Inception Timeline ( Real )

scriptwriting
2001

Christopher Nolan Writes Script for Inception

Christopher Nolan conceives and writes the script for the movie 'Inception'.

business
2009

Warner Bros. Acquires Distribution Rights

Warner Bros. Pictures acquires the distribution rights for 'Inception'.

music
2009

Hans Zimmer Composes Score

Composer Hans Zimmer begins working on the musical score for 'Inception'.

release
July 16, 2010

Inception Film Released

The movie 'Inception' is released in theaters worldwide.

premiere
May 12, 2010

Inception Premieres at Cannes Film Festival

Inception has its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

award
March 27, 2011

Inception Wins Academy Awards

Inception wins 4 Academy Awards including Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.

Inception Timeline ( Fictional )

dream_origin
Years before main events

Cobb and Mal's Shared Dream Exploration

Dom Cobb and Mal experiment with dream sharing and create the concept of limbo, a deep subconscious space.

character_backstory
Years before main events

Mal's Death in Limbo

After spending decades in limbo, Cobb performs an inception on Mal to convince her that their world is not real, leading to her waking up and eventually her death.

plot_setup
Weeks before main events

Cobb Meets Saito

Cobb meets Saito and undertakes a job for him, promising to help him in return for a chance to return to the United States.

team_assembly
Days before main events

Recruiting the Team

Cobb recruits Ariadne, Arthur, Eames, and Yusuf to help with the inception mission on Robert Fischer.

preparation
Days before main events

Inception Planning and Training

The team plans the multi-layered dream levels and practices shared dreaming and extraction techniques.

mission_execution
Day 1 of inception mission

First Dream Layer: City Chase

The team enters Fischer's subconscious for the first dream layer, involving a city chase and confrontation with Fischer's subconscious projections.

mission_execution
Day 1 of inception mission

Second Dream Layer: Hotel

The team moves into the hotel dream level, where Arthur investigates Fischer's mind and fights projections while the van in the first layer is falling.

mission_execution
Day 1 of inception mission

Third Dream Layer: Snow Fortress

The team infiltrates a snowy mountain fortress to plant the idea in Fischer's subconscious, with Eames impersonating Fischer's godfather.

mission_climax
Day 1 of inception mission, limbo stage

Limbo and Rescue of Fischer and Cobb

Cobb and Fischer enter limbo due to unexpected deaths in the dream layers and confront subconscious projections; Fischer is shown his father's legacy and Cobb confronts Mal.

mission_conclusion
Immediately after inception mission

Mission Success and Cobb's Return

After the inception is completed, Cobb returns to reality, reunited with his children; ambiguity remains about whether he is still dreaming.