Gareth Edwards Details His Vision for ‘The Creator’ in New Video

While Gareth Edwards‘s latest sci-fi epic The Creator is earning plenty of buzz for its AI-focused premise that feels more timely with each passing day, one thing that’s also in store for viewers is a cinematic experience worthy of seeing on the biggest screen possible. The latest trailer showcased the war between humans and AI filled with massive setpieces and stunning vistas that weave together the futuristic with realism. Coupled with that is a story that tackles complex questions regarding love and what it means to be alive told through rich characters. A new video courtesy of 20th Century Studios Showcases sees Edwards describing his vision that brings these elements together, along with his cinematic inspirations, into one project.

Edwards opens by describing how The Creator is his interpretation of everything he loves about movies – visually driven with elements of classic Vietnam War and sci-fi robot films. His stars, however, identify how he’s able to bring compassion into a project like this. John David Washington, who plays an ex-special forces agent tasked with infiltrating AI territory and killing the architect of an AI superweapon, specifically highlighted how Edwards’ compassionate touch separates The Creator from other sci-fi epics that would put greater focus on spectacle. He notes there’s a feel of magical realism in the film as he trudges through sci-fi landscapes that blend with the natural and human world.

At the center of this world are characters like Washington’s Joshua and the young Alfie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles), the AI weapon Joshua and his team are after, who are made to be deeply relatable, a reason Allison Janney cited for joining the film. As the trailers make clear, this is a story all about the conflict between man and machine and the moral quandary of caring for something that isn’t alive in the traditional sense. The idea of exploring life and the transcendence of love was also emphasized by Gemma Chan and by Edwards himself who weighs the option of embracing or destroying AI with the project.

One thing the actors made clear was that Edwards was deep in the trenches himself to capture the best scenes of The Creator. That meant operating the camera for long takes and pushing boundaries to create something as visually impressive as it is emotionally. It helps that Edwards has a talented cinematography team surrounding him to make everything that much better, including his old Rogue One partner Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer. Effects are also handled by Industrial Light & Magic, allowing for epic explosions and setpieces and transformations of more mundane locations like a rice mill. With a mix of some practical work too, it helps tie the sci-fi world of The Creator back to our own world

Who Joins Edwards in His Sci-fi Adventure The Creator?

Leading the cast of The Creator is Washington alongside Academy Award winner Janney, Chan, Voyles, Ralph Ineson, Sturgill Simpson, and Ken Watanabe among others. In addition to directing, Edwards also developed the story and co-wrote the film alongside Chris Weitz. Test screenings have garnered the responses Edwards somewhat hoped for as the film has left a lot of audience members weighing what they saw on screen. Considering the message is all about the increasingly-familiar, yet still very complicated topic of AI, he was pleased test viewers were willing to think it over before giving their opinions. Whatever the story holds, it’s clear it’ll have a stunning backdrop to unfold in thanks to the work of Edwards and his team.

The Creator arrives in theaters on September 29. Check out the video below.