'Pluribus' Sources of Inspiration: 5 Movies That Influenced Vince Gilligan & the Show Itself
It is a map of the ideas, visual solutions, and narrative approaches that formed the basis of Pluribus.
No creative idea is born in a vacuum, rather, it grows in the fertile soil of cultural influences and personal inspirations. Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, demonstrates this once again with his new sci-fi project, Pluribus.
The showrunner lifted the veil on his creative process by sharing with Letterboxd a list of movies that influenced the series and its creator.
1. 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', 1956
IMDb Score: 7.7/10
A doctor from a small California town is concerned about the growing number of patients who claim that their loved ones are becoming indifferent and unfeeling, and that they no longer recognize them.
After investigating, he discovers that the problem involves doppelgängers created by mysterious aliens who are planning to conquer Earth.
Gilligan said: “The granddaddy of them all. An allegory about the evils of communism... or McCarthyism, it depends on who you ask... this movie prompted me to take the trope of soul-snatching and turn it on its head.”
2. 'They Live', 1988
IMDb Score: 7.2/10
One day, Nada, a simple construction worker, discovers a pair of unusual sunglasses. After putting them on, he gains the ability to see the world as it really is.
He discovers that the government is bombarding people with hidden messages that influence them at a subconscious level. Even more terrifying, Nada sees the true faces of many politicians and important members of society – they are evil aliens.
Vince Gilligan was inspired by the idea of the movie: “One of the struggles Rowdy encounters is convincing people to wake up to the fact that they're being subjugated. Pluribus owes a debt to this.”
3. 'After Life', 1998
IMDb Score: 7.6/10
Somewhere in limbo, deceased souls are interviewed about their lives. They must reflect on their lives and choose one memory to take with them to the afterlife. The problem is that not everyone remembers events from their life.
Gilligan comments: “In Pluribus, our “Joined” characters all get to share each other's blissful memories... so it's easy to see how After Life influenced me on some level.”
4. 'The Truman Show', 1998
IMDb Score: 8.2/10
Truman Burbank lives in a perfect, sunny world, unaware that a campaign to rescue him from the reality TV world is underway beyond its borders.
He has been living under the watchful eye of TV cameras since birth, broadcasting his routine to the world. However, Truman eventually realizes the illusory nature of his existence.
Despite Pluribus being inspired by it, Gilligan reveals he has never seen this movie: “Still, let's count The Truman Show as an inspiration for Pluribus, because my entire writing staff loves it. They bring it up often, and their disappointment in me is palpable.”
5. 'Village of the Damned', 1960
IMDb Score: 7.3/10
For a few hours, the entire population of a small village falls into a state of catalepsy. Then, they wake up and life goes on as if nothing had happened. A few weeks later, however, the scientist Gordon's wife announces that she is pregnant.
Many other women in the village experience the same thing. After some time, the children are born. They grow up with blond hair, and they don't look anything like their parents.
Gilligan says: “The mass unconsciousness, the telepathy the kids all share, the synchrony of their movements...? Yeah, you'll definitely hear echoes of Village Of The Damned in our show.”
