Want to read the story Rian Johnson wrote that eventually became Looper?

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Rian Johnson is fast becoming one of my favorite directors. Not just because he makes good movies but because he is willing to share the inner workings of his creative process with the world. For LOOPER, he shared his animatic pitch reel, a commentary for his trailer, and a ton of behind the scenes material.

Not to rest now that the film is no longer in theaters, Johnson has released a very cool little bonus on his Tumblr: the original 4 page story that eventually became LOOPER.

Johnson gave this little explanation on the site: At the time we were still trying and failing to get Brick made, and out of frustration I started writing short ideas that we could film with no money. The Psychology of Dream Analysis was one that we actually made, this was another (though we never ended up shooting it.) It sat in a drawer for seven years, until I pulled it out and used it as a sort of treatment for what became the full script. It’s both very different and very similar to what we ended up with on screen, I hope it’s an interesting read. Let me know what you think.

I read the story and it has all of the hallmarks and structure of what LOOPER eventually became. Much like viewing animatics or storyboards, this “sketch” goes to show that if you get your idea on paper, it can grow into any number of final products. For people like me who write these kinds of sketches all the time, this should serve as inspiration.

Click here to read the four page story.

LOOPER will hit Blu-ray and DVD on December 31, 2012.