It’s been some time now sinceChristopher Nolanbecame one of the most respected and beloved directors in the world. Yet, like many other filmmakers who go through pockets of fame and fade away with time, Nolan has proven himself more than worthy of being counted among the true greats of filmmaking. His fame seems to only grow with each passing year as all the excitement for the upcoming 10th-anniversary screening ofInterstellaris proving.
While also caught up amid all the buzz that the Barbenheimer craze brought with his most recent work onOppenheimerhas elevated his credentials too. By sparking even more global fanfare than the53-year-old director was accustomed to, the last couple of years have truly cemented him as the preeminent filmmaker of the 21st century — so much so that his films get re-screenings even a decade after they are released.
The latest of them to receive this honor will be 2014’sInterstellar,a film permanently etched into the minds of Nolan’s fans everywhere. With so many terrific angles to examine it from, between its terrific cast, amazing writing, mind-bending scientific underpinnings that delved into everything from other dimensions to astrophysics, and a complex yet beautiful story, it wasnothing short of another masterpiecefrom the genius director. Richly layered, the film has since become mired in a number of fan theories, with a new one emerging recently that, according to one TikToker, changes everything!
The New Interstellar Theory That Could Change Everything
Interstellar
Another fantastic film from Nolan’s now truly burgeoning catalog of gems,Interstellarstarred Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, and Anne Hathaway amid some typically solid supporting acts from the likes of Michael Caine, John Lithgow, and Matt Damon. It was hauntingly beautiful at times and, although also filled with somememorably gut-wrenching moments, was even able to throw in comedy at times (lest we forget TARS and his humor settings).
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar Retains Potent Storytelling Even as an 8-Minute Fan Cut
Interstellar’s epic narrative transcends through a brief cut.
Still, the subject of discussion long before it was ever confirmed for its 10th-anniversary re-release,many fan theoriesaround the film have abounded —especially around the idea that Cooper actually dies in the movie. However, this general theory has recently been compounded by a TikToker known as StarkVerse. His theory is also one in which Cooper is dead. However, what makes things a little more spicy this time is that he provides some intriguing evidence that he feels proves his theory.
StarkVerse’s theory stemmed from him re-watching the movie and noticing that some footage was used twice. It relates to a frame of Cooper’s plane first seen in the beginning during his crash dream sequence and later, again when the pilots enter Miller’s planet. However, reusing footage isn’t that uncommon in movies if you look hard enough. Despite that, StarkVerse points out why this time it is weird. It’s a good reason, too, since he contends that Christopher Nolan, being the meticulous filmmaker he is,would never use footage twice without a valid purpose.
Could the Interstellar Theory Actually Be True?
According to StarkVerse,this fan theory is mind-blowingbecause once you watch the movie with the assumption that Cooper was always dead from the beginning, everything changes. To him, this only cemented the idea behind the theory, as hefelt that every pivotal scene now took on greater significance.
However, the problem with all this is that it means if Cooper were truly dead from the beginning,you would have to assume all the following:
In the rest of the video, StarkVerse provides plenty of circumstantial evidence for his overall theory and presents it in a very compelling manner. However, as we can see from the above assumptions alone, while the reused footage theory makes for a nice excuse to believe Cooper is dead, like countless other fans have imagined too, relying on it throws up too many other assumptions that take it away from being a viable theory and into the realm of pure speculation without much else to back any of it up.
In short, we have to rely on too many what-ifs to make the theory sound. It’s far more likely that Cooper is alive, and the events ofInterstellartake place as we see them in the movie. Of course, Christopher Nolan has also discussed the film and plot in the past when he guest-edited an issue ofWiredmagazine inspired by the five dimensions ofInterstellar:
“Why five? Because if we can get our heads around the idea that time is just a fourth dimension, no more noble or abstract than the other three, then the fifth dimension reveals itself as the perch we have to climb onto to be able to actually view the four dimensions we know. A massive leap, but a leap we can almost conceive of. Itfeelslike it should be possible, which lets us imagine a complete understanding of our four-dimensional existence rendered instantly by our new, higher-dimensional perspective.”
Will There Ever Be an Interstellar Sequel?
Despite huge interest inInterstellarto this day, a never-ending fascination with the genius of Christopher Nolan, and constant demands from fans,it doesn’t look likely that there will ever be a sequelto the film.Nolan and Warner Bros. have parted waysfor now, and the filmmaker likely wants to continue to pursue original projects rather than follow his sci-fi masterpiece with a sequel.
Interstellar at 10 Years Old: How the Film Changed the Sci-Fi Genre
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However, as sad as that thought may be,we’ll always have this movie. Despite Christopher Nolan’s own beautifully penned exhortations for us to consider the possibility of dimensions beyond the limits of our world as we perceive it,fan theories will probably never end when it comes toInterstellar—simply because it’s such a magnificently portrayed and thought-provoking film.
Whether they deal with famous ones like Cooper being dead all along, Cooper dying at a different time in the film (when he ejects), or even the theories that there was more than one Cooper or more than one ending, the theories only add to the overall intrigue of the film. There are other prominent theories too, even the famous one that Christopher Nolan has often spoken of himself — thepower of love and familyand how it’s used in the film. In the movie, it was Brand who brings it all up:
Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that, even if we can’t understand it.
Interstellaris due to be re-released using 70mm IMAX prints on June 09, 2025. Until then, here’s a look back at an explanation of the film’s mind-boggling ending.
