Steven Spielberg acknowledges his early involvement with this now-classic science fiction film: “It didn’t stick”
Spielberg reveals how the project evolved and why Christopher Nolan was the right filmmaker to finish it.
Steven Spielberg is one of Hollywood’s most beloved and acclaimed directors, who has made a significant impact on science fiction cinema. But despite his illustrious career, there was one film he couldn’t get off the ground—a film that has since become a true classic of the genre: ‘Interstellar’.
During an interview with Empire (vía GamesRadar), Spielberg spoke about his involvement with this film, which he worked on for a year but eventually decided to pass on. “I was involved with Interstellar for a year,” Spielberg said. Kip Thorne brought me the project along with Lynda Obst, the producer, and I became fascinated with it. I spent a lot of time at the [Jet Propulsion Laboratory] in Pasadena, California, talking to the scientists there and the aerospace engineers. I actually hired Chris Nolan’s brother Jonah to write the first and second drafts for me, but it didn’t work out. Jonah actually said, ‘If there comes a point where you decide not to make this movie, I can tell you who’s going to grab it. He’s already bugging me about it. And that’s my brother Chris.’”
A classic that doesn’t bear Spielberg’s name
Eventually, ‘Interstellar’ ended up in the hands of Christopher Nolan, and the rest is history—it became one of the London-born director’s most significant films. Although Spielberg may have missed out on a great film, he acknowledges that it improved with Nolan’s involvement. “The second I decided not to make it, Chris jumped on board, probably the next day. Interstellar was a much better movie in Chris Nolan’s hands than it would have been in mine.”
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Leaving that behind, Spielberg is currently promoting his upcoming science fiction and alien film, ‘Disclosure Day’, starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo, which hits theaters on June 12, 2026. ‘Interstellar’ is available to watch on Paramount Plus.
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