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Spielberg Confirms He Developed Interstellar for a Year Before Nolan Took Over

His on-record account clarifies how the project moved from JPL research to Christopher Nolan’s rewrite.

Overview

  • Spielberg, in interviews published Thursday, said he spent a year on Interstellar, researched at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and hired Jonathan Nolan to write two drafts.
  • He recalled Jonathan Nolan warning that Christopher Nolan would seize the project if he stepped away, and said Nolan joined immediately after he exited.
  • Christopher Nolan said at a March anniversary screening that he merged his own time-focused ideas with Jonathan’s script after the project became available.
  • The finished film opened in November 2014, earned about $681 million worldwide, received five Oscar nominations, and won for visual effects.
  • One outlet has reported that a 2009 DreamWorks move to Disney left rights with Paramount and blocked Spielberg’s return, a claim not corroborated by other coverage.