INTERSTELLAR Screenwriter On Transitioning From Steven Spielberg To Christopher Nolan

INTERSTELLAR Screenwriter On Transitioning From Steven Spielberg To Christopher Nolan

Interstellar screenwriter Jonathan Nolan reflects on starting the Interstellar process with director Steven Spielberg and transitioning to working with his brother, celebrated Dark Knight Trilogy helmer, Christopher Nolan.

By MarkJulian - Nov 12, 2014 06:11 AM EST
Filed Under: Sci-Fi
Source: Spinoff Online

Interstellar started ou its film life as a script written by Jonathan Nolan back in 2007 for Paramount Pictures.  Five years later, and with Steven Spielberg moving his production company (Dreamworks) from Paramount to Walt Disney Pictures, Interstellar needed a new director.   Enter Christopher Nolan.  Warner Bros. also entered the scene, cutting a deal with Paramount and Legendary Pictures to co-finance the film (Legendary agreed to finance 25% of Interstellar and in exchange WB would finance 100% of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice).  Reportedly, the draft that Jonathan Nolan wrote was much more science-based and required him to study at the California Institute of Technology for some of the more advanced, theoretical aspects of the script.  When Christopher Nolan boarded the project, he kept the first hour of the original screenplay but rewrote the latter half of the film, making the film less technical and more human.  

On moving from Spielberg to his older brother, Jonathan Nolan told Spinoff Online---

"Oh, yeah. It’s a pleasure working with Steven. He’s a legendary filmmaker, and a lovely, brilliant guy. It was great fun working with him for several years developing the project, and the spirit of the project is largely the same. What’s great about working with my brother is that he came armed to this with some of his own ideas that kind of mind-bending aspect of what might be out there beyond the infinite. So I think the spirit of the film is very similar, but Chris brings his own unique take on it. And my brother’s commitment in making these films is always to make them on the largest possible scale, to make it real. There’s a lot of versions of this film that might have been kind of an animated movie. But I’m drawn to working with filmmakers like Steven and like Chris who are committed to the odd fashioned art of movie making: go out and make it for real."



Over at /Film, they've managed to get their hand on the original Interstellar script and compared that with the revised draft from Christopher Nolan. For SPOILER CONSIDERATIONS for those that have yet to see Interstellar,  I'll leave that info over at the link. Interstellar is now playing in American theaters.



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Barcuy
Barcuy - 11/12/2014, 6:45 AM
one of the greatest screenwriter and also showrunner
teinen
teinen - 11/12/2014, 6:53 AM
Saw it last night. So Nolan makes superhero movie, which are not based in reality, based in reality. And scientific movies with baseless science. Riiiight. Super over rated, and I wanted to like Interstellar.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/12/2014, 6:55 AM
This movie was sooooo not good… LOL.
Not trying to ruin it for you guys, but if your a Nolan fan you might want to skip this one or wait for DVD or HBO.
Think inception but worse and more dragged out.

and can't wait for the "Everything Wrong With Interstellar" video on you tube. This plot had more holes than a block of swiss cheese.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/12/2014, 7:00 AM
@teinen
Agreed… This movie was sold based on Nolan directing and I don't think it delivered at all. Its like they didn't research anything about what would be grounded in reality for Interstellar. I almost left an hour into the movie because my chick was so annoyed with the non realistic story line… and that was the first hour.
teinen
teinen - 11/12/2014, 7:13 AM
@slickrickdesigns it made Prometheus look like a smart movie. Should've called it Frequency 2: Frequencies in Space
MrCBM56
MrCBM56 - 11/12/2014, 7:18 AM
@Teinen is crazy. Kip Thorne worked on this. The biggest science departure was the cyrosleep.
Havenless
Havenless - 11/12/2014, 7:20 AM
**SPOILERS**

So he's saying Spielberg's had better science facts and no time traveling aliens? That's the movie I wish I saw.
thewonderer
thewonderer - 11/12/2014, 7:21 AM
Incredible movie.
teinen
teinen - 11/12/2014, 7:21 AM
@MrCBM56 so you're telling me that the climax of the movie, and the most important plot devise with what I'll call the bookshelf, was based on anything but fantasy?
teinen
teinen - 11/12/2014, 7:22 AM
@Havenless there were no time traveling aliens, what movie did you see?
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/12/2014, 7:25 AM
PLEASE DO NOT READ if you don't want a SPOILER!

@MrCBM56
Other hard part to swallow at the beginning of the friggin movie is an Ex Astronaut who has been farming for how long was able to be the lead pilot in a New Updated Space Shuttle with No training in less than a day.
Thats just one of many problems I had with this story.
LiquidAvenger
LiquidAvenger - 11/12/2014, 7:26 AM
Movie was great for what it was. You have to go into it pretty open minded. I like everything The Nolan brothers do. I think they have a great imagination and you definitely can't accuse them of doing the same movie over and over, nor do I feel like I've seen there movies before.......... Like James Cameron Avitar yea it looked great but I liked the movie when it was called Dances with Wolves or the sequel The Last Samurai. If nothing else Nolans movies make you think
TheYoungMan
TheYoungMan - 11/12/2014, 7:30 AM
@tein You know that multiple dimensions and gravity moving through time is based in theoretical science, right?

*Sigh* In the past when people didn't understand something, they would react with intrigue, and search for answers. It's a satisfying process, learning and putting the pieces together and finding that they fit. Now if people don't understand something they react with anger. "I'm very smart so if I didn't understand it, it must not make sense". Hence some of the Interstellar reactions.
MrCBM56
MrCBM56 - 11/12/2014, 7:43 AM
@slickrickdesigns *Ex pilot. It makes all the difference.
MrCBM56
MrCBM56 - 11/12/2014, 7:44 AM
@teinen What @TheYoungMan said.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/12/2014, 7:54 AM
***SPOILERS***

@TheYoungMan @MrCBM56

There were so many little things I could point out but some of the biggest parts I had problems with were…
Anyone who knows anything knows…
1) Guy who is supposedly the best candidate to fly the shuttle wasn't even contacted to pilot the shuttle he just so happens to solve a random code of binary made by dust and gravity giving him coordinates to the new nasa where they tell him he's the best guy for the job? Who would've piloted the shuttle if he didn't show up at Nasa?
2) Astronauts need training to learn how to use a new space shuttle and prepare there bodies for space travel and this guy goes up within a day of finding out he's need to pilot the shuttle?
3) People who go into cryosleep for over a week let alone 2 years in water bed sealed bag wouldn't be able to get up and walk like it was nothing,
Thats all within the first hour…
I can keep going but Id just ruin it of others..
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/12/2014, 7:59 AM
@DrunkenNukem

Nolan owes you a BJ for your time and money...
TheYoungMan
TheYoungMan - 11/12/2014, 8:00 AM
@slick Caine's character actually says who was going to be the pilot.

What's your point with #2? Who cares if Cooper didn't go through standard NASA physical training before the mission?

And who cares how people walked after cryo sleep?

And lol @ you thinking you are making epic points that will ruin the movie for other people.

See, this is what I'm talking about in regards to my previous comment.
heisei24
heisei24 - 11/12/2014, 8:04 AM
Meh, it was okay. After seeing it again, I thought the third act wasn't really terrible.
teinen
teinen - 11/12/2014, 8:10 AM
@TheYoungMan you're asking me to not be open minded and in next post saying who's cares about how they walk out of cryo sleep? If they're going to ignore stuff like muscle atrophy, and a ton of other just common sense stuff, it's just a jagged pill to swallow.
TheYoungMan
TheYoungMan - 11/12/2014, 8:18 AM
If a person walking unrealistically after cryo sleep is a tough pill to swallow for you, maybe sci-fi just isn't your cup of tea? Because that's like a really really minor thing when compared to all the unrealistic things in other major sci-fi movies.
Spider2YBanana
Spider2YBanana - 11/12/2014, 8:41 AM
Interstellar will go down as a classic.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/12/2014, 8:48 AM
@TheYoungMan

"In the past when people didn't understand something, they would react with intrigue, and search for answers. It's a satisfying process, learning and putting the pieces together and finding that they fit. Now if people don't understand something they react with anger. "I'm very smart so if I didn't understand it, it must not make sense". Hence some of the Interstellar reactions."

