Since the surprisingly solid 2011 rebootRise of the Planet of the Apes, directorRupert Wyatthas been relatively quiet. He’s only turned in a directorial effort on a pair of TV premieres–both 2014’sTURN: Washington’s SpiesandThe Exorcist–and the forgettable crime dramaThe Gamblerin that same year. However, his next original feature film has us pretty excited now that an official synopsis has been released.
As part of a press release announcing that Lionsgate will be representing international rights to Participant Media’s upcoming feature film slate, new synopses for both Wyatt’sCaptive StateandJosé Padilha’sEntebbeemerged.Back in August, we reported that Wyatt would be both writing and directing the sci-fi film, but now we have word on a bit of casting as well as the plot of the film.Captive Statewill starJohn GoodmanandAshton Sanders, and will be financed through Participant’s partnership in Amblin Partners.
Here’s a look atCaptive State’s official synopsis:
Captive State is a sci-fi thriller set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after it has been occupied by an extraterrestrial force. Captive State uses a grounded sci-fi setting to shine light on the modern surveillance state and the threats to civil liberties and the role of dissent within an authoritarian society.
That’s a decidedly different take on alien invasions. IfArrival’s box office performance and critical reception are any indication, moviegoers are thirsty for new visions of extraterrestrial encounters, ones that don’t end with an all-out battle to avert world destruction or domination. What’s interesting inCaptive Stateis that Wyatt is using an alien invasion and occupation as a stand-in for traumatic events like 9/11 and the resulting wars in the Middle East to explore how reactionary measures like increased surveillance and curtailing of civil liberties can lead to an authoritarian regime, one which results in dissent among its people. It’s ambitious, but Wyatt certainly seems capable of delivering.
As a bonus, here’s the official synopsis forEntebbe:
Entebbe, starring Rosamund Pike, Daniel Bruhl and Eddie Marsan, is the true story of one of the most daring hostage rescues in history, told from the varying perspectives of the hostage takers, victims and rescuers. A political-action thriller directed by José Padilha and produced by Working Title,Entebbebrings the longstanding conflict between Israel and Palestine into stark relief.
