'I Am Number Four' Director Says Aliens 'Much More Intriguing' Than Vampires

D.J. Caruso and stars Alex Pettyfer and Timothy Olyphant discuss which is the better fantasy character.
By Kara Warner

Alex Pettyfer and Teresa Palmer in "I Am Number Four"
Photo: DreamWorks

If one were to pinpoint a particular fantasy character that has dominated pop culture over the past few years, most people would agree that vampires have taken center stage as the mythological figure of the moment.

However, with extreme popularity often comes a point of overexposure. Not that we've reached that point yet with the fang fixation, but there are other creatures waiting in the wings. Take the new alien-adventure movie "I Am Number Four," for example, which showcases a sexy new take on the stereotypical green Marvin the Martian-type aliens.

When MTV News caught up with the film's director, D.J. Caruso, and stars Alex Pettyfer and Timothy Olyphant recently, we posed them an important question: Are aliens the new vampires?

"I didn't notice aliens kind of going in and out of fashion," said Olyphant, who plays mentor Henri to Pettyfer's Number Four (John Smith). "Where vampires kind of come and go, aliens, in general, it's a broader palette, so they've been around," he explained.

Caruso said: "I'd take aliens over vampires any day. Aliens are much more intriguing."

The "Disturbia" director agreed with Olyphant's sentiments about extra-terrestrial longevity. "Aliens have always been around," he said. "Vampires: They're wearing out."

Plus, while vampire stories are based in fiction, we can't say for certain whether life exists on other planets or in other galaxies.

On the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe, Pettyfer said, "There's got to be something out there — one way or another."

Caruso agreed: "I think there's something else out there. I can't imagine that God's just allowing this one planet to function; I think he's got a bunch of experiments floating around."

Check out everything we've got on " I Am Number Four."

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