Christopher Nolan reveals he blew up a real Boeing 747 for explosive action sequence in new spy thriller Tenet
While some of the high-profile movies planned for release this year have been pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic, Warner Bros. is still planning to release Christopher Nolan’s film Tenet in theatres in July.
And so the British filmmaker is moving full steam ahead with promotion for the upcoming spy thriller that stars Robert Pattinson and John David Washington.
Nolan is making headlines with the news, revealed to UK’s Total Film magazine, that he crashed a real Boeing 747 into a hangar and then blew it up for one of Tenet’s big action sequences.
No joke: Christopher Nolan is making headlines with the revelation he used a real Boeing 747 rather than visual effects for an explosive action sequence in his upcoming spy thriller Tenet
While scouting locations in Victorville, in Southern California’s high desert, the director came across a plane graveyard where hundreds of old planes were stored.
‘I planned to do [the sequence] using miniatures and set-piece builds and a combination of visual effects and all the rest,’ Nolan told Total Film, as reported by GamesRadar.com.
‘We started to run the numbers… It became apparent that it would actually be more efficient to buy a real plane of the real size, and perform this sequence for real in camera, rather than build miniatures or go the CG route.’
Nolan, 49, described filming the sequence as ‘a very exciting thing to be part of’.
Cost effective: While scouting locations in Victorville, Southern California, the director came across a plane graveyard where hundreds of old planes were stored and bought a jumbo jet
Stunt: Nolan crashed the 747 into a hangar and then blew it up, all on camera, rather than use miniatures, visual effects and CGI for the pivotal scenes
Mystery: Little is known about Tenet with Nolan keeping the complicated plot close to his chest. The film stars Robert Pattinson and John David Washington in the leading role
Pattinson shared that it was a one-of-a-kind experience for an actor.
‘You wouldn’t have thought there was any reality where you would be doing a scene where they just have an actual 747 to blow up! It’s so bold to the point of ridiculousness,’ he told the outlet.
He added: ‘I remember, as we were shooting it, I was thinking, ‘How many more times is this even going to be happening in a film at all?”
One-of-a-kind experience: ‘You wouldn’t have thought there was any reality where you would be doing a scene where they just have an actual 747 to blow up!’ Pattinson shared.’ It’s so bold to the point of ridiculousness’
Little is known about Tenet with Nolan keeping the complicated plot close to his chest.
The trailers, however, include plenty of action including car chases and boat trips as well as intense moments of dialogue.
Nolan, whose credits include Dunkirk, Inception, Interstellar and The Dark Knight trilogy, has called his new release his greatest undertaking.
It has a budget in the region of $200 million, making it one of the most expensive original films ever made.
The movie was shot in seven countries: Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States.
There has been a lot of speculation about whether the movie will be moved from its scheduled July 17 release date as lockdown restrictions continue to be in place in many countries.
Nolan has previously made it clear that Tenet was made for theatres and will be shown in 70mm and IMAX formats.
Coming soon? Nolan has previously made it clear that Tenet was made for theatres and will be shown in 70mm and IMAX formats. So far it remains scheduled for release on July 17