Cloud Atlas (film)

Cloud Atlas
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lana Wachowski Tom Tykwer Lilly Wachowski
Produced by	Stefan Arndt Grant Hill Lana Wachowski Tom Tykwer Lilly Wachowski
Screenplay by	Lana Wachowski Tom Tykwer Lilly Wachowski
Based on	Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Starring	Tom Hanks Halle Berry Jim Broadbent Hugo Weaving Jim Sturgess Doona Bae Ben Whishaw James D'Arcy Zhou Xun Keith David David Gyasi Susan Sarandon Hugh Grant
Music by	Tom Tykwer Johnny Klimek Reinhold Heil
Cinematography	John Toll Frank Griebe
Edited by	Alexander Berner
Production companies	Cloud Atlas Production X-Filme Creative Pool Anarchos Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures (North America and United Kingdom) X-Verleih (Germany) Focus Features (International)
Release date	8 September 2012 (2012-09-08) (TIFF) 26 October 2012 (2012-10-26) (North America) 15 November 2012 (2012-11-15) (Germany)
Running time	171 minutes
Country	Germany United States
Language	English
Budget	$128.5 million
Box office	$130.5 million

Cloud Atlas is a 2012 German-Americanscience fiction film written and directed by The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer. Adapted from the 2004 novel of the same name by David Mitchell, the film has multiple plots set across six different eras, which Mitchell described as "a sort of pointillist mosaic." The official synopsis describes it as "an exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution."Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, and Jim Broadbent lead an ensemble cast.

The film was produced by Grant Hill, Stefan Arndt, the Wachowskis, and Tykwer. During four years of development, the project met difficulties securing financial support; it was eventually produced with a $102 million budget provided by independent sources, making it one of the most expensive independent films of all time. Production began in September 2011 at Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany.

It premiered on 8 September 2012 at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival and was released on 26 October 2012 in conventional and IMAX cinemas. It polarized critics, and has been included on various Best Film and Worst Film lists. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for Tykwer (who co-scored the film), Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil. It received several nominations at the Saturn Awards including Best Science Fiction Film, winning for Best Editing and Best Make-up.