J.T. Madicus Talks About Movie ‘Final Diagnosis’, Quentin Tarantino, And Teases His Next Film

We can’t wait for his upcoming film!

J.T. Madicus is making his debut in the movie industry in an amazing way! He is about to release ‘Final Diagnosis’, which he is the lead writer of.

We had the amazing honor of talking with J.T. about his favorite character in ‘Final Diagnosis’, getting into filmmaking, and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in filmmaking?

J: “The funny thing is, I never set out with the express intention of making a movie—it all just happened piece by piece. I wrote a novel, ‘Final Diagnosis: No Second Chances,’ and created an animated book trailer to promote it to readers and publishers. The novel was well received, and I knew it would lend itself well to a live-action format, so I shot a few scenes of it as another promotional tool. But the project kept growing—once I had the idea in my head for a live action rendering of it, I couldn’t let it go. 16 days of shooting later, we had a full feature! It was fun and exciting and I enjoyed the experience so much I began my next feature film ‘Good Grief’ last year and will finish shooting that one by this summer.”

Tell us more about your upcoming film ‘Final Diagnosis’.

J: ‘Final Diagnosis’ asks the question: Where is the dividing line between genius and madness? It follows the story of four damaged but brilliant doctors as they attempt to save a patient’s life. In the background is a lot of espionage and action and intrigue—but I don’t want to give too much away!’

What was your favorite aspect when creating the film?

J: “The characters–they were so alive in my head when writing the book, and seeing them portrayed by such a talented cast was a revelation. I felt I learned more about the characters by observing the choices the actors made, and that fed itself back into the writing, in a virtuous cycle.”

You also were the author behind the film’s novel ‘Final Diagnosis: A Second Chance’. If you had to choose, who is your favorite character in the book?

J: “That’s true—the film is actually based on the first few chapters of the novel, but there’s a lot of additional storytelling too. My favorite character—well, initially I would say Dr. Tseng because there’s a lot of myself in him, but throughout the creative process I developed a strong compassion and admiration for the character of Dr. Greg, a fragile yet brilliant healer who is hiding a lot of secrets—read into that what you will about me!”

Are you planning on releasing more films in the future?

J: “Absolutely! I mentioned ‘Good Grief’ above. This is a romantic tragic-comedy drama about death and love and all of the complications these can bring. I’ve learned a lot from my first film making experience so the training wheels are off now, this production is going to be larger than life!”

Are there any fellow filmmakers or producers that you are inspired by?

J: “Quentin Tarantino definitely inspired my creative processes. I love how he always keeps the audience on edge—you never know what is going to happen next. I also like how David Lynch can infuse the ordinary with a sense of the strange and the mysterious. And of course Christopher Nolan’s ability to deploy psychological drama as spectacle is something I aspire to achieve as well.”

Can you tease when the film may be released?

J: “Final Diagnosis will be out this year!”

Where can we follow your amazing journey? 

J: “Follow the film at https://www.no2ndchances.com/ and me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JasonMadicus.”