Five Nights at Freddy's director reveals how game creator influenced film

Game creator Scott Cawthon was on board the film as both a producer and co-screenwriter, and Tammi and Blum explained to RadioTimes.com how his input ensured the film would be well-received by existing fans of the franchise.

“I think between myself and Jason, we were always consulting Scott in terms of what the path forward was," Tammi said during an exclusive interview, adding: "For Jason, in the earlier stages, even just bringing on the right director and putting together the right team and, for me, crafting this story with Scott and working on the script and film.

"So I think really leaning on him to help guide the elements of the lore that we were incorporating and making sure we were getting it right for the fan base."

Meanwhile, Blum explained how he had first learned about Five Nights at Freddy's from comic-book creator Todd McFarlane, who handles merchandising for the game.

"He really gave me an insight into the incredible reach of the game," he said. "And then I started looking into it and realised it had been developed at Warner Brothers for a little bit.

"And so I always liked the challenge of, like, 'someone else tried this and couldn't figure it out', so I was excited to see if I could. [But] I didn't think it would take eight years or 10 years, whatever it took!"

He added that the process was both "very challenging" and "very fun", and that finding the right director was key.

Read more:

• Fair Play asks "if capitalism is compatible with love", says director
• The Great Escaper 'revived Michael Caine in some ways', says director

"I really give Emma a lot of credit for getting us to the finish line here," he said. "We had to find someone who had their own vision and also could listen to and understand Scott's vision."

He added: "And that's a very... Scott didn't want someone who just did exactly what he said. But he also didn't want someone who didn't listen to him.

"So it was a very, very tricky thing to do. And Emma I think did a great job, getting Scott comfortable enough to actually allow the movie to happen."

Five Nights at Freddy's is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now and celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who with a special issue of Radio Times. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.