We chat with Tetris director jonsbaird about respecting the real-life counterparts of his story, turning Scotland into Russia, and what it's like collaborating with Mattew Vaughn:
Tetris has an unbelievably rich story for a game with no narrative to its name, and the movie about the origin of everyone's favorite pixelated blocks is a high-stake espionage adventure of its own. Written by Noah Pink and directed by Jon S.
Baird, Tetris follows American entrepreneur Henk Rogers as an accidental brush with the game in Las Vegas leads to a cross-country thrill ride as he attempts to secure the rights from the uncompromising Soviet Union government. SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Taron Egerton plays Rogers, who forms an unlikely friendship with the inventor of Tetris, Alexey Pajitnov . Together, the two must find a way to get the game out of the USSR legally and hand the distribution rights to Nintendo in a move that forever changed handheld gaming — not to mention the global impact of communism.Screen Rant spoke to Baird about respecting the real-life subjects of his film, turning Scotland into Russia, and working with Taron Egerton and producer Matthew Vaughn. Jon S. Baird on Tetris Screen Rant: I read that you spent some time with Alexey, Henk, and his family, getting to know the events that transpired despite already having a script in hand. What was that experience like, and what was most surprising? Jon S. Baird: I spent time with Hank and Alexey beforehand, when we were working on the script. I have since spent more time with Maya and Akemi [Rogers] since the film was done. I went over and met them in Hawaii, and I spent a lot of time with them and got to know them, so it's great. I've done a lot of movies based on real life and real people, and I always enjoy making it. I've got friends from the movies I've done years ago, and I believe that will be the same with Maya, Henk, and Alexey. I think it's just a nice way to do it; you have to be responsible. You have to take a sense of pride in their story, and you've got to make them invest in your movie because ultimately they're helping to promote the film as well. So, you've got to be responsible when you're telling the story. Jon S. Baird: It's difficult, trust me. The two cities we filmed in were Glasgow and Aberdeen, and they both provided a basis for the two architectural types in Russia; one being neoclassical in Glasgow, and one being the more brutalist style full of concrete stuff in Aberdeen. We used it as a base, but then we had huge set extensions because, obviously, Moscow is such a vast city. But we always needed key buildings and everything, so it was formulated around that with [the help of] visual effects and a fabulous visual effects team. I've always loved Taron and Matthew Vaughn collaborations. What was it like for you to collaborate with them in bringing Tetris to life? Jon S. Baird: I worked with Matthew more on the post-production and less on the script or the shoot. He was more involved in the post-production, and I was concentrating more on that Cold War thriller aspect of the film and the narrative. Matthew concentrated more on the game and graphic side of stuff, so he brought a lot of that stuff to it. It was interesting, and I learned a lot from working with him. Hank and Alexey's friendship is the heart of the story. What was it like working with both those actors to really honor that relationship and knowing their real-life counterparts are going to see it? Screen Rant: Those guys didn't meet in person because of the COVID pandemic, but they met on Zoom quite a lot. They took enough out of [those experiences] that they felt they had to in order to make their version of the real person. And think that's always important as well, because it gives the real person confidence in who's playing him and also gives the actor confidence that the real person is behind the decision, if that makes sense. About Tetris Tetris tells the unbelievable story of how one of the world's most popular video games found its way to avid players around the globe. Henk Rogers discovers Tetris in 1988, and then risks everything by traveling to the Soviet Union, where he joins forces with inventor Alexey Pajitnov to bring the game to the masses. Based on a true story, “Tetris” is a Cold War–era thriller on steroids, with double-crossing villains, unlikely heroes, and a nail-biting race to the finish.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Billie Eilish Celebrates Mom Maggie Baird’s Birthday: ‘You Make the World Go Round’“I told you yesterday that when I think about how much I love you, I want to sob and throw up,” Billie Eilish wrote of her mom.
Read more »
‘Tetris’: How Did a Delightful Video Game Make for Such a Boring Film?The true story about the wild international battle for the licensing rights to the popular game is an exhausting mishmash of genres and narratives—none of which are worth watching.
Read more »
Engadget Podcast: 'Tetris' creator chats about the 'Tetris' movie | EngadgetWe chat with Tetris's creator, Alexey Pajitnov, and Henk Rogers, the man who helped bring it out of the Soviet Union..
Read more »
Tetris Interview: Taron Egerton on Playing Real People & Game BoyComingSoon Senior Editor Spencer Legacy spoke with Tetris star Taron Egerton about the upcoming Apple TV+ film
Read more »
Taron Egerton slots Tetris story into place in new biopicThe origin story of the iconic computer game 'Tetris' is more thrilling than you may think. It involves border crossing, authority dodging, underhand deals and -- finally -- trying to secure the rights for the game from behind the Iron Curtain. And now it's a film, releasing March 31, on Apple TV+.
Read more »
Original 'Tetris' Creators Reveal the Game's Espionage Origin StoryTetris creators Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers talk sneaking the classic game out of the Soviet Union and why they hate the current state of gaming
Read more »