“Hell No” – Terminator Genisys
Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier discuss time travel, their process for resolving narrative disagreements, and a reluctance to enter the house that Cameron built.
When screenwriters Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier were asked to co-write Terminator Genisys – the latest chapter in the saga of mankind’s war against the machines, the duo ardently declined. After all, the beloved James Cameron-created universe is sacred cinematic territory that Kalogridis and Lussier were loath to tread upon, lest they disappoint legions of […]
Save the Rat: I’ll See You in My Dreams
Writer Marc Basch discusses the gentle journey of his latest film.
Creative Screenwriting was lucky enough to catch up with both co-writers of I’ll See You in My Dreams. In this, the second of two articles, we interview Marc Basch. In I’ll See You in My Dreams, Carol Petersen’s life isn’t that bad. Sure, she may be widowed, the relationship with her daughter could be warmer, and […]
“Build the whole story as a braid.” Claudia Llosa on Aloft
Claudia Llosa discusses healers, faith and writing a script that crosses time.
Aloft – the Jennifer Connelly starrer written and directed by Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa – isn’t very plotty, and the little dialogue it does dispense is shrouded in ambiguity. But something sinister is clearly afoot, and the wide-open spaces in the narrative only make us lean in closer. And when reveals occur and showdowns ensue, […]
Getting That Kubrick-y Feel: Rupert Goold on True Story
Rupert Goold discusses flawed characters, homoerotic underpinnings, and the themes that attracted him.
What’s creepier: the guy who murders his family in cold blood, or the disgraced journalist who fixates on him? This question is the driving force behind True Story, the new film written and directed by British theater guru Rupert Goold. Based on the memoir of ex-New York Times reporter Michael Finkel, who was shown The Grey […]
Writing for Robots: Alex Garland on Ex Machina
Alex Garland discusses his new film, the trick to exposition, and the connection between writers and actors.
More than a decade after bursting onto the cinematic scene with his zomb-pocalypse genre pic 28 Days Later, British screenwriter Alex Garland explores Artificial Intelligence in Ex Machina, his directorial debut. In this stylish and claustrophobic thriller, reclusive dot-com billionaire/inventor Nathan (Oscar Isaac), has just put the final touches on ravishing robotic creation Ava (Alicia […]
