Who wrote the novel that inspired Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige?

Christopher Priest wrote the novel that inspired Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige.

Priest’s novel, The Prestige, was published in 1995 and centers on a bitter rivalry between two Victorian-era stage magicians. Nolan and his brother Jonathan adapted its central conflict for the 2006 film, while making changes to the structure, characters, and emphasis.

The film stars Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier and Christian Bale as Alfred Borden. Michael Caine plays their engineer and mentor, John Cutter. The story explores sacrifice, deception, obsession, and the hidden cost of performing impossible-looking tricks.

The film and novel share the title and rivalry, but they are not identical adaptations. Nolan’s version also gives greater prominence to Nikola Tesla, played by David Bowie, and develops a more elaborate cinematic treatment of the story’s nested revelations.