Thomas Jane (The Mist) is set to star in the sci-fi thriller Celestia from Rust director Joel Souza, Deadline reports. The pair previously worked together on Crown Vic.
Jane will star as Graham, a devoted but troubled father who crash-lands on a remote planet. He must claw his way back from disaster while keeping his daughter safe inside their deteriorating spacecraft.
But as he searches the alien landscape for answers and a path to escape, Graham begins to uncover signs that they may have been expected, pulling him into a mystery far more dangerous than the crash itself.
Cory Todd Hughes & Adrian Speckert (Armor) penned the script. Motus Studios is producing and launching pre-sales at this week’s European Film Market in Berlin.
Jane commented, “Joel remains one of my favorite directors because he delivers gritty characters with heart, and Celestia hits all the notes for me; haunting, intimate, grounded sci-fi with a twist. That doesn’t come around often.”
“This film blends mystery with raw emotional stakes in a way that feels fresh and resonant,” added Souza. “Celestia isn’t just about what’s out there in the stars, it’s about what’s inside us. I loved working with Thomas, and I’m excited we’ll get to go on such an exciting journey together again.”
“We always knew there was something different about this script,” said Speckert and Hughes.” We’ve always loved movies that hinge on an incredible twist and we feel this does it in a way we haven’t seen before, so we can’t wait to see what this team does with the finished film.”
They continued: “We grew up on Frank Darabont and Stephen King’s The Mist and much like that film, we feel this has contained tension that sometimes verges on horror, and hopefully we can recapture that magic.”