HIGHzurrer

Working with Denis was the best experience I've had with a director. When he officially signed on, he called me and said, "Now we are married." And he meant it! I've never been asked so many questions (happily) about a screenplay. He was so curious about everything, from subtext to dialogue to design.

Excellent question. I was lucky enough to have Ted as a resource while I wrote it on spec, and the biggest hurdle was to infuse the movie with conflict and dramatic escalation -- aspects not needed in the story because it was built as a literary piece. So we had to make sure the new "organ" of the geo-political panic wasn't rejected by the "host" of the core story.

Thankfully (and also regrettably) current events continued to prove to us that something like this would freak everyone out. And if the public weren't given any clear answers about the alien visitors, they'd invent their own worst-case ones.

I think once it was made clear that a prestige director could make a studio some money with a realistic science fiction film, other films had a chance to get made in that space. But each one is a giant risk. I wouldn't say they're popular so much as big talent around town is saying, "I want to make this my next film" and some buyer is willing to take the chance on them.

I don't know if it's my place to say what distinguishes Arrival from any of those others. I'd be proud to be included in that pantheon.

It took so long because it's such a huge risk. It's a non-franchise science fiction film with a female lead, tackling heady concepts. I can't say the number of times I was told, "We'll make this if you change it to a big action-invasion film where a human punches an alien at the end."

Maybe next year, actually!