10 Interstellar Script Changes That Drastically Changed The Film

10. Murph Is A Boy

Let's get one of the biggest differences between the first draft and the finished film out of the way first - Murph was originally going to be a boy. Seriously. In general terms male Murph plays a similar role in the story - he likewise figures out the solution to the gravity conundrum thanks to some of his father's time meddling - but the gender switch has a massive impact on the relationship between Cooper and his child, which is the whole emotional crux of the film. Making Murph a girl is a strong decision that gives us a look at a dynamic we don't see explored too deeply in blockbuster cinema. The young boy is much more fitting of Spielberg, and with this written only a few years after he'd had a father-daughter relationship central to his adaptation of The War Of The Worlds, it's not surprising his film would eschew that idea. The switch probably occurred due to where Nolan is in his life, with the relationship he has with his daughter, Flora, playing strongly on his mind. The film even had the fake production title of Flora's Letter, which is pretty explicit. Clearly he liked the Murphy's Law reference too much to change the name to something more feminine, however.