The Creator, directed and co-written by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One) packs a lot into a film: it’s at once a love story, an epic sci fi film, and a meditation on artificial intelligence. We sat down with Edwards to talk about The Creator in advance of its streaming release later this week—and got the lowdown on rumors that he’s in talks to direct Marvel’s Thor 5.
Like any good science fiction story, The Creator balances a sweeping story with a tight human drama. “Everyone, at their heart, is a storyteller,” Edwards says. “When you do it for a living, you really have to dig deep into [questions like,] ‘What the hell is a story? Why do we tell them? Why do some work amazingly, and some don’t?’ One of the first things you realize, straight out of the gate, is that there are two stories in most of these films. There’s the outer story and the inner story, and they can reflect each other.
So the holy grail that you’re trying to do as a filmmaker—or, at least, I am—is find an epic, cinematic outer story … [and then ask] what character would live through this world, and what circumstances would allow for the perfect reflection of what’s going on in the outer world?”
Edwards found that the answer to that question in The Creator was quite simple: with humans at war with A.I., the most interesting plot was forcing a human and simulant on a journey together. “That central relationship [between Joshua and Alfie] reflects and contains the thoughts and questions and arguments about what’s going on in the bigger world,” he says.
Edwards also wants to put the Thor 5 rumors to rest. “[My next project is] not what I’ve read on the internet,” he says, laughing. “I also read on the internet that the Earth is flat and we never went to the moon. Maybe the Earth is flat, I don’t know! Who’s to say?”
Sorry to everyone who was looking forward to Edwards’ take on the God of Thunder. This should cheer you up, though: The Creator is streaming on Hulu on December 20. The Creator is also available now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital.
Check out the full interview below!
(featured image: 20th Century Studios)
