SAHARA production notes FINAL

dives in first, but Al’s right behind him – and right behind Dirk isn’t always the safest
place to be.”
When Dirk and Al meet Eva, she fits right in with the treasure hunters. “These are
really two wandering spirits, two mavericks, who come together,” says Breck Eisner.
“Eva is on her own, the only one who even believes there’s a mystery to solve; similarly,
Dirk’s tracking the mystery of a ship that no one believes in. It’s natural and organic
when they come together.”
“We really become a trio,” says Cruz. “Usually it’s ‘the couple and the friend,’ or
two guys, two girls. In this case, they’re all on equal footing.”
Bringing together all the elements of action-adventure, comedy, and romance is
Breck Eisner, who had previously helmed the Emmy Award-winning miniseries “Taken”
for the Sci-Fi Channel and executive producer Steven Spielberg. “You might think it
would be hard to have faith in a first-time feature-film director for a big action picture like
‘Sahara,’ but with Breck, it was easy,” Baldwin says. “Our guts and our brains told us
he’d do an extraordinary job – and he did. He totally gets action and he completely
understood the landscape of the movie. I can’t tell you how impressed we are with Breck
Eisner.”
Eisner was attracted to the project by the chance to bring to the screen an unusually
strong character relationship and a satisfying, intricate story. “I was very impressed by
these characters, Dirk and Al,” Eisner notes, “as well as by the complexity and design of
the story.”
“I told Breck, ‘Not just anybody could direct this movie,’” says Cruz. “I was so
impressed with his level of energy. He was the first one on-set in the morning, and he
was the last one to leave the meetings at 10:00 at night. He did that every day for months.
This movie needed him. It needed his energy.
“The whole movie is invested with that energy,” Cruz continues. “It’s something
that connects with everyone – we all want to experience this kind of adventure.”
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