Gattaca (1997)
- Before Ethan Hawke was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- The incredible score for Gattaca was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
- Andrew Niccol originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
Gattaca is a 1997 American dystopian science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol. Ethan Hawke stars as Vincent Freeman, a naturally conceived man in a society where genetic engineering has created a rigid caste system: "valids" whose DNA was optimized before birth hold all positions of power and opportunity, while "in-valids" like Vincent are consigned to menial labor regardless of their actual abilities. Determined to fulfill his dream of space travel, Vincent assumes the genetic identity of Jerome Morrow, played by Jude Law, a genetically perfect swimmer paralyzed in an accident, meticulously faking DNA tests, urine samples, and blood screenings to pass as a valid at the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation.
Andrew Niccol's vision of genetic discrimination was remarkably prescient, anticipating real-world debates about genetic screening, designer babies, and biological determinism that have become increasingly urgent as genetic technology advances. The film's production design โ all clean lines, muted colors, and Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture โ created a world of beautiful sterility where human messiness has been literally bred out. Gattaca earned $12 million on a $36 million budget, a commercial failure, but has since been recognized as one of the most thoughtful science fiction films of the 1990s.
