Who doesn’t love a good thriller with some alien action? Toss in some great talent for the cast, and it sounds even better. Today, it has been announced that Emma Roberts and Laurence Fishburne have signed on to star in The Astronaut, an upcoming sci-fi thriller from A Quiet Place producer Brad Fuller.
The thriller will star Roberts as astronaut Sam Walker, who, after a mission gone wrong, is inexplicably found alive floating in a damaged capsule in deep the ocean. Fishburne will be playing General William Harris, who gives orders for Walker to be under constant surveillance and medical testing. When she starts to notice strange things happening around her, Walker begins to believe she might not have returned to earth alone.
Fuller is a great name to see attached to a project like this, since he is no stranger to the genre. Fuller not only produced the sci-fi thriller A Quiet Place but also produced its sequel, and is producing A Quiet Place III and a prequel spin-off for the franchise. He has also had his name attached to other hits like The Purge series, Ouija, and the 2010 A Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Other producers on The Astronaut include Eric B. Fleischman and Cameron Fuller.
The Astronaut is written and directed by Jess Varley. The thriller will be both Varley’s first solo writing venture and feature film directorial debut. She previously wrote and directed segments of the 2021 horror anthology film Phobias and a 2017 horror short film titled Mother. About Varley’s vision for the film, Fuller commented, “I was inspired by Jess’ vision and handle on the material and I’m thrilled to be working with her.” Varley reciprocated the comments by saying:
“This story is very close to my heart and I’m profoundly grateful it’s resonated with such an immensely accomplished team of creatives. I couldn’t be more excited for audiences to fasten their seatbelts and go on this thrilling ride with us!”
Production on The Astronaut is slated to begin in Ireland later this year. Stay tuned to Collider for any future updates on the project. Check out Collider's interview Collider with Roberts and the film's synopsis below:
When astronaut Sam Walker (Roberts) returns from her first space mission, she’s found miraculously alive in a punctured capsule floating deep off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. General William Harris (Fishburne) arranges for her to be placed under intense NASA surveillance in a high security house for rehabilitation and medical testing. However, when disturbing occurrences begin happening around the property, she fears that something extraterrestrial has followed her back to Earth.