The Creator is an upcoming American science fiction action thriller film produced and directed by Gareth Edwards.
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- The Creator is an upcoming American science fiction action thriller film produced and directed by Gareth Edwards.
- He co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Weitz.
- The film stars John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, and Allison Janney.
- Its plot, set in a future impacted by war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, follows an ex-special forces agent who is recruited to hunt down and kill the “Creator”, who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war by destroying mankind itself.
- Development began in November 2019 when Edwards signed on to direct and write an untitled science fiction project for New Regency and was officially announced in February 2020.
- The movie was originally titled True Love. Later on it was changed to its current title.
- The Creator will have its premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 26, 2023.
- It is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 29, by 20th Century Studios.
- Gareth Edwards has cited films such as Apocalypse Now! (1979), Baraka (1992), Blade Runner (1982), Akira (1988), Rain Man (1988), The Hit (1984), Ε.Τ. (1982) and Paper Moon (1973) as this film’s sources of inspiration.
- It was announced in Feb. 2020 that director Gareth Edwards had found his follow-up to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). It’s an untitled project for New Regency. Kiri Hart, who also co-produced Rogue One, will serve as a producer on the film. The project, an original idea by Edwards, is a near-future sci-fi story, a sweet spot for the director. Plot specifics are currently undisclosed, though sources say casting is underway and the hope is shoot by summer 2020.
- After Rogue One, Edwards began developing several projects, wanting to make sure his next project was the right one before committing. Sources say New Regency jumped at the opportunity once he took his mystery project to the market.
- Filming began in Thailand on January 17, 2022. Principal photography on the film wrapped on May 30, 2022.
- The film marks Hans Zimmer’s first scoring collaboration with Gareth Edwards.
- It also marks his third film collaboration with cinematographer Greig Fraser and co-editor Joe Walker, following Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024).
- The film’s official trailer was released on July 17, 2023, three days after the beginning of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
- James Whitbrook of Gizmodo and EJ Tangonan of JoBlo found the move coincidental, given the similarities between the film’s premise and SAG-AFTRA’s fears of the film studios using artificial intelligence to replicate the likenesses of actors without compensation.
- The film was shot on the Sony FX3, an entry-level full-frame cinema camera.
- Benedict Wong was originally cast but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. He was replaced by Ken Watanabe.
- Gareth Edwards tried to make this film as traditionally as possible. In preparation for filming, he visited a virtual reality studio and was confused by seeing a poster explaining the process of filmmaking on the wall.
- Upon inquiring why such an obvious poster was on the wall, Edwards was shocked to find out that it was over 100 years old. Edwards then decided to take a different approach and talked the studio into letting him film without green screen, and filming on-location, using smaller cameras, using guerrilla-filming techniques, employing Industrial Light and Magic and then adding in the sci-fi elements later.
- Director Gareth Edwards wrote the protagonist character specifically for John David Washington after seeing his performance in Monsters and Men (2018).
- On an estimated production budget (before tax incentives) of $86.1 million.
- The principal photography began in Thailand on January 17, 2022, with Greig Fraser (who also serves as a co-producer) and Oren Soffer serving as cinematographers, and COVID-19 safety precautions in place.
- To give the film the feel of classic Hollywood epics such as Ben-Hur (1959), the filmmakers opted to shoot the film in the 2.76:1 ultra-wide aspect ratio.
- Among the on-site filming locations in Thailand are Suvarnabhumi Airport, Ban Mung, Sangkhla Buri, Chiang Dao, and Sam Phan Bok. As the trailer was released, hyped-up Thai fans also pointed a scene shot at Makkasan station of Bangkok’s ARL.
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