20 Things You Didn't Know About The Prestige

20. Christopher Priest Wanted Sam Mendes To Direct

Since The Prestige is based on a novel, there was naturally a lot of interest from other filmmakers and studios in adapting it for the big screen.

Author Christopher Priest also had his own ideas about who should transform his book into a movie, and his original choice for director, surprisingly, wasn't Nolan.

Priest actually wanted Sam Mendes - who most recently directed Bond outings Skyfall and Spectre, as well as Oscar frontrunner 1917 - to helm the film before Nolan came onboard. In the project's early days, Priest received directing offers from both Nolan and Mendes, and was going to select Mendes until Nolan changed his mind by sending him a copy of his first film, Following.

It's understandable that Priest initially wanted Mendes (the guy had just won numerous Academy Awards for American Beauty) but it's difficult to imagine anyone other than Nolan having made this particular film.