Robert Pattinson's 'Cosmopolis' Set to Hit Theaters: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Cronenberg's Latest

"Cosmopolis," the highly anticipated collaboration between director David Cronenberg and "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson, is perhaps the most unconventional film of the summer. It follows Eric Packer (Pattinson), a 28-year-old billionaire on a quest for liberation from his shallow existence. Eric embarks on an odyssey through Manhattan traffic on a mysterious errand, encountering all manner of characters and conflict along the way.

Opening this Friday, "Cosmopolis" offers an intriguing discourse on financial ruin, impending global destruction, and the lure of technology.

Here are five things you might not already know about the film:

The Script Remained Unchanged Throughout Filming

During filming, the actors were instructed not to improvise in any way.

"Every single actor was stuck religiously to the script," Pattinson told Movie Minute. "Not a single line was changed."

And Pattinson, for one, was perfectly fine with that.

"What I liked about the script initially was the lyricism and the rhythm of it," the actor said during the film's Cannes press conference for the film. "Normally, when you do a movie you can play around with the lines and make it your own but with this I didn't want to change a single word or even punctuation. It was like a song."

Cronenberg Wrote The Script In Under a Week

After reading DeLillo's novel of the same name, Cronenberg adapted the script in record time.

"I knew Don's writing but I had not read this particular book," he said during the Cannes press conference."I read it and two days later decided that I really wanted to do it. It took me only six days to write the script and that's because the book was fantastic. His dialogue was just beautiful and perfect and what you see in the movie is almost word-for-word the dialogue that's in the book."

It's Almost Entirely Set in a Limousine

The film takes place primarily in Erik Packer's limousine -- with the majority of the characters coming in and out of the vehicle while Packer stays put.

"I love the ascetic idea of so much happening within a limo,"Cronenberg told the New York Times. "I don't find that it forces you into monotony. Quite the opposite, it forces you to be innovative."

Pattinson Earned Respect From Cronenberg and His Co-stars

Though many have been skeptical as to whether or not Pattinson could pull off the challenging role, Cronenberg and the film's stars have praised the actor.

"Well, he's terrific," Cronenberg told Entertainment Tonight. "I think because of 'Twilight's' success, people haven't been taking him too seriously as an actor, but you look at his other movies and he's really, really good. And I think in this movie, it's obvious that he's actually sensationally good."

"He was great," costar Paul Giamatti added. "I mean, when I showed up to do it, he had already been working on it and he was so ready, and so into his character it actually calmed me and helped me, because I just got thrown into the middle of it. He was huge. Thank God he was there, because he was great ... and so good."

"What I was really surprised by, perhaps arrogantly so, is that he is a real actor," costar Emily Hampshire also told ET. "This guy was an actor before "Twilight" and a hard working one and he really wants to do good work and I think it really shows in this movie."

Audiences Are More Excited Than They Were For "The Hunger Games"

In January, MTV conducted The Movie Brawl to find out which film audiences were looking forward to the most. "Cosmopolis" beat out "The Hunger Games" and "The Dark Knight Rises" to earn the title of the most anticipated film of the year.

In an interview with MTV, Cronenberg commented on the buzz.

"I've been following it! I'm shocked!" he said. "I'm shocked and amazed and really tickled. It proves that movie fans are unpredictable and really interesting and really passionate. It's fantastic. I would have never, ever imagined that this would happen."

"Cosmopolis" opens on August 17 in select cities.