When the first trailer for The Creator was released, some viewers pointed out that the movie looks like director Gareth Edwards' version of Terminator 2: Judgment Day – both feature war against AI, a nuke, and a child under threat.
But Edwards, a huge fan of James Cameron ("I grew up watching his films to death"), gently quashes those theories, saying the trailer communicates the first few minutes of The Creator; the movie takes different turns from there. More of an influence, he explains in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which is out on newsstands on Thursday, July 20, is Stephen Frears' 1984 thriller The Hit.
"Like, 'This isn’t real; this is just a laptop, just turn it off.' You know what I mean? That is kind of what the movie is about. There are all those questions." Edwards offers his biggest grin yet. "And there’s no easy answer."
Set in 2070, the movie takes place in a world where AI has detonated a nuclear warhead on Los Angeles, sparking all-out war. John David Washington’s ex-special- forces agent Joshua ventures into New Asia ("It’s what we call a collection of countries in Southeast Asia, where this war is going on," explains Edwards) and locates the ultimate AI weapon... which turns out to be a child, played by newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles. "Execute her, or we go extinct," Joshua is told, as seen in the skin-prickling trailer. But can he do it?
The Creator releases on September 29. For more, check out our guide to the rest of the most exciting upcoming movies on the way in 2023 and beyond.
This is just a snippet of our interview in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which features Gareth Edwards' new movie The Creator on the cover. The magazine hits shelves this Thursday, July 20. Check out the covers below:
If you're a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue? You'll get the magazine before it’s in shops, with exclusive subscriber-only covers (like the one pictured above). With our latest offer, you can get an Alexa speaker worth £49.99 when you take out a print/bundle subscription. Head to MagazinesDirect to find out more (Ts and Cs apply).
