Shine on

As Duncan Jones’ MOON clocks up a decade, here are 10 things you should know about his debut movie

“IT’S SCARY,” SAYS Duncan Jones. “I’ve been making movies long enough that I’m celebrating the tenth anniversary of something.” That something being Moon, Jones’ 2009 debut, a lo-fi sci-fi which focuses upon Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), a lunar technician ploughing a lonely furrow 380,000 kilometres from home. Until things change when he discovers that he’s actually a clone, part of a long line of clones, and — along with a new version of himself — starts planning a way out. Moon stood out for its spare atmosphere, its stunning Rockwell performance(s) and Jones’ eye for detail, but over the last 10 years it’s become a modern classic. The director took time out from prepping new movie Rogue Trooper to tell us 10 things about his first film.

1 It wasn’t meant to be his first film

In the beginning, there was Mute. That futuristic tale of a mute bartender was Jones’ first love, and he’d persuaded Sam Rockwell to come on board. When that didn’t come together, Jones and Rockwell still wanted to work together, so,

“I went away and wrote Moon,” says Jones. “Sam and I both wanted to do a science-fiction film together, and something with a blue-collar working man at the heart of it.”

2

Came From An Unlikely Source

It

Jones set the movie on the moon for a couple of reasons. “At the time, I was in a relationship with a girl from Korea who’d moved back there, and we were trying to maintain a long-distance relationship,” he says. “And I’d spent three years at graduate school in Nashville, and that sense of isolation I channelled into being on the far side of the moon.”

3 It gave Rockwell the roles of a lifetime

The idea of having multiple Rockwells came from Jones’ desire to put together a package that would appeal to him as an actor. “It was also interesting to me on a philosophical level. I have changed dramatically over the years. What was I like when I was 16? Massively different to how I was when I was 30. And I know not all of those guys would get along, for sure.”

4 It was very nearly Paddy Considine

Had Rockwell not worked out, Jones is adamant the movie would still have happened. He had an ace up his sleeve called Paddy Considine. “I would have used Paddy in a heartbeat,” he says. “There’s something about both of those guys that’s raw, truthful and open-hearted. It’s what this character needed.”

5 It was originally a straight-to-DVD relea Chances are, had the mov launched on DVD, as was plan, Jones’ career would gone in a different directio Everything changed at th Sundance Film Festival in in 2009. “There’s a place c the Eccles Theater in Park City where the film had it premiere,” says Jones, “an it was at that point Sony Classics got involved and said, ‘This film deserves a cinematic release.’”

Above: Lost in space lunar technician Sam Bell (played by Sam Rockwell) comes unstuck in Moon

Below: Director Duncan Jones.

Below left: Sam heads back to Earth if only it were that simple.

6 It inspired his Twitter handle

If you want to follow Jones on Twitter, you can find him as @ManMadeMoon. Even his Twitter handle is a perpetual reminder of his debut. “At the time, I was the man who made Moon,” he laughs. “And I shall remain @ManMadeMoon as long as this crazy social media platform remains online.” a boo g

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7 It gave Chesney Hawkes ost hout the movie, Sam ned by an alarm that ut Chesney Hawkes’ The d Only. It’s an example of vel of detail Jones applied e movie. It’s a joke first around; second time und, an ironic clue to the m’s reveal, that Sam is ot the one and only. “It lways felt perfect,” says ones. “It was such a great subtextual frustration for Sam Bell to be hearing that all the time.” Jones has since used it in all his films. “It became this thing where I have to use it all the time,” he adds. “The one that’s going to be fun is if we can work it into Rogue Trooper.”

8

It reused bits of RedDwarf

Much of Moon was made practically, on a budget of just $5 million, which meant recycling tiny scale models that Jones’ crew team found at their Shepperton base. “We needed model miniatures as we went along,” he recalls. “‘Oh my God, we don’t have a return shuttle for the outside of the base!’ So a lot of the materials were old Red Dwarf spaceships and bits and pieces that they would scavenge.” Somewhat apt, of course — Moon shares quite a bit of DNA with Red Dwarf. Except for the talking cat.

9

Its first day was a reunion of sorts

Rockwell isn’t the only actor glimpsed in Moon. At one point, a video message from Earth shows characters played by Benedict Wong and Matt Berry. “Benny and Matt were old drinking buddies,” says Jones. “We shot that first because the film sets were still being built, and we needed to have it playing when we shot the later scene with Sam.”

10

It’s connected to Mute

If you’re eagle-eyed, you’ll spot Rockwell in Mute, reprising his role as Sam Bell, now back on Earth and fighting the good fight, along with over a hundred of his fellow clones. Don’t expect a third film in the series where Sam teams up with Mute’s Leo (Alexander Skarsgård), though. “It’s more like Three Colours Red, White, and Blue,” says Jones. “It’s a connected universe as an anthology more than anything else. If I do get to make the third piece, people will see how they connect in a much more subtextual way.” Look out, Marvel. Here comes the DJCU: the Duncan Jones Cinematic Universe. CHRIS HEWITT