Production is set to kick off in Ireland next month under SAG-AFTRA’s interim agreement for sci-fi thriller The Astronaut which just added (A Teacher, The Martian, “House of Cards”) and Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate, “The Last Of Us”), and Laurence Fishburne (John Wick films, The Matrix trilogy). Jess Varley (Phobias) will debut-direct the pic per announcements over the weekend out of Toronto’s TIFF market.
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.
Brad Fuller (Paramount’s A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II, Universal’s The Purge films) and Cameron Fuller will produce for Fuller Media alongside Wonder Company’s Eric B. Fleischman (J.D. Dillard’s Sleight) and Chris Abernathy (Barbarian). Highland Film Group is representing international rights to the pic at the Toronto International Film Festival. CAA Media Finance and the UTA Independent Film Group are co-repping domestic rights.
“We are so pleased that Kate Mara and Gabriel Luna have joined with Laurence Fishburne to bring Jess Varley’s script to life,” said Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser. “We are delighted to be collaborating with this team of producers led by Brad Fuller to bring this haunting sci-fi experience to global audiences,” added Highland COO Delphine Perrier.
Mara is repped by CAA, Mosaic, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Luna is represented by UTA, 360 and Ziffren Brittenham; Fishburne is repped CAA, Landmark Artists Management, and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang; Varley is repped by Entertainment360 and Weintraub Tobin.