Introduction to Jesse Armstrong
Jesse Armstrong, one of the most successful screenwriters in Great Britain, is not one who rests on his laurels. Hot from the back of his hit show Succession, which followed the phrases and twists of the life of the Logan Roy media mogul, played by Brian Cox, and his four children, Armstrong is back with his first feature film, Mountainhead.
The Concept of Mountainhead
Mountainhead is a satire film about a group of four technical billionaire friends who go to a mountain resort for the weekend, but their social media companies come under investigation when social unrest breaks out worldwide. Armstrong speaks about the film, "At first, people say, ‘Why are you doing these rich people?’ And it is a fair question. They are technical billionaires. Succession was about a large media family. And I think it is because I am interested in power, I don’t think it is all about wealth."
The Creation of Mountainhead
Armstrong wrote Mountainhead very quickly. "We did it at great speed. I set it up in December and wrote it in January… I wrote it down by the pre-production and then shot it in 22 days and then edited it." The 54-year-old Armstrong wanted to carry out a quick turnaround in the film to try to capture the feeling and pace of technological developments and the fear of society before it stops.
Inspiration Behind Mountainhead
The inspiration for Mountainhead was from listening to podcasts. "I have written a book review of Sam-Bankman-Fried, the crypto scam, and then I read more and more about Tech, and I listened to Podcasts from Senior Tech figures by Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman, but also the mid-level people and even lower level – it is an ecosphere." Armstrong told the Hay audience that he knew that his job was to hire the audience and write the film, "one way to express a lot of feelings about this world and about these men – they are almost all men in this world – and it is cathartic".
Armstrong’s Approach to Writing
Armstrong’s shows are known for their dark humor, and he, if he had to write his job description, would lay down "Comedy writer" and added that he did not see himself as a storyteller. "I try to make a story that will probably laugh at people. And the piece I find most difficult is a story to find a story because people remember jokes, but they just can’t do it through this half an hour, unless this story is convincing enough to take part in an audience."
Armstrong’s Personality
Many writers and showrunners lead the episodes of the series that they created, but Armstrong says that he could not do so according to the sequence, which won several awards, including 14 prime-time Emmys. Armstrong does not seem to be your stereotype of a self-confident showrunner, which is quite shy and modest despite his success. "Sometimes very creative people have a real ‘screw them’ to authority, and I don’t have that. Maybe I’m a little more fearful, a little more accessible. I want everyone to be happy. I want to give people what they want in a rather decent and humane way."
Conclusion
Mountainhead will be released on HBO and Max on May 31. With its unique blend of satire and dark humor, it is sure to captivate audiences and leave them thinking about the world of technology and social media. Armstrong’s ability to create thought-provoking content while making people laugh is a rare gift, and Mountainhead is a testament to his skills as a writer and creator.
