Screenwriter Karl Gajdusek talks about writing big-budget flicks including the Tom Cruise action film Oblivion. He says he envisioned a spectacular $100 million movie when he first read the story of Oblivion, which was first conceived by Joseph Kosinski, who ended up directing it.
“The whole part in that movie up on the sky tower – where these three people wind up living in this weird, taut moment – to me is everything I love about theater and Pinter plays. And then the canvass, obviously, is giant cinema – so I thought this was perfect for me,” Gajdusek said.
So he went on to pitch Kosinski with his take on the story, but says he lost the writing job to Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed). Then about a year later he was recalled for project.
“I sort of got to write what I had originally seen as what my version of Joe’s vision was, and that was a really exciting, heady time,” he said. “When I came on to it, it was like jumping on a moving train, and turning out dozens of pages a day, and just being strong like that.”
Gajdusek reveals that at the time, Tom Cruise was not yet attached to the film, but he’s convinced that his script helped persuade the star to take the role. He also recounts a story about Kosinski going to meet with Cruise on the set of one of the Mission Impossible movies, which was being filmed on multiple sets at the same time.
“So Tom was shooting this action scene, this love scene, and this other action scene, in the same day and just walking between sets – so they could crush budget. And Joe meets up with Tom and they talk Oblivion as Tom moves from set to set shooting.”
Watch the full episode to also hear Gajdusek share behind-the-scenes details about Pierce Brosnan’s film The November Man, which he reveals almost didn’t make it to the big screen.
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