Completed Research Task into 'The Creator' (2023)

1. THE CREATOR

2. Gareth Edwards & Chris Weitz - Screenwriters
• Development started on the production in late 2019 after Edwards signed on to write
and direct a project for film production company New Regency, which was untitled at the
time. Whilst writing, Edwards had the film’s star, John David Washington, in mind for the
protagonist after seeing him in ‘Monsters and Men’ (2018). Edwards also referenced
several films as sources of inspiration during the writing process, including ‘Blade Runner’
(1982), ‘Rain Man’ (1988), ‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979) and ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ (1982).
• Previously, Gareth Edwards wrote ‘Monsters’ (2010) for which he was nominated for a
BAFTA Film Award, along with short film ‘Factory Farm’ (2008) – a dystopian story with a
similar feel to ‘The Creator’ – and a TV movie titled ‘End Day’ (2005).
• Chris Weisz has written several big-budget films such as ‘The Golden Compass’ (2007)
and ‘Cinderella ‘ (2015). He worked alongside Edwards on ‘Rogue One’ (2016) as he wrote
the film’s screenplay

3. Gareth Edwards - Director
• Gareth Edwards is the sole director on ‘The Creator’. He moved from a
background in special effects to becoming a writer-director of low-budget sci-fi,
dystopian movies, starting with ‘Monsters’ in 2010, which he shot in three weeks,
utilising guerrilla filmmaking techniques. He cites George Lucas and Steven
Spielberg as major influences, specifically 1977’s classic ‘Star Wars’. In 1996, he
graduated the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham with a BA (Hons) in Film
& Video. He worked on VFX for PBS, BBC and Discovery Channel programs, earning
a BAFTA TV Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on TV movie ‘Hiroshima’ in
2005 as well as an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a
limited series partly of his own creation titled ‘Perfect Disasters’ in 2006.
• In 2008, he entered and won the Sci-Fi London 48-hour film challenge with his
short ‘Factory Farmed’, marking the start of his directing career.

4. Hans Zimmer - Composer
Barely needing an introduction, Hans Zimmer is arguably the most prolific film
composer of our time. Beginning his career defying all the rules of composing
that his superiors tried to teach him in a small London studio of his own design,
Zimmer steadily built himself a solid reputation with early successes such as
‘My Beautiful Laundrette’ (1985), and ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ (1989). He was
brought to everyone’s attention after being nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Original Score for ‘Rain Man’ in 1989.
Since then, he has become one of the most desired composers to work with,
especially for studio movies wanting to bring gravitas to their project, Zimmer’s
scores often being the sole element holding a film together. In 2022, he won his
second Oscar for ‘Dune’ and in 2023 alone, he has seen the release of five
projects he has worked on, including ‘The Creator’.

5. Budget
• US$89 million (estimated)
Edwards’ films are notorious for delivering visuals at a classical
Hollywood standard with a fraction of the cost. The result of his
loyalty to using as much of reality as possible to ground his
concepts of other worlds is one of the best-looking ‘blockbusters’
of the year: cutting massive costs whilst still looking good enough
to be screened at IMAX cinemas.

6. eOne – Production Company
Entertainment One Ltd. is a Canadian company based in Toronto, Ontario. It was established as a
music distribution company in 1970 before expanding into film production in 2007 by acquiring
Seville Pictures, a film production company based in Montreal, and a British film distributor called
Contender Entertainment Group, separately signing its first film output agreement with Summit
Entertainment in the same year.
It’s first film ‘Milk’, starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna and James Franco, was released
in 2008, a massive achievement for a first film. It earned two Academy Awards and a further six
nominations, despite its financial success being less triumphant with an overall gross of $54
million. It continued to expand by buying out other smaller film production and distribution
companies in the following years, reaching as far as the Netherlands and Australia.
In 2019, it was announced that games company Hasbro would acquire eOne for an estimated $4
billion.

7. 20th Century Studios – Distribution Company
After its establishment, the studio launched a special training programme. A group of 14
young women were set up for a career in film, receiving a six-month contract after
attending the school for an initial eighteen months. Around the same time, lead film
producer in the company Darryl F. Zannuck hired several big names to help carry the
studio’s name. These included Linda Darnell and Henry Fonda. Shirley Temple was
among others hired to star in some of their early films throughout the 1930s.
Over time, the studio grew to become one of ‘The Big 6’ film production and distribution
companies: the most successful in the world. However, between December 2017 and
July 2018, there was a bidding dispute for the acquisition of the rebranded 21st Century
Fox, including 20th Century Fox, occurring between Disney and Comcast. In the summer
of 2018, Comcast dropped out of the bid in favour of buying Sky and Sky UK. Disney
and Fox’s deal was completed in March 2019.
Founded as 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation in 1935 as separate
companies Fox Films and 20th Century Pictures merged. It is currently
based in Los Angeles. In 1985, its name lost the hyphen (20th Century
Fox Studios) as it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News
Corporation.

