Christopher Nolan Blew Up a Real 747 for 'Tenet' Because It Was Actually Cheaper Than Using CGI

Christopher Nolan brings out the kid in me who used to fake crash toy cars together during playtime.

He barely uses CGI for final touch-ups and tries to shoot real-world settings so that it actually feels real to the eye. In his mind-bending, spectacular Tenet, Nolan made an insane production decision that completely shattered our expectations and raised the bar higher for what can be achieved with practical stunts. In an interview given to Total Film Magazine, Nolan said they brought a real plane to crash on set because miniatures and CG were more expensive. Yes—wrap your head around that.

However, he is also a guy who, sometimes, like us, gives in to impulse buying. Let’s find out why.

A Little About Tenet

'Tenet' (2020)Credit: Warner Bros.

A secret agent, the Protagonist (John David Washington), is on a mission to prevent World War III, which requires him to embark on a dangerous journey in which the direction of time is reversed.

Tenet has spectacular cinematic appeal with its loud, jaw-dropping, and practical action set pieces. It is one of Nolan's boldest and most overtly ambitious movies, for which it received mixed reviews from the audience. It introduces a complex concept of temporal movement woven into the story, which was difficult for viewers to grasp on the first viewing. And on the second, too. Despite a whopping budget of $200 million, Tenet earned over $350 million.

Some hated it, and others said that Tenet was a movie way ahead of its time. But no one can deny that it was filmmaking on the grandest scale in terms of scope, technique, and ambition.

Plane Crash Context

In the movie, Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) is close to assembling a doomsday algorithm to wipe out the present world. To know more about his operations and stop him, the Protagonist has to gain the trust of Sator’s wife, Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), and for that, he has to steal a fake painting secured at Oslo Airport Freeport.

In one of the scenes, Neil (Robert Pattinson), sent from prosperity to help John David Washington’s character, briefly explains to him that they have to blow up a plane from the ground to create a massive distraction at the facility. This way, they can infiltrate the vault and steal the painting.

In the words of Neil, “This part is a little dramatic,” but it makes up for a great theatrical experience.

'Tenet' (2020)Credit: Warner Bros.

Original Idea for Plane Crash Scene

While writing Tenet, Christopher Nolan had originally planned to shoot the Oslo Freeport plane crash sequence with miniatures, set-piece builds, and visual effects. But the man knows how to be efficient. When he ran the numbers, he realized that buying a real plane is a cheaper and more authentic choice. He ran with it.

Scouting the Plane

They went around in the hope of buying an old Boeing 737 from a salvage company. But when Nolan was looking across the field full of different planes, a Boeing 747 caught his eye. He talked to his line producer to get one of those big ones. And they went for it again.

Why Buying an Airplane Was More Economical Than CGI?

First of all, in an interview on the BBC, he mentioned that the engines were sold off, which got them a fair chunk of money back. Apparently, engines are one of the most expensive parts of an airplane’s body. Second, the airframe degraded over time, making it unsuitable for aviation purposes. Plus, it was a salvage company, and an old airplane without engines is basically scrap and ridiculously cheap.

Nolan replaced the engines with fake rotor engines to move the plane. This minimized the need for CGI. Moreover, he didn’t need to build the interior set for the airplane, which is usually very expensive.

On the other hand, shooting the scene with miniatures and CGI would have cost him millions of dollars to achieve the same effect.

For the job, he called the same stuntman, who had driven the 16-wheeler truck that flipped in one of The Dark Knight’s chase sequences. And this is how Christopher Nolan’s impulse buying became a huge buzz in the film industry.

The entire plane crash was shot with precise engineering, tow ropes, and strict safety measures. Result? No reshoots, just pure practical filmmaking power.

Final Thoughts

At a time when CGI and green screens dominate the industry, Christopher Nolan always chooses to shoot his films as realistically as possible. The ability to take such bold decisions is what differentiates great directors like Nolan from good ones. And it pays off well on screen.