When someone asks you what you want to be when you grow up, you seldom see those childhood aspirations through. Then there is the age-old situation where we go to college, majoring in one field, only to come out and do something completely different. The way things turned out, the situation was no different for American filmmaker George Nolfi.
A graduate of the prestigious Princeton University, Nolfi entered the PhD program in Political Science at UCLA but then took a complete left turn into screenwriting. Unforeseen, the New England native penned several scripts for big Hollywood features such as 2004’s Ocean’s Twelve, 2006’s The Sentinel, and 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum. Impressive, he would then go on to write, direct, and produce the highly successful The Adjustment Bureau in 2011, starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.
Since then, Nolfi has taken on various film projects in various genres. Now, in 2024, Nolfi offers viewers the new Science Fiction, Action-Thriller Elevation. Hitting theaters on November 8th, Nolfi took a little time to reflect on everything, the work put into Elevation, plus more.
Cryptic Rock – You have been involved in filmmaking for many years, whether it be screenwriting or directing. Over time, you have been involved in successful, interesting, and different projects. Before we dive into the film Elevation, how would you describe your journey as a filmmaker to this point?
George Nolfi – That’s a big topic. I started as a Political Scientist. I was about six months away from getting my PhD in Political Science. I came from a completely different world and environment. I started writing because I didn’t know enough to even consider starting as a director; no film school or anything.
I learned on the job by being around people who are doing it. There have been a lot of really generous directors—Richard Donner, Steven Soderbergh, Paul Greengrass—who let me into their process and let me watch them up close. That led to directing. I still love writing and still write for other people. I sometimes direct my own stuff. In this case, this is not my script. I love all of it.
The movie industry is challenged in many ways, particularly the released movies. They so often can only be giant brands. I love the idea that this movie is not rooted in anything. It’s just rooted in a cool idea and a script.
Cryptic Rock – That is great to hear. Your latest film, Elevation, is more of an Action Thriller. A genre you have worked in before, what brought this project on for you?
George Nolfi – John Glenn, a friend and writer on a TV spy show I created in 2014, told me about the premise. I thought it was an interesting idea, so he sent me the script. The lead character was of a different gender, race, and age.
I love working with Anthony Mackie. We were talking about the next thing, and I thought it would be an interesting world to put him in. I talked to him about it. He said, “I trust you. The premise sounds cool, and I trust you to make it good.” I asked the writer and producer whether he would consider revising it, and he did, and that’s how we got to where we are.
Cryptic Rock—Fantastic. You mentioned working with Anthony again, and you clearly enjoy working together. What is that relationship life like?
George Nolfi – Yeah. It’s my third time working with Anthony. We started with The Adjustment Bureau (2011), and it was a really good experience. We stayed friends after that. Then the banker, several years back, a very different kind of movie. We both like trying different genres and doing different things.
He’s just downstairs doing interviews right now, and we were like, “What’s the fourth one going to be?” It’s a friendship, and you have a shorthand. I love actors. I love working with almost all the actors that I’ve worked with. I’d love to work with Morena Baccarin and Maddie Hasson again as well. Anthony and I now have a twelve-year relationship on this.
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