What If The Future Never Happened was written by James Medlam, Heath George and Heath Johns, directed by James Medlam, and produced by Clockwork Films in association with Daniel Johns, BMG and Winarch.
Clockwork is proud to have partnered on a project that blends raw autobiography with sci-fi inspiration, bringing Daniel’s vision to the screen with ambition, intimacy, and heart.
From the first conversations to the final cut, What If The Future Never Happened has been a true labour of love for everyone at Clockwork Films. The story reimagines Daniel Johns as a teenager in 1994, right on the brink of fame, when a figure from the future appears and changes everything.
Equal parts reality and fantasy, the film is a semi-autobiographical journey through memory, music, and imagination — blurring the lines between what was, what is, and what could have been. Shot in 2022, Johns made the executive decision to hold the project back until it was fully realised, and to mark the 30th anniversary of Frogstomp.
“What If The Future Never Happened is equal parts reality and fantasy and I’m as proud of it as anything I’ve ever done in my career. The orchestration took time, and the final result was worth it.
To celebrate the release of the featurette, I’ll be sitting on stage, telling stories, taking the aux chord and sharing tunes that nobody has heard and sharing random ideas that couldn’t be realised or released. Basically, turning theatres into giant living rooms… it would be great if some people showed up but I’m doing it anyway – you’re all invited!” — Daniel Johns
The heartbeat of the film is Johns’ chart-topping solo album FutureNever – the longest-running Australian top-10 album of 2022 – woven together with orchestral reinterpretations of Silverchair classics.
Sound design comes courtesy of Adam Alexander (Bamm Bamm Wolfgang), creating a cinematic portal back to the ’90s – a postcard from the past written to the future.
What a buzz to finally see What If The Future Never Happened hit the big screen at its premiere over the weekend.
A huge congratulations to the Clockwork Films team that brought this project to life — including Director James Medlam and Clockwork Founder and Co-writer Heath George.
