Niccol Making “Social Science Fiction”

Director Mike Niccols says that while his upcoming film In Time isn’t a direct sequel to Gattaca, the film could be considered a spiritual sequel.    Niccols says that when he created the idea behind both films that he didn’t see them as much as “science fiction” so much as “social science fiction.”

“I was never so interested in the hardware. I was more interested in the humanity,” he tells the Los Angeles Times ” “This story, most of all, is really about living in the present — the technology has just made the consequences even greater because you have a ticking clock that reminds you every moment of your mortality.”

“Genetic engineering has gotten better — or worse, depending on your point of view — and I always knew back then that the Holy Grail for genetics was discovering the aging gene,” he said.

But given the opportunity, Niccol, who has clearly spent much time thinking about his own mortality, said he wouldn’t choose to live forever.

“I’ve always felt that even if you could switch off the aging gene, I’m not sure our psychology could keep up with our biology,” he said. “In the film, none of them have the luxury of dementia. Their mind is still fresh, so you remember all the crappy things you’ve done in your life. There’s a reason I chose the age of 25 in the movie: The frontal lobe that controls impulse and recklessness doesn’t fully develop until then. That’s why most rental cars won’t rent you a car until you’re 25. If I’d known that sooner, I could have blamed all of the crazy [stuff] I did on my youth.”