8. Regency Enterprises – Production Company
Regency Enterprises was founded in 1982 as Embassy International Pictures N. V. by Arnon
Milchan. This name was held for seven years before it was changed to Regency International
Pictures. It initially had no distribution deals with the larger film production/ distribution companies
it was collaborating with. It produced several films but was shut down in 1991.
In early 1991, Milchan formed a joint venture with two other film companies from France and
Germany to produce twenty films in five years, all of which would be distributed by Warner Bros.
Milchan rebranded to Regency Enterprises with subsidiary company New Regency Productions
also being created.
In 1997, Milchan signed a 15-year distribution deal with 20th Century Studios, whose parent
company of the time also invested $200 million in New Regency in exchange for a 20% stake in
the company. This ended the previous deal with Warner Bros. In 2011, the deal’s expiry was
extended to 2022. Then, in 2019, Disney inherited these stakes in Regency after its acquisition of
21st Century Studios as a whole. In 2020, a deal was made that all films distributed by Regency
Enterprises, preceding a renewal of New Regency’s global distribution deal with Disney, who
presently have to pay rights for global theatrical distribution and home entertainment value of
films produced by Regency.

9. CAST
John David Washington – spotted by Gareth Edwards in
‘Monsters and Men’ (2018). His mainstream breakthrough
was in Spike Lee’s ‘BlacKKKlansman’ (2018) which won the
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Since, he has
starred in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ (2020), ‘Amsterdam’
(2022) and alongside Zendaya in Sam Levinson’s ‘Malcom
and Marie’ (2021).
Gemma Chan – started negotiations to star in mid-2021 and was
confirmed in early 2022. Chan started as a fashion model,
garnering small roles in popular shows such as ‘Doctor Who’ (in
2009), ‘The IT Crowd’ and ‘Sherlock’ (both in 2010). Recently,
she has starred in several blockbusters and big TV productions
including two Marvel movies, ‘Watership Down’ (2018) and Olivia
Wilde’s controversy-surrounded ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ (2022).

10. CAST
Madeleine Yuna Voyles – responded to an open casting
call for the film. Her tape was one of the ten most
promising for Edwards and prolific casting director Jina
Jay. She was the first of the ten to audition in person,
confirming her as the right actor for the role instantly.
Edwards cited her “a director’s dream”. ‘The Creator’ is
her first professional acting role.
Ken Watanabe – worked with Edwards previously on ‘Godzilla’
(2014). He moved to Tokyo to pursue acting at the age of 29
and gained attention after Japanese director Yukio Ninagawa
cast him as the lead for one of his plays. He entered household
name territory in Japan after playing the lead in national TV
drama series ‘Dokugan ryu Masamune’. He went on to be
nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ‘The
Last Samurai’ (2003). He also played Ra’s Al Guhl in
Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ (2005) and in Nolan’s
‘Inception’ (2010).

11. Filming Locations
Most of the film was shot on location in
Bangkok, Thailand and Siem Reap,
Cambodia.
Extra footage was taken at Pinewood
Studios in England.

12. CAMERAS
The camera used was the Sony
FX3, with the Kowa Cine
Prominar and P+S Technik
Technovision and Atlas Mercury
lenses used. The movie was
also shot to accommodate the
IMAX format, adding to the
theme of scale that Edwards
likes to explore so much.

13. Special Effects & Editing
The three editors on ‘The Creator’ are Hank Corwin, Scott Morris and
Joe Walker. The four people credited with ‘Special Effects’ are
Jonathan Bullock, Gary Cohen and Neil Corbould, but there are an
additional 349 people who make up the Art Department operating from
numerous visual arts companies such as Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
who would have contributed in many ways to the final look of the film.
Examples of specific titles within this department are:
- Perception artist
- Visualisation artist
- Virtual Art Department Supervisor

14. Traditional Marketing
Trailers were screened for the movie in showings of appropriate preceding
blockbusters such as ‘Oppenheimer’ and DC’s ‘Blue Beetle’. It is also
important to note that this trailer was advertised at IMAX screenings of
these films as well as posters being displayed in IMAX theatre foyers etc.
to emphasise the film’s adaption for this kind of screen. Also, in a piece of
more unconventional advertising, models dressed as AI robots in the film’s
style were released into the stands of NFL and MLB games, the first of
these happening on September 10th at the L.A. Chargers-Miami Dolphins
game at SoFi Stadium. This was likely in response to similar stunts for
earlier films ‘Smile’ and ‘M3GAN’. People often couldn’t tell these models
form the rest of the crowd as they stood on the sidelines and sat in seats in
the stands. This tactic was continued after it amassed 5 million views on
TikTok with Edwards having an interview with an Ameca robot who tried to
spoil plot points about the film.

