An Inception sequel should do without directing Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, for a fresh perspective on the idea of dream sharing.
The world of Creation is still full of potential for a sequel, but not with actor Leonardo DiCaprio at the helm or director Christopher Nolan at the helm. Released in 2010, the original Creation is one of the best sci-fi movies of the 21st century, having introduced the idea of dream-sharing technology and mind heists to the world. It tells a standalone thriller story about a single operation in which a group of experts perform an “inception” by planting an idea in a businessman’s head to dissolve his father’s company. However, the world around this unique story has so much more to offer.
Creation follows his spy story through the highly personal tale of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dom Cobb, who is offered the chance to see his children again while pulling off this latest heist of a shared dream. The film ends on an ambiguous note: Cobb finds his children, but the public does not know if he is still dreaming or not. The ending works perfectly for the story, questioning whether the reality Cobb finds himself in matters if it feels real to him. To make a direct sequel to Creation following Cobb would ruin that ending, which only works if the audience doesn’t know his fate.
A Creation The sequel, which instead looks at the larger world of dream sharing, offers countless opportunities. Rather than simply redoing the same genre and the same tone, putting Creation 2 moving to a new creative team could provide a fresh take on the universe without damaging the story of the original. Indeed, Christopher Nolan’s initial intention to Creation, in its first drafts, was to be a horror film. Giving radically different filmmakers, like Guillermo Del Toro or Ari Aster, the chance to star in this sandbox could open the doors to this nightmarish vision. And the genre wouldn’t have to be horror either; Creation of The concept allows for everything – a smaller-scale intimate psychological study, a romance, even an all-out comedy.
Why Inception 2 needs a fresh perspective
The strategy of having an almost entirely different creative vision for the sequel is already a proven formula too, with James Cameron’s blazing action sequel aliens being a strong contrast to the more tense and isolated horror of Ridley Scott’s original Extraterrestrial film. Do the same for a real one Creation The sequel would make comparisons to the first film less likely, giving audiences the chance to be surprised and treat it as its own entity.
Turning Creation in a world to be explored by different storytellers also makes sense given the recent resurgence of the anthology format. Although it’s been mostly on TV, with shows like black mirror and Interior No. 9 bring the audience back into the idea of a different story and genre in each installment, there’s no reason Creation 2 couldn’t set a precedent for the big screen. The plot of what another great filmmaker and star could do with such a sequel (or prequel) to Creationwith its limitless concept, is an enticing enough prospect without the need for a linking actor or narrative thread between films.
The story that Christopher Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio tell in the first Creation should be left alone. However, the world that Nolan developed is still filled with possibilities, which other perspectives could unlock. Dom Cobb’s dream heist may have come to its natural conclusion, but the potential for Creation has barely been typed yet.
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