Let's be honest—Tom Hooper didn't just bomb with Cats. He nuked his career with it. Like, radioactive-litter-box levels of bad. The film's grotesque CGI and tonal confusion weren't just panned—they became an industry punchline. Hooper went from Oscar royalty to a trivia-night cautionary tale in record time. But now, he's crawling out of director's jail, clutching what might be his best chance at cinematic absolution: Photograph 51, starring Natalie Portman as unsung scientific heroine Rosalind Franklin.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Hooper was good. The King's Speech, Les Misérables, The Danish Girl—these weren't flukes. They were calculated prestige plays that landed. And yet, Hollywood has a shorter memory than a TikTok scroll. One misstep (okay, major faceplant) and he was gone, replaced by a commercial reel that screamed, “Remember me? I directed stain remover ads now.”
But Photograph 51 is different. Based on Anna Ziegler's acclaimed play, the film dives into the life of Rosalind Franklin, the brilliant x-ray crystallographer whose image—yes, literally a photo called “Photograph 51″—helped unlock the double helix structure of DNA. It's got the kind of feminist firepower and intellectual gravitas that could earn a slot in awards season. If it lands. If.
The Return of the Prestige Biopic (Again)
There's an industry pattern here. Directors fall from grace, then return via biopics featuring tortured geniuses or misunderstood figures. Think Bennett Miller (Capote, Foxcatcher), or more recently, Darren Aronofsky's rebound with The Whale. The formula: Find a subject with pathos. Cast someone Oscar-approved. Avoid CGI cats.
Portman, of course, is no stranger to biographical complexity. From Jackie to Black Swan, she thrives in roles that balance poise and emotional combustion. Rosalind Franklin is ripe for reappraisal—not just as a brilliant mind, but as a woman methodically erased from her own legacy. James Watson and Francis Crick got the Nobel. Franklin got a footnote. Hooper's film promises to shine a klieg light on that imbalance.
Can Hollywood Actually Forgive?
Let's not pretend this is purely about Franklin or feminism. This is about Tom Hooper's reentry into the trust circle. And whether the industry—especially Cannes, where this project is being shopped—will uncancel him. Hollywood loves a comeback, but it also loves mockery. Cats wasn't just a bad film. It was a public humiliation. And Hooper, famously meticulous and controlling, took most of the heat.
The stakes are high. Photograph 51 isn't just a redemption bid—it's a litmus test for what kind of failures the industry tolerates. Box office bombs? Sure. But aesthetic disasters that become memes? Harder to shake.
So what's at risk? A director's legacy. A woman's recognition. And maybe—just maybe—the return of thoughtful, actor-driven drama in a franchise-choked market. If Hooper pulls this off, it won't just be a comeback. It'll be a reinvention.
Would you forgive a CGI crime if it leads to an Oscar-caliber comeback? Drop your verdict below.
