Science fiction novels have long been considered some of the hardest books to adapt for the big screen. Before Denis Villeneuve successfully brought Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune‘ to theaters, another acclaimed sci-fi story faced similar doubts in Hollywood.
But determination never fails to overcome any obstacle. The acclaimed 2016 hit ‘Arrival’ was once deemed “too smart” by Hollywood. Yet screenwriter Eric Heisserer spent years working on the project to ultimately turn it into one of the most celebrated science-fiction films of the century.
How ‘Arrival’ Became Another “Unfilmable” Sci-Fi Story Like ‘Dune’
Before Villeneuve ever set foot on Arrakis, he had already proven that supposedly unadaptable science fiction could work on screen. In 2016, he directed Arrival, a film based on Ted Chiang’s 1998 novella ‘Story of Your Life’. Chiang wrote the story from the perspective of linguist Dr. Louise Banks, who narrates much of the tale directly to her unborn daughter.
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The narrative constantly shifts between past, present, and future, and those narrative complexities made studio executives nervous. When Eric Heisserer first read it, he had “an intellectual and visceral reaction.” He was immediately determined to bring the story to the big screen and started working on adapting it into a screenplay. But the real problem was convincing Hollywood.
“Every studio passed,” he recalled to Vice. “Telling me they didn’t see this as a movie. That it was too smart, which I began to see as an excuse to pass on something that isn’t a franchise movie.” The rejections kept piling up. Despite his belief in the material, Heisserer almost stopped actively pitching the screenplay. Hollywood simply could not see a commercial future for a story that was this intellectually rich.
‘Arrival’ Went From A Rejected Script To A Blockbuster
Luck changed when Heisserer met producers Dan Levine, Dan Cohen, and Shawn Levy of 21 Laps Entertainment. Unlike most studios that passed, the producers immediately recognized the story’s potential. They reached out to Heisserer and expressed their interest in moving the project forward.
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Dan Levine later spoke with Awards Daily to reveal that it was the unusual premise of the story that attracted him to the project. “What we have here in ‘Arrival’ is that aliens arrive, and we attempt to find out what they actually want, and that really was interesting to me.” He stated.
Even after 21 Laps came aboard, the team still had plenty of work to do. Levine revealed that they went through “many drafts” of the screenplay before they started approaching directors. That search eventually led Heisserer to Denis Villeneuve, who immediately connected with the material and agreed to join the project.
‘Arrival‘ finally reached the theaters in 2016 and proved every prediction wrong. The film earned widespread critical acclaim, boasting 94% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed more than $203 million worldwide. More importantly, ‘Arrival’ proved that audiences are always willing to embrace intelligent, emotionally driven, and complex narratives as long as it’s done skillfully.
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