Predestination is based on A Heinlein’s famous short story All you Zombies, and chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to ensure the continuation of his law enforcement career for all eternity. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must pursue theone criminal that has eluded him throughout time.
Predestination is written and directed by Australians Peter and Michael Spierig, twins who discovered their father’s video camera at the age of 10 and then went on to complete studies at the Queensland College of Art. They gained recognition for their award-winning short films and their work on Undead and Daybreakers.
Peter Spierig first read All You Zombies many years ago and enjoyed the way the story put a new spin on the time travel genre.
All You Zombies begins with a young man known as The Unmarried Mother (Sarah Snook)– it’s his trie confession-writing pseudonym – who relates his strange life story to a bartender (Ethan Hawke), who plays a larger part of the story than initially realised. The story involved a complex series of interconnected time travel journeys from 1945 to 1993.
On Predestination, Ethan Hawke relished working with the Australian film makers. ‘My greatest wish for every good director I’ve ever worked with is that I could bestow on them the gift of a twin—because, let’s face it, most directors, if they’re good, turn into kind of megalomaniacs—they think they know everything. But Peter and Michael have the benefit of their brother standing next to them, saying ‘Well, actually that sounded a bit obnoxious—did you really think that through?’ They test each other and they keep each other humble and hard-working, and it’s a wonderful gift to have a best friend support system.
Sarah Snook who plays Unmarried Mother was also a natural choice. Peter says they spent a lot of time talking about the character and whether it needed to have two actors playing it – the male version and the female version- and Sarah proved to be able to take on both aspects of the role, as well as handle the elaborate makeup and costuming.
Noah Taylor plays Mr Robertson, a character which does not appear in the original story. He was created as a guide for Janes journey into her new would out of her orphanage and into a life of Government service. “Noah Tayolor was the perfect chameleon-like actor to play the role,” Michael says. We needed someone who could appear fartherly to Jane but also project a sense of mystery and authority when it comes to his involvement with the Termporal Bureau. “There is something very warm yet at times slightly sinister about the character.”
The brothers brought old friend and colleague Matthew Putland in as Production Designer. The three began their careers after going to university together. Matthew’s experience in film and television has given him the versatility to transform Melbourne sets and locations to American settings from the 40s to the 90s.
Predestination releases on August 28.
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