In an interview to be published tomorrow right here, John Travolta spoke about his work in this weekend's "The Punisher" and spent quite a lot of time chatting about the likes of Get Shorty sequel "Be Cool", the proposed "Vega Brothers" project and more:

Question: You are doing "Be Cool" right now. What is generally your take on sequels?

Answer: I don't particularly care for sequels however, Elmore Leonard wrote the book "Be Cool" and then when you start to make a whole new unit and that much time and effort to make something that good, I think it takes on a whole other life.  It's a wonderful script and a great cast.  And, you don't get these people to do sequels.  You don't get Uma and Harvey Keitel and Vince Vaughn to do these kinds of things so you know that it has to be high end script.  And it's based on Elmore's very good sequel book.  The opening line of the movie is 'Sequels'.  Chili Palmer is fed up with them. The sequel that he did in the movie "Get Shorty" didn't work so he'd fed up with sequels.  So it's very hip.

Question: What's happened to Renee and Gene's characters? 

Answer: They aren't referred to because he's moving out of the movie industry and he's looking for a new horizon.  He stumbles upon the music industry which is far funnier than the movie industry.

Question: Problems with Ladder 49 with fires?

Answer: Oh no.  It's a brilliant movie.  It's a really breathtaking film.  It's the best firefighter film that's ever been made and I'm not even exaggerating.  It's a beautiful movie. It's more along the lines of Apollo 13, that level of quality in the approach.  It's by far the best homage to the firefighters.  It's set in Baltimore and Joaquin Phoenix plays the young guy in it and I'm really his mentor in it.  The main story is about him.

Question: Can you compare it to Backdraft at all?

Answer: It's so much more based in reality.  You feel it in this.  It's a beautiful story too.  More importantly it doesn't play on anything but a genuine reality of what these guys are about. I love it.  It's just beautiful.

Question: Do you still want to do a film musical?

Answer: I've always wanted to do a musical.

Question: Do you still have hopes to do the second half of Battlefield Earth?

Answer: I don't know. It did well but it would really depend on they wanted to do it. They have the rights to it.  It would be up to them really to do it. Warner Bros. Doesn't have the rights, it's Elie Samaha. It would be up to him.

Question: Did Quentin tell you his new idea for Vega Brothers?

Answer: No.  I heard it though a journalist that said Michael Madsen had mentioned something about it.  But that's up to Quentin.  I don't question him.  I wouldn't even ask him.  He'll tell me.  He did it the first time. Someone said I had to vie to be in one of his films and I said 'I didn't the first time.  Why would I have to that this time?  He'll let me know'.

Thanks to 'Paul'.