Script: The Prestige

The Prestige was written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan.

Quote of the Day: Christopher Nolan

Every film should have its own world, a logic and feel to it that expands beyond the exact image that the audience is seeing.

Script: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises was written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan.

Don’t Blame Batman

A tragedy occurred last night. Twelve people were killed and over fifty more were injured when a 24-year-old man in a gas mask opened fire on an audience at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, CO.

As a result of this horrific event, people will be afraid to go see this film, or they’ll feel that it’s inappropriate to see it, insensitive even. Still others will call for screenings to be shut down — they’ll blame the violence of film for the actions of last night’s gunman.

I believe that this is a mistake. I believe that people who have been looking forward to this film for months, years even, shouldn’t hesitate to go see it. I believe this for a few reasons.

First, when tragedy strikes, we cannot stop living. We must move ahead, reverent for what is past but unafraid to step  forward. We cannot let the darkness we encounter keep us from seeking out light.

Second, I think people should continue to go see The Dark Knight Rises because it’s a great film. Granted, I haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but if Christopher Nolan‘s past work is any indication, I can’t doubt that this film will be a visual masterpiece, a layered exploration of human frailty and strength, of our darkness and our light.

Quote of the Day: Christopher Nolan

We all wake up in the morning wanting to live our lives the way we know we should. But we usually don’t, in small ways. That’s what makes a character like Batman so fascinating. He plays out our conflicts on a much larger scale.

Script: Memento

Memento is one of my favorite films, and it’s considered one of the scripts that novice writers should never attempt to emulate. But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn quite a bit from reading it. This script was written by Christopher Nolan based on a short story by Jonathan Nolan.

Script: The Dark Knight

This script for The Dark Knight was written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan.

Script: Batman Begins

Here is a draft of Batman Begins written by David Goyer and Christopher Nolan.

Screenwriter Profile: Christopher Nolan

The Writer:

London-born Christopher Nolan is responsible for some of the best action-packed, mind-bending films of the last decade. A writer/director currently at the top of his game, Nolan is the creative force behind the latest Batman installments, Inception, and Memento. He’s the writer that aspiring screenwriters most desire to emulate, and the one one writer that they shouldn’t attempt to.

According to IMDB, Nolan’s favorite films are 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The Black Hole (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Chinatown (1974), The Hitcher(1986), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Topkapi (1964), as well as anything by Stanley Kubrick.

Script: Inception

Christopher Nolan’s screenplay for Inception was nominated for Best Original Screenplay this year. The 146-page script is a beast, but well worth the time and effort. Download a free pdf of the script here, see what you can learn from Nolan’s structure and style, then report back with a comment!