Max Landis Explains the Mysterious Origins of the Superpowers in ‘Chronicle’
Posted on Tuesday, November 5th, 2013 by Angie Han
We know exactly where Superman’s indestructibility comes from, or how mild-mannerd Bruce Banner turned into a giant green rage monster. But unlike their more mainstream counterparts, Josh Trank‘s Chronicle didn’t spend a whole lot of time dwelling on how, exactly, the boys got their powers. The film seemed far less interested in the sci-fi mechanics of their abilities than in what the guys did with them once they had them.
All of which is a rambly way to say that it never really even occurred to me to wonder just what happened to those kids that fateful night. But if you’re curious, screenwriter Max Landis does have an explanation, and you can read it after the jump — along with a little more information about his Chronicle sequel that never was. (Spoilers follow.)
In the movie, we see Andrew (Dane DeHaan), Matt (Alex Russell), and Steve (Michael B. Jordan) climb into a strange hole in the ground which is emitting a strange sound. Once inside, they discover a blue, glowing crystal which turns red. Their noses start to bleed, the scene cuts to black, and then the movie picks back up with them some time later after they’ve already discovered their telekinetic abilities.
While chatting with Buzzfeed, Landis explained in a little more detail how the kids got their powers. Apparently, they come from Massive Organic Geoelectric Objects, which Landis describes as “a race of crystalline organisms that communicate and propel themselves through radio waves, and turn higher life forms into telekinetic drones.”
That revelation isn’t likely to change anyone’s perception of Chronicle in a significant way, since it was such a small part of that movie. But the organisms would have been more central in subsequent films, had Landis had his way. The writer has previously said that one of his disappointments about being taken off the Chronicle sequel was that “I don’t know if I’ll get the opportunity to explain what MOGO was or what he was doing in that cave.”
Landis further revealed to Buzzfeed that he’d envisioned Chronicle as the first of three movies, and that the second would have followed two “embittered” antiheroes tracking down Max, the sole main character left alive at the end of the first film. A few months ago, he mentioned that his idea for the sequel would have centered around a woman who tries to become the world’s first supervillain.
Do you find Landis’ explanation satisfying? Are you bummed we won’t get to see more of these organisms?