I understand, I am educated enough to know how things work in reality and I am not entertained. Its an observation during a movie. The movie was slow and bad. Visual effects were top notch.. As I said I could keep going with all the problems of that movie but it would ruin it for those who want to watch but also want to read these comments.
and Hathaway's character is the worst… She's supposed to be smart and makes all the classic movie mistakes that no scientist would make. She believes in following love and her heart because thats a part of the universe we don't understand, which foreshadows the end of the movie, when any actual scientist trying to save or repopulate the earth would follow the promising data instead?
The movie was definitely not a crowning achievement for Nolan. On the list of his movies this would be the worst right below Dark Knight Rises… and I know you don't agree so don't worry about trying to act like the movie was good. The guys at "Everything Wrong With" will have a 20 min video for this eventually and you can argue with them about how Sci Fi movies don't need to be grounded in reality.
Your either a Nolanite or someone who worked on this movie because you defend its holes in the plot as if you think all sic fi movies have holes in their plots.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/12/2014, 9:01 AM
@MantiniumBorn

Your the only one with a decent argument, But your fill ins are just as easy to argue as the reasons why they don't work for me.
I just didn't think it was a good movie. DK, Prestige, Inception were great movies. this was just one of those over hyped movies based on Nolan directing. btw, my girl was the one who wanted to see it and she's a big Nolan fan, and even she was like this movie was too far fetched. If it weren't supposed to be based on a realistic future for earth then yeah I would've took it for what it was like Inception based on technology and events that haven't been done or seen before. But Space travel was achieved and this movie tries to stay grounded but it didn't.
Thats my beef and my opinion.
Sorry if you guys have a PHD in bs but that movie was full of it.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/12/2014, 9:08 AM
@MantiniumBorn

thats cool, glad you liked it.
GOTG was a great movie but we all knew it wasn't going to be grounded or based in reality.
Interstellar is supposed to be based on what could happen in the future in our world or galaxy.

Biggest whole in the plot, If humans in the far far future could make the 5th dimension at the end of the movie then why would they need Coop to do the work? Why wouldn't they just Binary code Coop and his daughter how to save the human race on earth instead of making coop leave his family to almost die and come back after everyone has aged and his daughters about to die? I guess they have no decency in the 5th dimensional future.

btw, changed to HTD just for you.
Sunstone357
Sunstone357 - 11/12/2014, 9:08 AM
@slickrickdesigns

"Agreed… This movie was sold based on Nolan directing and I don't think it delivered at all. Its like they didn't research anything about what would be grounded in reality for Interstellar. I almost left an hour into the movie because my chick was so annoyed with the non realistic story line… and that was the first hour."

Yeah right, your chick... Stop lying. And don't lie that you would leave, in fact you stayed til the end, unless you lie about seeing the movie as well, which is very possible, since you complain about what's grounded in reality and what's not. That kinda sounds like complaining the explosions are done bad in a Michael Bay film. Your whole post is less grounded in reality than anything in Interstellar.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/12/2014, 9:19 AM
@Sunstone357

Yes, believe it or not I have a chick and would I have left if she was willing to, yes… In fact while she was complaining in the first hour about the movie I asked 3 times if she wanted to leave and go see big hero six instead but she doesn't like animated movies. Im not arguing that you guys are wrong Im just saying the movie was good in my opinion.
Michael Bay films are horrible.. But I still watch them to be able to have an opinion on them. The newest transformers I watched to almost the end but it dragged out to long and Marky Mark was convincing as a genius "inventor" as he mentions through the whole damn movie as if he knew no one was believing him to be an "inventor".. He says it like 30 friggin times.

Im done, complaining on this thread, but Ill write a real review tonight explaining all the plot holes I think sucked the most and you guys can tell me how stupid I am for caring about grounded story lines.

btw, if you guys aren't arguing my plot hole problems with the movie and just telling me that I'm stupid for caring about them in a sci fi movie then don't Nolanite the Marvel threads with nonsense about plot holes in those movies.
Its an observation and my criticism.. take it or leave it. Either way I don't care.
satanicbatman
satanicbatman - 11/12/2014, 9:20 AM
I'll settle it..the movie was badass. Yes, parts of it were a little far-fetched but IT'S A SCI-FI MOVIE!!! Correct me if I'm wrong, but Christopher Nolan hasn't come out and said "Yeah, all of the stuff in my new movie is for reals."..if you want 100% accurate science go watch Cosmos or something.
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