Daniele Sebastian on Alpha: We wanted to tell the most universal story

Alpha movie still

Both a rip-roaring adventure and a heartwarming story of mankind discovering man's best friend, ALPHA evolved when a quest for a story that could transcend language barriers morphed into an idea to memorably dramatize the domestication of the wolf by early humans. Over many years, as a script was developed, and extensive research shone a light on a rarely recreated time in history, a universal tale of family, struggle, and companionship took shape - just one that was set 20,000 years ago.

The world looked different then but still held a recognizable majesty and starkness. Men and women were Cro-Magnon, but not the grunting figures so often portrayed in popular culture - their tool-making was sophisticated, creativity was essential, and tribes were like families, with their own complex hierarchies.

Using this setting, and an old-fashioned story of survival and renewal, screenwriter Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt and director Albert Hughes -- who had first envisioned the story of a wide-reaching boy-and-humanity's-first-dog -- hashed out a screenplay over Skype calls between Los Angeles, where Wiedenhaupt lived, and Hughes' home base of Prague. The wonders of modern technology, in other words, were utilized to bring a lost world to propulsive, understandable life for today's audiences.

Says Wiedenhaupt, "We wanted to tell the most universal story we possibly could, a story that was personal to everyone around the world who could watch it, so we went all the way back to this culture, which was incredible. The more we researched and the more we learned, we realised we had a rich tapestry to draw on."

Also Read: Hollywood movie Alpha to release in India on August 24

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