHIRST [formerly VAMPYRE NATION]. It’s a bit like DAYBREAKERS meets BLADE with a hint of TRUE BLOOD, I suppose you can say, starring Andrew Lee Potts from PRIMEVAL. I’m really looking forward to the finished product on that one. I’m also really excited for a web series I’m developing for Syfy based on one of my earlier films from 2009, but at this point, I don’t think I’m allowed to say which one, as they’ve yet to make an announcement. Once they do, though, I hope we get to talk again!

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