Christopher Nolan bought real 747 to blow up for 'Tenet' as it was cheaper than VFX

The finale of new Tenet trailer sees a huge 747 going up in smoke, all intercut with Robert Pattinson's brilliantly plummy accent.

But rather than go either the VFX or miniature route, Christopher Nolan has revealed that it was more cost effective to destroy a real one.

Speaking to Total Film, Nolan said: “I planned to do it using miniatures and set-piece builds and a combination of visual effects and all the rest.

“However, while scouting for locations in Victorville, California, the team discovered a massive array of old planes. We started to run the numbers. It became apparent that it would actually be more efficient to buy a real plane of the real size, and perform this sequence for real in camera, rather than build miniatures or go the CG route.”

He adds: “It’s a strange thing to talk about – a kind of impulse buying, I suppose. But we kind of did, and it worked very well, with Scott Fisher, our special-effects supervisor, and Nathan Crowley, the production designer, figuring out how to pull off this big sequence in camera. It was a very exciting thing to be a part of.”

The full and frank trailer, which has revealed far more about the ambitious, mind-bending new action movie than most of us expected, debuted last week (in the online game Fortnite).

It introduced us to localised time-bending, John David Washington being tasked with preventing World War III (and a fate worse than armageddon) and Kenneth Branagh as the mysterious 'Russian national' who is likely behind it all.

Currently, the movie is still set for release on 17 July, with the hope that it will be the first title to hail the re-opening of cinemas following the coronavirus pandemic.

You can check out the latest trailer below...