Jumper (2008 film)

Plot

Jumper is a 2008 American science fiction action film directed by Doug Liman. It was written by David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls, and Simon Kinberg, and is loosely based on a 1992 novel by Steven Gould. The story follows a young man played by Hayden Christensen who discovers he can teleport instantly. As he learns to use this amazing power, he finds himself being chased by a secret group that wants to stop him.

Cast

The film also features many well-known actors, including Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Max Thieriot, AnnaSophia Robb, Diane Lane, Michael Rooker, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Production

Making the movie took place in 20 cities across 14 different countries between 2007 and 2008. It was released on February 14, 2008.

Reception

The film earned $225 million around the world. However, many critics did not enjoy the film as much, saying it changed too much from the original book and had a rushed story.

Plot

After falling into the Huron River, 15-year-old David Rice discovers that he can teleport, or "jump". He leaves his difficult home life and moves to New York City, where he uses his power to take things from banks.

Years later, David lives a fancy but troubled life. He meets Roland, the leader of the Paladins, a group that thinks people like David are dangerous. Roland has special tools to stop jumpers, but David escapes and returns to his hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he meets up with an old friend, Millie.

David and Millie travel to Rome, but are stopped by guards at the Colosseum. David teleports inside, where he is helped by another jumper named Griffin. Griffin warns David about the Paladins and takes him to a safe place.

David learns that his mother, Mary, who left when he was little, is part of the Paladins. She helps him escape and he decides to work with Griffin to stop Roland and protect Millie.

A big fight happens at Griffin's hideout, and the Paladins capture Millie. David and Griffin fight, and David rescues Millie. He faces Roland and decides not to hurt him, leaving him in the Grand Canyon with a warning. David says goodbye to his mother and jumps away with Millie.

Cast

The film has many talented actors. Hayden Christensen plays David Rice, a young man who can teleport. Rachel Bilson stars as Millie Harris, David's love interest. Samuel L. Jackson acts as Roland Cox, the leader of a special group called the Paladins. Jamie Bell portrays Griffin O'Connor, a jumper who does things his own way. Other actors include Diane Lane as David's mother, Michael Rooker as David's father, and Kristen Stewart as David's younger sister.

Production

Script and storyboards

In November 2005, New Regency Productions chose director Doug Liman to lead the movie Jumper, based on a story by Steven Gould. Screenwriter Jim Uhls helped change the story for the screen, and Simon Kinberg also worked on the script. Before filming, the studio planned to make more movies with the same idea.

Unlike most movies, Jumper needed six artists to plan the action scenes. They thought carefully about how the characters could teleport and fight with this special power.

Casting

In April 2006, actors Tom Sturridge, Teresa Palmer, and Jamie Bell were chosen for Jumper. Later, Samuel L. Jackson joined as Roland Cox. But in August, Hayden Christensen took over the lead role. Rachel Bilson replaced Teresa Palmer after Christensen joined the cast.

Filming

Filming began in October 2006 in Toronto and later moved to Rome, where they filmed at the Colosseum. They used natural light and special cameras to capture scenes quickly. Filming continued in Toronto, Tokyo, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Students from Huron High School acted as extras. The movie was filmed in 20 cities across 14 countries.

Visual effects

The visual effects company Weta Digital helped create scenes for the movie, working on many of the shots. They used special software to show the characters teleporting to different places, like Big Ben and the Sphinx. Other companies also helped with the visual effects.

Release

Jumper came out on February 14, 2008, thanks to 20th Century Fox.

Reception

The film Jumper got mixed reviews. On the website Rotten Tomatoes, only 15% of critics liked it, giving it an average rating of 4 out of 10. Another website, Metacritic, gave it a score of 35 out of 100, meaning most critics did not enjoy it.

Some people liked the action scenes, but others thought the story and characters were not very interesting. The movie did well at the box office, especially in international markets. It made over $221 million worldwide in 2008.

Soundtrack

The music for the film came out on February 19, 2008, after the movie was shown in theaters. John Powell made all the songs. This was his third time working with the director, Doug Liman. They had worked together on The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Brett Weymark led the music, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra played it.

Home media

The film came out on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in North America on June 10, 2008 and internationally on June 16. It included extra features like a commentary, deleted scenes, an animated graphic novel, short films, and a digital copy to watch on small devices.

Video game

A video game named Jumper: Griffin's Story was made for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and Wii. The game follows Griffin as he tries to solve a mystery about his parents. The game was released on February 12, 2008, two days before the movie.

Novel tie-ins

Steven Gould, who wrote the original Jumper book, also wrote Jumper: Griffin's Story to match the film. This book shares more about Griffin’s early life. A graphic novel called Jumper: Jumpscars was also released, with extra stories about the movie.

Potential sequel

Author Steven Gould wrote a second book in the Jumper series called Reflex. It came out in 2004. By 2014, two more books in the series were also published.

Before the movie came out in 2008, Hayden Christensen talked about making more movies. He said the story could let the characters grow in future films. Lucas Foster also said the story was big enough for at least three movies.

After the movie, director Doug Liman shared some ideas for a sequel. He thought Jumpers might travel to other planets or move through time. He also mentioned that the character played by Rachel Bilson might learn to jump, just like in the book Reflex. But as of 2026^[update], there have been no new updates about a sequel.

Television series

See also: Impulse (TV series)

A spin-off television series from the film, called Impulse, started on YouTube Premium in June 2018.