WASHINGTON: Filmmaker Steven Spielberg has said that Interstellar became a “much better film” after Christopher Nolan took over the project, according to People.
In a recent interview, Spielberg revealed he was attached to the science-fiction film for nearly a year during its early development. “I was involved with Interstellar for a year,” he said. “Kip Thorne brought me the project with Lynda Obst, the producer, and I became fascinated by it. I spent a lot of time at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, speaking to scientists and aerospace engineers.”
Spielberg also noted that Jonathan Nolan worked on early drafts of the screenplay, but the project did not fully come together under his direction. “It didn’t stick,” he said, according to People.
Recalling a conversation with Jonathan Nolan, Spielberg added: “Jonah actually said, ‘If there comes a point where you decide not to make this film, I can tell you who’s going to grab it. He’s already bugging me about it. And that’s my brother Chris.’”
“He was absolutely right. The second I decided not to make it, Chris jumped on board, probably the next day,” he said.
Praising Nolan’s vision, Spielberg stated: “Interstellar was a much better film in Chris Nolan’s hands than it would have been in mine,” according to People.
The film, released in 2014, starred Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, and became a major box office success.
Actor Timothée Chalamet, who appeared in the film, recently recalled reconnecting with Nolan at a screening, describing the experience as surreal and saying he felt “like 17 again”. He also shared a light-hearted moment in which Nolan put him in a headlock and joked, “Not to me, you’re not.”
Nolan, meanwhile, reflected on the film’s growing legacy, saying its reception has expanded over time and that it has increasingly become the project audiences associate him with, overtaking even The Dark Knight for many fans.
Spielberg is next set to return with his upcoming film Disclosure Day, while Nolan is preparing for the release of The Odyssey, according to People.
(With inputs from PTI)