Director Roland Emmerich

He's known for making big budget action films like Independence Day, 2012, The Patriot and The Day after Tomorrow, but director Roland Emmerich's new movie goes in a different direction. Anonymous is a historical drama that deals with the controversial topic: Did William Shakespeare really write those immortal plays?

Emmerich reveals how he made this historical drama for a fraction of its original cost by taking a page out of his action-movie filmmaking. Perhaps for the first time ever, a director used green-screen technology, digital cameras and special effects to create the world of Elizabethan England. He also discusses the importance of casting to a director and confesses that he suffers many sleepless nights during the process. Reflecting on Independence Day, he describes how he had to convince Fox that Will Smith was a movie star and could inhabit that role, one that went on to make the actor an international box office star. Emmerich also claims credit for discovering Heath Ledger when he fought to cast him as Mel Gibson's son in The Patriot.

Today's Banter Topics:

- Ultraviolet launches and studios are hopeful. Ultraviolet is a cloud-based technology service where consumers can buy a movie on DVD/Blueray and as a digitial download all at once and it can be watched on multiple devices. The industry hopes it will encourage people to buy movies again.

- Disney strikes a deal with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski and actor Johnny Depp to restart production on Lone Ranger by reducing the budget.

Banner image of director Roland Emmerich by Reiner Bajo