Steven Knight took inspiration from fishing trip when writing Serenity

Steven Knight was inspired by a fishing trip he once went on when he was writing Serenity.

The British filmmaker, who has directed films like Locke and Hummingbird and created TV shows like Peaky Blinders and Taboo, is now promoting his latest project, which stars Matthew McConaughey as a fishing boat captain who is approached by his ex-wife to murder her abusive new husband.

Regarding the initial idea for the feature, Knight has now described how the plot was partly influenced by a holiday he took around seven years ago.

“I was in (Eastern Caribbean island) Saint Lucia and I went (fishing) on a tuna boat. And the person who ran the boat was really nice and good to you and gave you beer… until a fish bit and then you didn’t exist, he was obsessed with catching fish,” he recalled in a video interview for Collider.com. “And I just really liked this (idea) of a person living in paradise with a beautiful life who just couldn’t relax, he couldn’t stop. He was driven to catch a fish.”

Knight has promised that there is lots of action in the flick, which he struggles to fit into a specific genre.

“It’s difficult, because I hope it’s a thriller. I don’t really like the word noir-ish but I hope it’s a thriller that appeals to people who like thrillers and appeals to people who like fishing,” the director said.

In addition to McConaughey, the cast of Serenity includes Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Jason Clarke, Jeremy Strong, and Djimon Hounsou. And Knight explained that soon after he had completed the screenplay, he had interest from many major stars.

“Once the (script) was finished, it got out quite quickly and responses came in quite quickly,” he insisted. “Sometimes you can labour and work and go after people and try and put it together… but sometimes, things just happen quickly and easily. And this was one of those occasions.”