Brad Bird gave up 'Star Wars' for 'Tomorrowland'

London: Filmmaker Brad Bird has revealed he turned down a job directing the latest installment of "Star Wars" so he could create "Tomorrowland: A World Beyond".

The 57-year-old director said he made the 'difficult' decision to pass on a chance to direct an installment of the science fiction franchise, reported Independent.

"It was difficult to turn down 'Star Wars'. I've loved 'Star Wars' since I saw the original, and I know George Lucas.

"But when I was asked to direct Episode Seven, I was working on my own idea - 'Tomorrowland'; we had a script we liked, George Clooney and Hugh Laurie had committed to it, and I didn't know whether, if we lost that momentum, we'd ever recapture it," Bird said. 

'Tomorrowland' tops North American box office

Los Angeles: Disney's latest release " Tomorrowland" beat "Pitch Perfect 2" to take the first place at the North American box office with collections of $32.2 million till the third day of the extended Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the US and is observed across the country on May 25, 2015.

Tomorrowland, which debuted on Friday, would rake in an estimated mediocre $40.7 million over the four-day period.

The adventure movie, directed by two-time Oscar winner Brad Bird, was screened at 3,972 locations in US and Canada, Xinhua reported on Sunday. 

Starring Oscar winner George Clooney and young actress Britt Robertson, the film is about an inventor (Clooney) who takes along a teen (Robertson) to an alternate world called "Tomorrowland". 

The movie received a 49 percent in Rotten Tomatoes ratings.

Universal's musical comedy "Pitch Perfect 2," winner of last weekend's box office, dropped to second place this weekend, with $30.3 million, declining 56 percent, and an estimated 37.9 million dollars over the four-day time frame. 

"Pitch Perfect 2" has grossed $117.8 million in the first 10 days.

George Miller's action film "Mad Max: Fury Road" came in third position as it took in$23.9 million.

Rounding out the 10 most popular movies in the US and Canada this weekend were: "Poltergeist" ($23 million), "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" ($20.9 million), "Hot Pursuit" ($3.5 million), "Far From The Madding Crowd" ($2.9 million), "Furious 7" ($2.1 million), "Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2" ($1.8 million) and "Home" ($1.7 million).

'Tomorrowland' review: Disney's summer treat

Disney's "Tomorrowland" is a typical sci-fi, blockbuster adventure film, a perfect offering for teenagers this summer.

Narrated in a non-linear, he-said, she-said manner, the film is initially confusing, but gradually settles down as the exposition gets clear.

The film begins with middle-aged George Clooney, as Frank Walker, telling us: "This is the story about the future and the future can be scary." He goes on to give reasons for his belief and then states: "When I was a kid, the future was different."

His version is then followed by Cassey's.

Frank's version starts way back in 1964 at the New York World Fair, where, as a teenage inventor, he enthusiastically goes to present his creation, a "jet pack". His creation is half-baked, but nevertheless he manages to impress Athena, a young girl, about his age, who offers him a shiny badge marked with the letter 'T'. This pin leads him to a futuristic place called Tomorrowland.

Over the years, Frank is exiled from Tomorrowland and he now leads a secluded life.

On the other hand, Cassey, an optimistic enthusiast, daughter of an ex-NASA scientist, is unwittingly introduced to Tomorrowland by Athena. Her quest to learn more about the place leads her to Frank and then their journey begins to save the world, doomed by wars and environmental disasters.

It is their story. Packed with life's lessons and fantasy effects that include soft-lens-clear images of a beautiful world, Tomorrowland is a dreamer's paradise. Some of the lessons of optimism are: "The tiniest of action can change the future" and how "In every moment there are possibilities of a better future".

The film belongs to the brilliant children; Brittany Robertson plays Cassey Newton, Raffey Cassidy essays Athena the machine girl "designed to find dreamers", Pierce Gagnon plays Cassey's young brother Nate Newton and Thomas Robinson, the ever-charming young Frank. They steal your heart with their performances.

George Clooney as the grumpy genius Frank Walker along with Hugh Laurie as the ruler of Tomorrowland offer nothing exceptional.

Unlike other films that speak about dystopian societies, "Tomorrowland" has a very positive and optimistic approach. Visually, the film is bright and cheerful thanks to cinematographer Claudio Miranda's brilliant camera work, production designer Scott Chambliss's fine production output and music composer Michael Giacchino's elevating background score.

The only issue is that though the film ends on a very upbeat note, it does not offer any solutions to the issues it raised.

'Tomorrowland' to release on May 22

New Delhi: George Clooney-starrer adventure mystery "Tomorrowland" will hit theatres on May 22.

Directed by Brad Bird, the Disney film also stars Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key and Thomas Robinson.

"Tomorrowland" tells the story of a former boy genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embarking on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as Tomorrowland. What they must do there changes the world, and them, forever.

"We hope audiences will be entertained, but with luck we've also made something that will give them something to talk and think about later…maybe even start to imagine a different kind of future," Bird said in a statement.

"Tomorrowland" is produced by Damon Lindelof, Bird and Jeffrey Chernov while John Walker, Bernard Bellew, Jeff Jensen and Brigham Taylor are serving as executive producers.