Movies
Sci-fi Thriller ‘The Astronaut’ Starring Kate Mara Acquired for Release This Fall
From producer Brad Fuller (A Quiet Place, The Purge franchise) comes the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut, and Vertical has acquired U.S. rights with plans to release this Fall.
The Astronaut stars Kate Mara (The Martian, “American Horror Story”), Laurence Fishburne (John Wick films, The Matrix trilogy, Event Horizon) and Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate, “The Last Of Us”).
In the film, “When astronaut Sam Walker (Mara) returns from her first space mission, she’s found miraculously alive in a punctured capsule floating deep off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Expecting to be reunited with her husband (Luna), she finds herself placed under intense NASA surveillance in a high security house for rehabilitation and medical testing under the control of General William Harris (Fishburne). However, when disturbing occurrences begin happening around the property, she fears that something extraterrestrial has followed her back to Earth.”
The sci-fi thriller was written and directed by Jess Varley (Phobias), making her solo writing and directorial debut.
Varley stated: “I’m forever grateful for the Fullers and Wonder Company’s dedication to the film, and over the moon to be partnering with Vertical on its release. Laurence and Kate gave their all to our nostalgic roller coaster ride with heart concealed behind its scares. We’re excited for audiences to join us on a journey of wonderment where all is not what it seems… even the genre itself.”
“Jess’ direction paired with my son Cameron and Wonder Company’s producing created something truly unique on The Astronaut. Vertical saw what we all felt – this is a special film from an exciting new team,” said producer Brad Fuller.
“Jess has created a claustrophobic, otherworldly sci-fi thriller anchored by fantastic performances from Kate and Laurence. We can’t wait for The Astronaut to keep U.S. audiences on the edge of their seats until the final frame,” added Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey.
I wrote in my SXSW review, “It’s a concept that Varley mines for psychological tension, playing on the ambiguity of whether the threat is internal or external to drive up the paranoia and fear. Varley’s eventual answer to this looming question audaciously delivers something new, though it struggles to stick its landing.”
Stay tuned for the exact release date when it’s announced.
Before updating the video nasty Faces of Death, director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei explored the dangers of online life in tech-thriller Cam, their feature debut that was acquired by Netflix in 2018 after making waves on the festival circuit.
At the end of last year, the Netflix exclusive quietly departed from the streaming platform, left without another streaming home.
It’s not an isolated story; Mike Flanagan’s Hush also left streaming entirely for a period until it was finally picked up on both physical media and other streaming services.
While the tech-thriller currently isn’t available to watch on Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, or any other platforms, that’s not a problem for Cam thanks to a very cool move by Goldhaber: the director has made his breakout film accessible to watch online for free via his website.
As his site notes: “CAM is unfortunately not currently available to view on any platforms, so you can watch it here if you like :).“
No subscriptions or fees necessary, just hit play.
Cam follows Alice (Madeline Brewer), who works as an online cam girl obsessed with her ranking on the cam site. The higher her ranking goes, the more it draws unwanted attention, and Alice soon finds herself replaced on her own show with a doppelganger.
Written by Mazzei, a former camgirl, it uses the horror thriller premise to examine the life of a sex worker; Alice’s career ambition is directly at odds with the shame it brings to her family, and how she tries to spare them from it by keeping them in the dark. It only compounds her danger when the doppelganger enters the equation in Goldhaber’s engaging thriller.
For a deep dive into the treacherous world of Cam, listen to Horror Queers’ episode on it now.
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