The Calgary Sun has revealed Christopher Nolan‘s (The Dark Knight, Memento) upcoming sci-fi thriller, Inception, has a $200 million budget. The article explains the film is to shoot in five different countries, including a “significant portion” in Kananaskis, Alberta (a rural district situated to the west of Calgary in the footholls of the Canadian Rockies). The Sun has reported that Nolan visited Canada twice scouting locations, looking at nearby foothills and mountainous areas by helicopter before choosing Fortress Mountain as the main Alberta location. The newspaper says th shoot will be the biggest in Alberta, employing hundreds, if not thousands, of local film workers beginning this summer when construction on an “elaborate set” is scheduled to begin.
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The only thing known about the film is that it is a contemporary science fiction action movie “set within the architecture of the mind.” Leonardo DiCaprio plays the lead, a CEO-type, while Marion Cotillard (La Vie en rose, Public Enemies) is his wife. Ellen Page (Juno) is a young college grad student and DiCaprio’s sidekick, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays an associate working for DiCaprio. Ken Watanabe will play the film’s villain, a man who is blackmailing Leonardo DiCaprio’s character. Tom Hardy (Bronson) is a member of DiCaprio’s team. Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, Sunshine) and Michael Caine are both a part of the film, with no details known about their roles.
I’m glad Nolan chose a film like this before another Batman, but this is looking to be just another massive blockbuster, instead of a smaller film, like The Prestige. With the talent involved and a budget like this I can only expect great things.
The film is set for production this summer and a July 16th, 2010 release date.
What do you think about a massive budget for Inception? What kind of tricks does Nolan have up his sleeve?