Cube creator unveils TECH, his first comic book: ‘Alien Invasion Begins with the Emergence of Artificial Intelligence’

AlloCiné: How did you come up with the idea to create this comic “TECH” and at the same time this catchy music album “Delicate Machine”?

Vincenzo Natali: I’ve been working on this comic for five years. It was a hidden desire of mine to design such a work. I was a fan of comic books as a kid. Also because of my love for comics, I became a script designer for motion pictures such as Boulevard (1994), Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and The Boys Club (1996).

I have always loved to draw and I re-immersed myself in my passion when Apple released the Imac pro. It was the first tablet that drew and captured directly on the computer. I realized that I could create a comic entirely on my own. I was able to do everything: drawing, color, ink, editing… It took me much less time than making this comic with paper and pencils. It was still a 200 page comic and therefore quite a lot to prepare!

What’s funny is that comics were born out of technology, and the topic of this story is the technology debate. Alien technology invading our lives. I’m both fascinated by what technology can bring us and scared at the same time. It was during the COVID pandemic that I had free time to move forward on this project. As for the album, it was born during the 2023 actors’ strike. Thanks to the program A garage bandI was also able to record an entire album on my computer. I was then able to distribute it using all the streaming platforms at my disposal.

Did you create music inspired by comics and vice versa?

Admittedly, the two go together perfectly, but that’s not what I’m going for. Releasing them at the same time is a happy coincidence, because listening to my music you can read a comic very well.

TECH was originally an idea for cinema

What topics are covered in “TECH”?

TECH is really a debate about technology, its merits and its limits. Will artificial intelligence lead us one day? Who knows… TECH was originally an idea for a movie, but I realized that the movie would be too expensive. I am not such a famous filmmaker that I have been given huge sums of money. Therefore, in order to achieve my goals, I decided to make this comic instead of a script that would sit on the shelf. And then TECH isn’t a franchise and nowadays studios mostly focus on existing IPs and franchises…

This story is an exploration of human nature in relation to this alien technology. It is the invasion of our society by this technology. Artificial intelligence is somewhat alien because even the engineers who designed it don’t fully understand how it works. It is as if we have already lost control over our creativity. It’s terrible. For me, the alien invasion started with the advent of artificial intelligence and it threatens to wipe out our civilization.

It is as if we have already lost control over our creativity

Let’s take a look at your great career. First of all, tell us about “Cube”, what are your memories of it?

It’s funny you’re talking to me about the Cube, because I’m currently at Fantasia in Montreal, just to show the restored version in 4K. I have spent the last six months in the fascinating world of cinema. I had to redo all the images and redo the sound and music soundtrack. This is a small film I made with my friends. It’s funny how we’ve all aged so much. But although the movie was released in 1997, that was almost 27 years ago. I really love this first cinematic “baby”. It’s funny how audiences continue to rediscover it after all these years.

I don’t really know how to write a new cube

Could this make you want to create a new “cube”?

Actually, my problem is that I don’t really know how to write a new cube! That’s why I wasn’t a part of other films after that. an idea cube It was perfect and for me this movie is enough in itself. But I hope that someone will have a new idea to continue the universe. On the other hand, since I’m going to buy back the movie rights in two years, I’m going to make a Cuban video game. I’m a bit of a gamer and I think making a game out of it would probably be a VR game.

Tell us about “Cypher”: how did you come across this film?

I always made films for the love of the script. For Cypher, it was a script by a friend, Brian King. He asked me to get reading notes for him. But I quickly got back to him to convince me of my desire to jump into his project because I loved the concept so much. And he agreed to do it.

It was nice to see this film after Cuba, which was a bit of a claustrophobic experience: Digit It happens everywhere, in the water, in the air, so it was a great breath of fresh air as a director. The crazy thing is, this movie was never released in the US. The people at Miramax bought it, and for some strange reason, they decided not to release it. However, it enjoyed great success in the rest of the world.

What do you remember from your sci-fi thriller Splice?

I love Splice, even though it took me twelve years to edit and direct it. It was truly a “passion project” and I never gave up. And finally, I’m very proud of it. The film was canceled several times due to funding, but each time I managed to bring it back to life.

This is probably my most terrifying cinematic experience. What is fabulous is that this film was released on 2,000 screens in the United States: a real small miracle considering the journey of the project.

You are a fan of Stephen King and in 2019 you filmed “In the Tall Grass” for Netflix…

This was my first and last – so far – novel adaptation. Stephen King has been a huge influence throughout my career and throughout my childhood. I’m part of the first generation of young people who discovered him back then, in the 80s, and I’m also a fan of his son, Joe Hill, who co-wrote In the Tall Grass.

I remember being shocked when I read the script because it was such a scary story. I was hesitant to make it because of this traumatic nature, but also because it’s a labyrinthine film like Cube. But I couldn’t miss Stephen King’s genius movie. Netflix has been fantastic in giving me a comfortable budget and giving me freedom on all production decisions. I also continue to cooperate with Netflix, for which I shot several episodes of several series.

What are your film projects after TECH and your album release?

I have several projects as a producer, e.g Christina by Stephen King, which seems to be on hold at Blumhouse for the moment. I have written several new scripts since last year. Right now I’m mostly working on a thriller with a hero who has an AI weapon. So I continue to explore technology and its “marriage” to our humanity. And then I’ve done a lot of series lately, like The Stand and Locke & Key.

TECH is heavily inspired by Neuromancer and the disappointment of not being able to stage it…

I also tried to adapt William Gibson’s novel, Neuromancer which turned out to be very expensive together. Of course I’m a fan of Gibson and that TECH is kind of an homage to his work. Moreover, he was kind enough to write a foreword for TECH. I am very grateful to him! TECH is highly inspired Neuromancer And the disappointment of not being able to stage it…

Ultimately, what do you hope the public will feel when they read your comics and listen to your album?

I hope that they will have the desire to create something of their own: an album, a comic book, a film… With access to technology, anything is possible and it’s just a matter of the will to work. Unlike cinema, which can be a frustrating experience because your film can’t find financing, you can easily create a music album or a comic book. I’m neither a musician nor a comic artist and yet I made my dreams come true. So you too can make your dreams come true. Just do it!

• “TECH” is available on Amazon and major publishing platforms

• “Delicate Machine” can be heard on major streaming platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.)

Comments collected by Emmanuel Ittier in August 2024