XYZ Films has released the first image and synopsis for Apostle, the new movie from The Raid director Gareth Evans. When we first reported on the film back in November, the logline was “a mysterious man who travels to a remote island in search of his missing sister,” but now we have a far more enticing synopsis:

The year is 1905. Thomas Richardson travels to a remote island to rescue his sister after she’s kidnapped by a mysterious religious cult demanding a ransom for her safe return. It soon becomes clear that the cult will regret the day it baited this man, as he digs deeper and deeper into the secrets and lies upon which the commune is built.

Not only do I love that Evans is moving into a new setting (although his fascination with cultists can also be seen in the segment he did for the horror film V/H/S/2, "Safe Haven", which is amazing and is definitely worth checking out), and an entirely new story, but I can’t help but grin when I read the line, “It soon becomes clear that the cult will regret the day it baited this man.” We also know that star Dan Stevens has no problem doing action, and hopefully this will stand alongside The Guest as one of his more memorable performances.

It’s unclear when we’ll see this movie. It’s possible if Evans finishes it this summer it could be ready for the fall festival, but a 2018 release is far more likely. I’m all for giving Evans the time he needs to finish this movie, but I can’t wait to see him tackle a new story.

Check out the image below. Apostle also stars Michael Sheen, Lucy Boynton, Mark Lewis Jones, Bill Milner, Kristine Froseth, and Paul Higgins.

apostle
Image via XYZ Films