"Major Grom: The Game" is the third film in the franchise based on Bubble comics. Stock up on popcorn, because we have an exclusive for you! We learned details about the creation of the new film from Oleg Trofim and Sergey Goroshko.

"Major Grom: The Game" is the third film in the franchise based on Bubble comics. Plus Studio announced that the film's premiere will take place in 2024. A teaser trailer was shown as part of Comic Con Astana.

It is known that the plot of "The Game" will differ from the comic, for example, a new villain nicknamed the Ghost will appear. The film takes place a year after the events of "". Igor Grom now enjoys unexpected popularity, and this forces him to conduct his work differently.

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Stock up on popcorn, because we have an exclusive for you! We learned details about the creation of the new film from Oleg Trofim and Sergey Goroshko.

Oleg Trofim, director of the "Major Grom" film series

— As the director of not just one film about Igor Grom, but a whole series, what are your expectations for future projects?

— The expectations for the universe are the most interesting, because it is actively being built. Firstly, over the 10 years of the publishing house's existence, a huge number of graphic novels have been released. Artem Gabrelyanov and his team created a branching and voluminous universe that can be filmed for a very long time. And what I like and excites me is that each time, approaching the adaptation, my team and I look for new solutions, new approaches. In terms of the script, Artyom always goes based on the source material, preserving the main ideas and conceptual cores of the story, but always finds new interpretations. Plans and prospects go far beyond the horizon.

— Are you ready to stay in your position for another 5-10 years and generally remain part of the project team for the universe?

— Part of the team, part of the ship, as they say. Today we live in a world where it is difficult to talk about the future, but no one forbids us from dreaming.

— In the first film, you experimented with how to translate a comic book story into a film adaptation. How was it working on "The Game"? Did it become more difficult to work with the source material?

— While working on the first film ("Major Grom: Plague Doctor"), we were still searching for the genre, trying almost blindly to find our own language and the very concept of Russian superheroics. We defined some things, we made mistakes in others – that's normal. It was a bold experiment that ultimately culminated in audience success worldwide. And yet, it left us with a huge field for work. And in the prequel "Hard Childhood", we continued the active search for language.

So now, in the process of working on "The Game", we have more clearly formulated our own style, the basic principles of the cinematic universe, and how to tell this story. It will become stronger and more precise. And I think that most importantly, we have come even closer and more confidently to creating our own cinematic universe, not nominally, but from the point of view of artistic language. We are moving boldly in this direction, and we will have something to surprise the viewer with in terms of the project's identity. We are forming our own DNA, free from references.

— The Grom cinematic universe now has a huge fan base, including comic book fans. Are you ready to face the indignation of that part of the audience that is sensitive to the source material?

— Yes, these are completely natural conflicts: both internal and external, which authors must go through. Comic book readers and fans have their own ideas about adaptations and their own priorities and passions. And for some, certain of our decisions may become a tragedy, but for others, they will allow them to look at the beloved material in a new way. It all depends on each individual viewer and reader. And yet, it won't be boring. We always have something to surprise with. This is our main principle – twists and unpredictability.

— Can you tell us what musical accompaniment to expect from "The Game"? The general mood or style.

— It's too early to talk about specific performers, but we are sticking to the same course – we fundamentally work with our local music. We focus on our own identity in the musical environment. We try to explore ourselves and how our universe sounds in a language we understand.

Roman Seliverstov is still handling the film music. There will be a lot of orchestra. And, of course, we will keep a large number of musical tracks and songs, both new and unknown to anyone. I am still personally responsible for their selection, as in previous projects, one could say I act as the music editor.

We make selections, gather interesting groups, still plan to make covers of already well-known songs and discover new young performers.

— What should viewers expect from the teaser trailer and when will we see the trailer?

— In the teaser trailer, we do not reveal the mysteries of the future film. Rather, we play with the viewer, lure them, whet their appetite. The viewer has a lot of interesting things in store, both action and drama. The viewer can see their favorite characters again and understand from the teaser how much wider the range of their emotional experiences has become. This is also important because the film is created, first and foremost, for cinemas. So, in 2024, there will definitely be something to go see! The film will be released on Kinopoisk a little later.

— Do you, as a director, have a favorite scene in "The Game"? Or, if we avoid spoilers, in the already filmed movies.

— In every film, there are favorite scenes. Actually, all scenes are the most favorite, like children. Some may be beautiful, others smart, others smart and beautiful, but all are wonderful in their own way. Of the scenes that can be talked about, I hold the prison scene very dear. We started filming the movie with it. Usually, we start with something simpler so that the group can warm up before the big filming process. This time, we decided to go all-in and started the process with one of the most complex scenes, both production-wise and technically. A huge three-story set, over 300 participants in crowd scenes, about fifty stuntmen, costumes, complex prosthetic makeup even on the crowd scene actors, tattoos, props. And all of this is action, stunts, destruction, mass fights. A whole ensemble of actors works at once, including Evgeny Chebatkov, who appeared on the big screen for the first time.

There was intense activity on set. I had never encountered such coordination and positive energy before. It turned out absolutely fantastic! Then, in that same tone, we continued for the subsequent 78 shooting days.

— What are the prospects for superhero cinema?

— It is obvious that pop culture is now, more than ever, on the rise, and superheroics along with it. In Russia, we have taken the first steps and, I hope, can be an example for someone.

Superheroics is a universal form of communication. A form with which you can tell a fairy tale in a modern language, about modern heroes and villains, about pressing problems. The comic book is inherently a social genre. Today, in this form, we can talk with the younger generation about what world we live in, using metaphors, images, fictional worlds that are accessible for understanding and creation, among other things.

It is important that our local heroes and myths, new and old, are honored and people are interested in them. Simply because, this way we will understand ourselves better. We are well informed about ancient Greek myths, we understand American culture better than our own. There is work to be done.

Sergey Goroshko, performer of the role of Sergey Razumovsky/Plague Doctor in the "Major Grom" trilogy

— How is "The Game" different from the first film for you?

— "The Game" is much stronger in terms of revealing the characters, both as people and their souls. Everyone in the story becomes more voluminous and multifaceted, like you and me. And, of course, the main character of the film is still St. Petersburg.

The main property of my character is a split personality. And the hardest part is to make these personalities unite in one person.

— What do you think about the development of the universe and the interest of viewers?

— The universe is quite young from the point of view of the cinematic universe. When we shot the first film, Bubble was already 10 years old. And for such a short period of time to make films based on comics and launch a series – I think that's great.

No one suspected that there would be such interest from viewers.

I am ready to act for many more years and with great pleasure. This is my native universe. But, again, it all depends on the scripts, on how it will be written. I am ready. But, naturally, Razumovsky is one of the main characters of the universe, at least related to Grom. Therefore, I think we will see each other again.