Darren Aronofsky and his friend Ari Handel created the story for "The Fountain", and Aronofsky wrote the screenplay. When Aronofsky saw "The Matrix" in 1999, he considered it a film that redefined the science fiction genre. He sought to make a science fiction film that would explore new territory in the genre like "The Matrix" and its predecessors "Star Wars" and "". Aronofsky had in mind a science fiction film that would go beyond the other films whose plots were driven by technology and science. The director said, "We've seen it all. It's not really interesting to audiences anymore. The interesting things are the ideas; the search for God, the search for meaning."