Gareth Edwards, the director, producer and co-writer of The Creator, is opening up about the timing of the release of his film that draws parallels to the fight between SAG-AFTRA and WGA members against the studios.
“I have a trick with A.I. is to get the timing as a sweet spot window where it’s before the apocalypse and not after, which I think it’s in November — maybe December — and so, I think we got really lucky,” Edwards joke during a Q&A at a screening for the film. “The joke would be that when you write a film, especially a science fiction film, I try to avoid putting a date … at some point, you have to so, I picked 2070.”
He continued, “Now I feel like an idiot because I should’ve gone for 2023 ’cause everything that’s been unfolding in the last few months is kind of scary and weird.”
Actors and writers have been on strike this summer seeking protection from AI.
Edwards went on to say that when he pitched the film, executives wanted to know the backstory as to why there was a war between humans and A.I. if artificial intelligence was a good idea. “The setup of that movie is pretty much the last few months,” he added.
The filmmaker said that his film was influenced by the works of Francis Ford Coppola and Ridley Scott and said he described The Creator as “Blade Runner meets Apocalypse Now.”
Edwards talked about what he would like audiences to take away from the film.
“I hope… empathy for others,” he said. “I think that’s a strong value that is very important.”
“A.I. was the fairy tale of this story. A.I. was like the other — the people that were different to us, that we kind of want to get rid of,” he explained. “But the second you make an A.I., all kinds of fascinating things start to happen.”
During the conversation with the filmmaker, Edwards also talked about casting Madeleine Yuna Voyles in the role of Alfie.
