Rian Johnson Interview

"I spoke to Johnson recently and he said the inspiration for BLOOM came not from one or two specific conmen films. "It's not inspired by any one film in the genre though I'm obviously a huge fan of films like THE STING," the Robert Redford/Paul Newman classic. While BLOOM is really nothing like THE STING, or really any other con film before it, it does share a common trait: rather elaborate cons.
It took Johnson a few months to properly develop their characters and their schemes, a process he started while waiting for BRICK to be released.

The script was originally titled PENELOPE named after the character Rachel Weisz plays in the film, so as Johnson explains, "it was extremely important to find the perfect actress for that part." Weisz had just recently given birth to her first child (Henry with director Darren Aronofsky) and Johnson was nervous she wouldn't be ready to ready to jump back into acting. But after meeting with Weisz and discussing the script with her, he "knew she was the one" and lucky for him, she agreed.
While Weisz and Adrien Brody and their eventual romance is certainly the focus of the film, the performance of Mark Ruffalo and the character Bang-Bang (played by Rinko Kikuchi) really help move the film along (I likened their characters to Han Solo and Chewbacca). I enjoyed those two so much, I felt like I wanted to see a spinoff with just them. "They really could star in their own movie, couldn't they?," says Johnson admitting he had to find the right balance to where they wouldn't detract from the central love story.
Rachel Weisz at The Brothers Bloom Screening, N.Y.

THE BROTHERS BLOOM opens in New York and Los Angeles today and in more cities on May 29.
Source: www.joblo.com