While we’re currently in the midst of looking ahead to this fall’s most promising films, it’s time to jump even further, specifically to one of our most-anticipated films of 2015, Jeff Nichols‘ Mud follow-up Midnight Special. Marking his studio break-out, the Warner Bros. project won’t be arriving until November 25th, 2015, but we’ve received the first synopsis.
Midnight Special is a supernatural sci-fi thriller from acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter). It stars Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire, Man of Steel) as Roy, a father desperate to protect his uniquely gifted, eight-year-old son Alton, played by newcomer Jaeden Lieberher.
Joined by Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Animal Kingdom) and Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man, Melancholia), this group must race to get Alton to a secret location all while being hunted by an extreme religious sect led by Sam Shepard (Mud, August: Osage County) and a government task force headed up by Adam Driver (Girls). It is a full-on chase, the outcome of which could bring about a world-changing event.
While we previously knew some of the basics — particularly that Lieberher’s character had “special powers” — this rundown reveals the enticing roles of Driver, Shepard and a vague idea of how Edgerton and Dunst fit into the story.
The Take Shelter director has previously revealed that the overall tone will be a genre movie taking place heavily at night and akin to a “1980s John Carpenter” work such as Starman. There’s still a ways to go before we likely even see the first image, but it sounds like it’s shaping up to be something special and one can check back as more details come in.
Jordan Raup, thefilmstage.com