Tagline: What will you do with yours?
Set in a future Earth (2035 A.D.) where robots are common assistants and workers for their human owners, this is the story of “robotophobic” Chicago Police Detective Del Spooner’s investigation into the murder of Dr. Alfred Lanning, who works at U.S. Robotics, in which a robot, Sonny, appears to be implicated, even though that would mean the robot had violated the Three Laws of Robotics, which is apparently impossible.
It seems impossible because.. if robots can break those laws, there’s nothing to stop them from taking over the world, as humans have grown to become completely dependent upon their robots. Or maybe… they already have? Aiding Spooner in his investigation is a psychologist, Dr. Susan Calvin, who specializes in the psyches of robots.
I, Robot (stylized as i,robot) is a 2004 American neo-noir dystopian science fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman is from a screen story by Vintar, suggested by Isaac Asimov’s short-story collection of the same name. The film stars Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, Alan Tudyk and Shia LaBeouf.
I, Robot was released in North America on July 16, 2004, in Australia on July 22, 2004, in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2004 and in other countries between July 2004 to October 2004. Produced with a budget of USD $120 million, the film grossed $144 million domestically and $202 million in foreign markets for a worldwide total of $346 million. It received mixed to favorable reviews, with critics praising the writing, visual effects, and acting; but other critics were mixed with the focus on the plot. It was nominated for the 2004 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
The film I, Robot originally had no connections with Isaac Asimov’s Robot series. It started with an original screenplay written in 1995 by Jeff Vintar, entitled Hardwired. The script was an Agatha Christie-inspired murder mystery that took place entirely at the scene of a crime, with one lone human character, FBI agent Del Spooner, investigating the killing of a reclusive scientist named Dr Hogenmiller, and interrogating a cast of machine suspects that included Sonny the robot, HECTOR the supercomputer with a perpetual yellow smiley face, the dead Dr Hogenmiller’s hologram, plus several other examples of artificial intelligence.
The project was first acquired by Walt Disney Pictures for Bryan Singer to direct. Several years later, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights, and signed Alex Proyas as director. Jeff Vintar was brought back on the project and spent several years opening up his stage play-like cerebral mystery thriller to meet the needs of a big budget studio film.
When the studio decided to use the name “I, Robot”, he incorporated the Three Laws of Robotics, and replaced his female lead character of Flynn with Susan Calvin, one of the few recurring characters in the Robot series by Asimov. The original I, Robot was a collection of short stories; but the new screenplay incorporated many elements of Asimov’s The Caves of Steel, a murder mystery involving a robot and a police officer. Akiva Goldsman was hired late in the process to rewrite the script for Will Smith. Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman are credited for the screenplay, with Vintar also receiving “screen story by” credit. The end credits list it as “suggested by the book I, Robot by Isaac Asimov”.
I, Robot (2004)
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Starring: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, James Cromwell, Bruce Greenwood, Alan Tudyk, Chi McBride, Jerry Wasserman, Fiona Hogan, Peter Shinkoda, Terry Chen, Sharon Wilkins
Screenplay by: Jeff Vintar, Akiva Goldsman
Production Design by: Patrick Tatopoulos
Cinematography by: Simon Duggan
Film Editing by: William Hoy, Richard Learoyd, Armen Minasian
Costume Design by: Liz Keogh
Set Decoration by: Lin MacDonald
Art Direction by: Chris August, Helen Jarvis
Music by: Marco Beltram
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense stylized action, and some brief partial nudity.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: July 16, 2004
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