FAQ

No. Ex Machina is based on an original screenplay by Alex Garland.

It is a wordplay from the known term "deus ex machina" which translates from Latin to "god in the machine" (therefore the title means "from the machine"). It is a plot device by which many plays are ended, a "god in a machine" descends from heaven to solve all the characters' problems and wind everything up perfectly. In the movie, there is an analogy between being a god and having created an artificial intelligence. The removal of the word "deus" from the title may indicate that such a creator is not a god after all or that there is a separation between the artificial intelligence and its creator on a philosophical level. It may also hint at the birth of a consciousness from a machine and the separation of an intelligence from this machine.

Universal Pictures financed this film in exchange for worldwide sales rights. After this film was finished, Universal thought that it was too quirky for a big studio release. So Universal offered this film to Peter Schlessel (then-CEO of Focus Features, Universal's specialty division). But Peter Schlessel passed on this film. Afterwards, Indie distributor A24 jumped at the chance to release this film in the USA, and this film enjoyed USA box office success and got two major Oscar nominations. Universal vowed not to let the same situation happen again.