Taglines: Humanity evolves.
The Creator follows the story of Joshua, performed by John David Washington, from Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, a special forces military member tasked to destroy “the Creator,” the AI nucleus responsible for the technology taking over the world by first setting off a nuclear warhead in Los Angelos, California which begins a war between mankind and machines.
When Joshua finds “the Creator” he discovers the technology developed itself to appear as a young child called Alfie, portrayed by Madeleine Yuna Voyles. The film is sure to draw upon the parallels between the relationship between humans and hardware to prove how humanity’s nature is intertwined with its creativity to develop machines.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a longstanding antagonist throughout Hollywood for years; however, with AI technologies becoming more prominent throughout society, Gareth Edwards’ upcoming release, The Creator, helmed under 20th Century Studios, will keep the AI conversation at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
The Creator is an American science fiction action thriller film directed by Gareth Edwards from a screenplay written by Edwards and Chris Weitz, and a story from Edwards. The film stars John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, and Allison Janney. The Creator premierer at Fantastic Fest in September 2023 and was released in the United States on September 29, 2023, by 20th Century Studios.
About the Story
In 2055, an artificial intelligence created by the U.S. government detonates a nuclear warhead over Los Angeles, California. In response, the U.S. and its Western allies pledge to eradicate AI from the earth in order to prevent humanity’s extinction. Their efforts are resisted by New Asia, a region in southeast Asia whose people continue to embrace AI despite outcry from the West.
The U.S. military launches an extensive military campaign against AI, seeking to assassinate “Nirmata”,[a] the mysterious chief architect behind New Asia’s AI advancements. The USS NOMAD (North American Orbital Mobile Aerospace Defense) is developed as an advanced high-altitude aerospace platform capable of launching destructive attacks from orbit.
A decade after the destruction of Los Angeles, U.S. sergeant Joshua Taylor is embedded as an undercover operative in New Asia and is married to Maya, who the U.S. army believes to be the daughter of Nirmata. When U.S. forces attack their home, exposing to Maya that Taylor is an covert agent seeking to use Maya to find Nirmata, a pregnant Maya runs away but is apparently killed in a subsequent NOMAD strike.
Five years later, Taylor works as part of the ground zero cleanup crew in Los Angeles. He is approached by General Andrews and Colonel Howell, recruiting him on a mission aimed at locating and destroying a new weapon engineered by Nirmata, “Alpha O,” believed to be capable of destroying the NOMAD platform and thus shifting the balance of the war in favor of the AI. To recruit him, they play a video showing Maya alive, and suggest he might find and reunite with her if he joins the team.
In New Asia, separated from the rest of the strike team, Taylor manages to enter the compound believed to hold the weapon but discovers only a robotic “simulant” in the form of a young child. It is revealed that the girl has the ability to remotely control technology. Dubbing her “Alphie”, Taylor disobeys Howell’s orders to kill the simulant and with Alphie heads to the provincial capital to find Drew, Taylor’s former commanding officer.
The Creator (2023)
Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Allison Janney, Ralph Ineson, Marc Menchaca, Veronica Ngo, Daniel Ray Rodriguez, Karen Aldridge
Screenplay by: Gareth Edwards, Chris Weitz
Production Design by: James Clyne
Cinematography by: Greig Fraser, Oren Soffer
Film Editing by: Hank Corwin, Scott Morris, Joe Walker
Costume Design by: Jeremy Hanna
Set Decoration by: Claire Levinson-Gendler
Art Direction by: Lek Chaiyan Chunsuttiwat, Shira Hockman, Sara Krantz, Matt Sims
Music by: Hans Zimmer
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, some bloody images and strong language.
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios
Release Date: September 29, 2023 (United States)
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