Edge of Tomorrow
A time-looping soldier fights aliens in a future war.
Edge of Tomorrow (also released as *Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow*) is a 2014 American military science-fiction action film. Doug Liman directed it, with a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth. The story loosely adapts the 2004 Japanese light novel *All You Need Is Kill* by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star. The setting is a future where an alien species called Mimics has occupied most of Europe. Cruise plays Major William Cage, a public affairs officer without combat experience. His superiors force him into a landing operation against the aliens, where he becomes trapped in a time loop and must find a way to defeat the Mimics. Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, and Noah Taylor appear in supporting roles.
In late 2009, 3 Arts Entertainment bought the rights to *All You Need Is Kill* and sold a spec script to Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio produced the film with 3 Arts, the novel's publisher Viz Media, and the Australian company Village Roadshow. Filming started in late 2012 in England, at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, outside London, and at other locations including Trafalgar Square and Saunton Sands. Nine visual effects companies worked on the film. *Edge of Tomorrow* was released in select territories on May 30, 2014, and in the United States on June 6. Critics gave it positive reviews, and it earned $381 million against a $178 million budget.
**Plot**
In 2015, an alien race called Mimics lands in Germany and quickly takes over much of continental Europe, killing millions. By 2020, humanity forms a global military alliance, the United Defense Force (UDF), to fight them. Victory remains elusive until the Battle of Verdun, won by war hero Sergeant Rita Vrataski. In Britain, the UDF gathers forces for a major invasion of France. General Brigham orders public affairs officer Major William Cage to cover the offensive from the front. Cage, inexperienced and cowardly, tries to blackmail Brigham into canceling the order. Brigham has Cage arrested, demoted to private, and sent to Heathrow Airport to join the invasion as infantry. There, he is assigned to Master Sergeant Farell and the misfit J-Squad, who dislike and mock him.
The next day, the invasion lands on a French beach but is ambushed and massacred by Mimics. Cage kills a larger Alpha Mimic with a Claymore mine.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Doug Liman
- Screenplay
- Christopher McQuarrie / Jez Butterworth / John-Henry Butterworth
- Based On
- All You Need Is Kill · Hiroshi Sakurazaka
- Producer
- Erwin Stoff / Tom Lassally / Jeffrey Silver / Gregory Jacobs / Jason Hoffs
- Starring
- Tom Cruise / Emily Blunt / Bill Paxton / Brendan Gleeson
- Cinematography
- Dion Beebe
- Editing
- James Herbert / Laura Jennings
- Music
- Christophe Beck
- Production Companies
- Warner Bros. Pictures / Village Roadshow Pictures / RatPac Entertainment / 3 Arts Entertainment / Viz Productions / Translux
- Distributor
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Released
- 28 May 2014 · London IMAX · 2014 · 06 · 06 · United States
- Runtime
- 113 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In late 2009, 3 Arts Entertainment purchased the rights to All You Need Is Kill and sold the spec script to Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio produced Edge of Tomorrow with the involvement of 3 Arts, the novel's publisher Viz Media, and Australian production company Village Roadshow. Filming began in late 2012, taking place in England: at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, outside London, and other locations, such as London's Trafalgar Square and the coastal Saunton Sands. A total of nine companies handled the visual effects.
The screenplay went through multiple writers. Dante Harper wrote the initial spec script, which was purchased by Warner Bros. in April 2010. Joby Harold was hired to rewrite in June 2011. Six months before filming, Doug Liman discarded two-thirds of Harper's script, and Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth were hired. Simon Kinberg took over, then eight weeks before filming Christopher McQuarrie replaced him. The ending was not finalized before principal photography; Liman opted to finish the script during filming. McQuarrie considered focusing on comedic aspects and opted for an ending that was not harsh.
The plot follows Major William Cage, a public affairs officer forced into combat, who gains the ability to reset time after being bathed in the blood of an Alpha Mimic. He teams with Sergeant Rita Vrataski, who once had the same power, to locate and destroy the Omega Mimic, the alien superorganism controlling the time loops. The film's time-loop structure allows Cage to improve his combat skills through repeated deaths.
Reader's Guide
Edge of Tomorrow received positive reviews from critics and grossed $381 million against a $178 million budget. The film is notable for its loose adaptation of the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill, and for its complex production history involving multiple screenwriters. The film's time-loop premise, in which the protagonist relives the same day repeatedly, was a key narrative device that allowed for character development and comedic moments, as Tom Cruise compared Cage's deaths to Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The film was released theatrically in select territories on May 30, 2014, and in the United States on June 6. Its legacy includes being marketed under the alternate title Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow, and its visual effects were handled by nine companies. The film's ending, which sees Cage reawaken before his first meeting with General Brigham after destroying the Omega, was developed during principal photography to maintain a lighter tone.
Did You Know?
- Filming took place in England, including Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Trafalgar Square, and Saunton Sands.
- Nine companies handled the visual effects for the film.
- The screenplay was rewritten by multiple writers, with Christopher McQuarrie joining eight weeks before filming began.
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