MTV: Way to include all the books in one movie. We’re talking no sequel money.

Mark Waters: [He laughs.] Yeah, but you know what? The good thing about the books is they’re short — they’re about 100 pages with very big lettering. So they were designed to play as one big arc of a serial, whereas the “Harry Potter” books have 870 pages. So, on that, these things are little miniseries. As long as [authors] Tony [Diterlizzi] and Holly [Black] are creating books, I think there’s always going to be new movie opportunities being created.

MTV: It’s funny you mention “Harry Potter.” When I spoke to “Chronicles” co-star David Strathairn, he made a point of saying it’s not like “Potter.” Do you bristle at the comparison?

MW: I embrace the comparison because in a weird way that’s exactly what is cool about this movie. I actually believe that this is the first movie in the fantasy genre that is distinctively American. What if you have recognizable suburban kids going through recognizable family difficulties and suddenly have this fantastical world imposed upon them? That’s something we haven’t seen in a while. You could actually go play it out and think that in the forest beyond your backyard that there could be an alien or some goblins. You are able to imagine that. [It’s not] England or Middle Earth or the extreme past.

MTV: How come all the most famous fantasies are British?

MW: I think it has to do with being able to believe that these fantasies could have happened. It’s easier to buy it when it’s distant. Like, if it happened in the past, somewhere in Middle Earth or in old England, I can believe that these creatures existed. It almost feels more folkloric when it’s put into the past or a distant land. But that’s also what has made the genre feel a little bit tired recently. I mean, do I want to watch some kids with a British accent get chased by a dragon again? Come on.