15. Trailers
The first official teaser trailer was released online in May
2023, following an early look at the film as part of
CinemaCon in April.
The first official trailer was released in July, three days
after the SAG-AFTRA strike was implemented, causing
several people to draw parallels between the film’s
synopsis and the clause of concerns surrounding AI for
the writers and actors: a large part of the reason for the
strike.
The film’s final trailer was released in mid-September,
just over two weeks before the film’s release.

16. Posters
Official/ commercial poster
(1) IMAX
poster
(2) Alternative
‘indie’
poster
(3) Blockbuster
poster
(1) ‘Subway’ poster (for
public transport)
(2)
Alternative
poster

17. Social Media Marketing
Certain metrics count ‘The Creator as having a universe of 132
million across all TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook views.
Support for the film comes in part due to fans of Gareth Edwards
himself and a fondness many hold for ‘Rogue One’ and ‘Godzilla’.
Asad Ayaz, Disney’s chief brand officer (head of marketing)
stated that “Leveraging the core concept of humanity versus
technology was essential to introducing fans to this story across
all marketing platforms. […] in digital content, spectators got to
experience a small part of the world found in The Creator.” The
link to the TikTok currently sitting at 12.1 million views (as of
12/10/23) is here.

18. Interviews
A behind-the-scenes featurette introduced the
film, with Gareth Edwards describing his vision for
it as well as additional interviews with the cast.
This was released on 21st August. In select IMAX
theatres, exclusive footage from the film was
shown on 29th August, one month before the film
was released, as well as a live Q&A with
Edwards. IMDb also conducted several other
featurettes made up of cast interviews and
Edwards describing the process of making the
film, as well as an ‘On the Scene’ interview: a
one-on-one with Edwards outlining the film’s
inspiration and describing the chemistry between
his two leads. There were also countless other
interviews with various entertainment magazines
and YouTube channels, some of which are listed.
Gareth’s Vision: Featurette
‘Pandora’s Box’: Featurette
World of ‘The Creator’: Featurette
‘On the Scene’ Interview
BFI Interview
Letterboxd Interview
Collider Interview
JoBlo Interview
CineWorld Interview

19. Reviews
Empire Review: 4 stars - Alex Godfrey wrote that it is "An inspired,
soulful piece of sci-fi, the endlessly stunning visuals all in service of a
heartfelt, sensitive story."
The Guardian review: 4 stars – Peter Bradshaw wrote that
"intriguing, stimulating, exhilarating movie, which really does
address[..] the great issue of our age, AI" but that "some of the
narrative tendons slacken a bit and the film loses focus on specific
jeopardy".
The Independent review: 4 stars - Clarisse Loughrey wrote,
"Periodically clunky but absolutely beautiful to look at, this is Gareth
Edwards’ return to dazzling sci-fi after years of bloated franchise fare
such as ‘Rogue One’".

20. Audience Response
The overall audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 76% (higher than the critics
sitting on 67%). The consensus is that “excellent performances and fantastic
visual effects make The Creator an entertaining watch” as well as it being
generally agreed that the film will stir conversations and stimulate group
thinking.
87% of Google users liked the film. Men made up roughly 71% of the audience
in the opening weekend, with 51% being in the age bracket 18-34.
The film’s Letterboxd rating half a month after release is at 3.4, an admirable
achievement for a sci-fi film in a crowd of often cynical, scientific film viewers.
The largest group of people for one rating was 28,000 people at a 3.5.
The IMDb rating at the moment is 7.2 from just over 34,000 votes; again, a
respectable rating for a film of its genre.
With the Letterboxd reviews likely being made up of younger viewers and the
IMDb of older viewers, it’s evident that the film landed similarly across
generations.

21. Newspaper Articles
The Hollywood Reporter wrote and article almost two weeks
before the film’s release, stating that early press and audience
viewings of the film promised a classic-status movie.
The New York Times wrote an article on 28th September – a day
before release – entitled “‘The Creator’ Review: Or How I Learned
to Stop Worrying and Love A.I.”, linking the reality of AI’s journey
merely in the last year to the themes approached in the film.
The Guardian published an article a week before release questioning
whether ‘The Creator’ is the best movie of 2023, pointing to several
social media posts from film critics hailing early showings of the movie.

22. Distribution
‘The Creator’ was
distributed by 20th Century
Studios to 3,680 theatres
on its opening weekend.

23. Box Office/ Revenue so far
• Opening weekend (domestic) US$14,079,512
• $1.4 million was brought in by previews on the Thursday before
release while $3 million was made from IMAX theatres on opening
weekend.
• In its second weekend, the film grossed $6.1 million and placed fifth.
• Current Worldwide Gross (as of 10/10/23) US$61,981,428

24. Piracy
There are not yet any
definite pirated copies of the
film despite several sites
such as Fmovies.Gratis,
Orekit and Moviefone
claiming to have it for free as
well as certain Reddit users
and YouTube channels using
clickbait to amass views.