Before he travelled to Arrakis to tell the story of Dune, and before he took on one of sci-fi’s most popular legacies with Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve tackled a genre tale that was equally epic in its ideas but far more intimate in its storytelling: 2016’s Arrival. Its striking production design incorporates spaceships, fantastical creatures, and a unique visual language — all topics that will be explored in the forthcoming release The Art and Science of Arrival which Gizmodo is exclusively debuting today.
Arrival, starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker, traces the life of a linguist who must figure out how to communicate peacefully with the aliens who’ve unexpectedly arrived on Earth — where nearly everyone else is, predictably, all too ready to resort to violence. The author of The Art and Science of Arrival, Tanya Lapointe, is also a producer who worked with Villeneuve on Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and the upcoming Dune.
She’s also written the books The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049 and The Art and Soul of Dune. So if you’re an Arrival fan or just a fan of science fiction filmmaking, this is definitely a book that’ll be right at home on your coffee table. Here’s the full announcement, appearing on Gizmodo exclusively, an exclusive peek at the cover, and a few inside pages of the upcoming book releasing February 1, 2022.
“Titan Books is delighted to announce the upcoming publication of The Art and Science of Arrival, a visually captivating account of one of the most talked about science-fiction films of the 21st century.
Featuring first-hand accounts and insightful interviews with the key creative and scientific team members tasked with bringing the film to cinemas worldwide, the book will also include an exclusive foreword by science fiction author Ted Chiang, and an exclusive afterword by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve.
Since its release by Paramount Pictures in the U.S. in 2016, Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival has embedded itself firmly in the minds of moviegoers around the world. The film, which was grounded in a certain level of plausible science, has also generated conversation within academia and has been studied in film, philosophy, and linguistic classes.
The Art and Science of Arrival revisits the film and its legacy with the production’s key team members. This lavish hardback volume recounts the genesis of this modern classic, from Ted Chiang’s short story The Story of Your Life to its premiere in Venice and its subsequent eight Academy Award nominations. It explores the film’s concept of non-linear time, and showcases the remarkable concept art that brought the aliens, their ships and their startling logogram language to life.
Written by author and producer Tanya Lapointe, The Art and Science of Arrival is set to publish as a stunning hardback on February 1, 2022, priced at $US50 ($69) and £35.”
The Art and Science of Arrival will be out on February 22.