Now in its final phases of post production, the film, about two rival magicians, (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) is all but complete and the work is about fine tuning, which Nolan quite enjoys. His current objective is merely to “improve it, making it the best it can be … polishing what [has been] done.” I observed Nolan as he meticulously rewound and re-watched one scene, refining the most minute auditory details until they were flawless even to his discerning ear. It should come as no surprise that this process (sound mixing), which is all about attention to detail, is “one of the most fun parts of film making” for this detail-savvy director. He was in his element, confidently instructing the tech staff to implement subtle changes. At one point, Nolan even got out of his cushy director’s chair, opting instead to sit in the front of the theatre to experience the film from a different angle, to see it from a detached perspective.

For those who have seen The Prestige and loved it, it is hard to believe that it almost didn’t get made. “We started pitching the film four or five years ago,” said Nolan, but “the studios [kept saying] magic doesn’t work on film.” Eventually, Disney and Warner Brothers agreed to back Nolan’s project, an adaptation of Christopher Priest’s novel by the same name. Luckily, Priest was pleased with the screenplay. “I think we got the blessing from him early on,” Nolan shared, “but I think he [also] understood that we had to take liberties” in order to make his story translate to the big screen. The finished product is what Nolan calls a “lose adaptation” of a “tremendously exciting book” with a tremendously exciting cast.

Two cast members in particular, Christian Bale and Michael Caine, are practically Chris Nolan staples (think Batman Begins and its highly anticipated sequel, The Dark Knight). Despite Nolan’s obvious affection for these two actors, his decision to cast them was actually not premeditated. The script “was written before I ever knew [Caine],” Nolan assured reporters. It was a sheer case of serendipity that the character, Cutter, “fit him like a glove” and that it “feels like it was written [especially] for him.” What about Bale? It turns out he lobbied to play the role of Alfred Borden. According to Nolan “it seemed exactly right” for Bale to play Borden, adding “it’s kind of unthinkable now that anyone else would [have] play[ed] him.”

After years invested in the project, it is only natural that Nolan would be proud of the film he’s made. “It’s certainly the kind of film that I enjoy,” he modestly confessed to me. “It’s the kind of film that if you watch a second time, you’ll find lots of things different about it, all kinds of layers,” adding that it delicately plays with the “fine line between intriguing people and frustrating them.” What about the film’s audience? “I try not to be too specific,” Nolan shared, telling me that his strategy is simple: “I make films that I think would be fun and interesting to watch and I just assume that there are other people like me out there.” We think it’s safe to say he assumes correctly, with box office coups like Memento and Batman Begins among his list of enviable credits.

You can judge the film for yourself when it opens in theatres on October 20^th.

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