Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis is reportedly nearing a deal to direct a sci-fi thriller titled Ares for Warner Bros. The film was originally set up at MGM before the studio put it in turnaround.
Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) wrote the genre-bending screenplay, which revolves around an astronaut whose space capsule crash lands in an African desert. As he rushes to reunite with his family, it’s revealed that the mission was part of a larger conspiracy and that he may be carrying a secret that could forever change the world.
This is a genre Zemeckis has dabbled in but never fully embraced. He directed all three Back To The Future films, but most wouldn’t exactly dub them sci-fi, and he also directed the 1997 Jodie Foster vehicle Contact, which is much more of a sci-fi drama á la Interstellar. It will be interesting seeing the director at the helm of a thriller, which he hasn’t done since arguably 2000’s What Lies Beneath.
Zemeckis recently wrapped filming on another Warner Bros. project, a new adaptation of Roald Dahl‘s The Witches starring Anne Hathaway. He’s also developing Disney’s long-gestating live-action Pinocchio adaptation. It’s unclear whether that will take precedence over Ares. Clearly Zemeckis’ past work is still helping draw interest from studios, as his last film – 2018’s Welcome To Marwen – was a complete flop.
We’ll wait to learn more about Ares. What sort of budget/marketing will Warner Bros. commit to it? Will any big stars hop on board? With big original movies few and far between nowadays, it would be nice to see the studio put some weight behind this one.
#Peace.Love.Ares
