'2084': Paramount Making '1984'-Inspired Sci-Fi Film From 'The Batman' Writer

Paramount is set to go to the future with 2084, a sci-fi film from The Batman writer Mattson Tomlin. The project is being described as a "spiritual sister" to George Orwell's classic 1984, which really just sounds like they're adapting 1984 but changing the year so it's no longer dated. The script is also described as having a tone similar to both The Matrix and Inception.

THR has the scoop on 2084, which was just snapped up by Paramount. Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce. And just what is this movie about? Don't ask, because no one is saying. Instead, the quality of Mattson Tomlin's script is being played up, with THR reporting that 2084 "generated interest from filmmakers and talent who were eager to get involved before its pick-up, a testament to Tomlin's writing prowess."

Beyond that, all we know is that the movie will be similar in tone to The Matrix and Inception, and that it's a "spiritual sister" to 1984. 1984 is, of course, George Orwell's classic about government oppression, totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and a bunch of other stuff that all feels uncomfortably familiar to us saps here in the 21st century. 1984 was previously adapted into a 1984 film starring John Hurt and Richard Burton. It's also served as partial inspiration for plenty of other films, including Equilibrium and Equals. More often than not, the themes of 1984 tend to get blended into movies along with books like Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451, which also deal with totalitarian future societies. It's almost as if the writers of the past were all warning us that the future – our present – was going to be a constant waking nightmare.

Giving the film the title 2084 and connecting it to 1984 really makes me think this is going to end up being an updated, more futuristic take on Orwell's tale, but we'll have to wait and see how that shakes out. Comparing the tone to The Matrix and Inception suggests there will be plenty of mind-bending elements at play, though. Tomlin has directed several short films and penned multiple scripts, but he's likely to become a big up-and-comer based on having worked on The Batman with Matt Reeves. Tomlin is also responsible for a currently unproduced script based on the video game Mega Man.