High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Cloud Atlas is a 2012 Germandrama and science fiction film written and directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer. It was adapted from the 2004 novel by David Mitchell. The project had difficulty securing financial support during its four-year development, but was eventually produced with a $102 million budget provided by independent sources, making Cloud Atlas one of the most expensive independent films of all time. Featuring an ensemble cast to enact the film`s multiple storylines, production began in September 2011 at Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany.