Nine Things Learned on the Set of I Am Number Four

Scott Harris from Moviefone was another lucky member of the press that got to visit the set of I Am Number Four a few months back.  In a recent article, he lets us know nine of the most interesting things he learned whilst on set, ranging from changes to the script/book, the cast and crew, and a hint at the future of the novels. 

Here are a few of the tidbits he picked up: 

Changes to the screenplay led to changes in the books.

Fans of the book may be surprised when they see the finished film. Why? Because while the cast and crew strived to stay true to the spirit of the original text, a number of details were changed along the way.

"In the book, [Number Four] knows from page one what he's supposed to do," Caruso told us. "In the movie it takes him quite a while to kind of figure out who he is and what he wants to become. And I think that was what was dramatically and cinematically interesting to me -- who he thinks he is and who he really is are two completely different people. And he has to come to terms with understanding that who he wants to be isn't who he's going to become."

The good news is that if there's a sequel, it's likely to stay much closer to the source material for one simple reason: After reading the script for this movie, the authors will be changing the second book to match.

"It's interesting because [the authors] have just outlined the second book, so some of the stuff that we had in the movie kind of sparked different ideas," Caruso said. "I noticed that their outline for book two had changed a little bit. Which was kind of cool."

I Am Number Four Set Visit Report

Back in July, some members of the media had the opportunity to visit the I Am Number Four set in Pittsburgh.  Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub was one of those lucky enough to catch some of the filming and have an opportunity to talk to the films stars as well as director D.J. Caruso.

Here's a bit of his set report,

Alex Pettyfer is freaking out.  He’s just discovered he can shoot light from his hands and it looks like he has flashlights shooting out from inside his skin.  He’s sitting in a small janitor closet in a High School hallway and I’m standing very close to director D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia).  We’re all looking at the monitors.  Timothy Olyphant, who plays Pettyfer’s guardian, walks into the closet shortly after Pettyfer and he’s telling him to relax.  As Olyphant gets him to calm down, the light emitting from his hands starts to dim until it finally goes away.  While the effect is being done practically, it looks real on the monitor.  I’m impressed.  I watch take after take of Olyphant and Pettyfer trying to get it right.

The report goes on to discuss need to know facts about the book and gives bits and pieces of interviews, "Frosty" was able to do while on set.  There is also a bit more about the scenes that they were working on while he visited. You can read the rest of the report here.

Source: Collider