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Ben Affleck is a well-established name in Hollywood, with many wide-ranging roles under his belt. Hence, the film was sure to turn a few heads when a new action thriller was announced with Affleck starring as a skillful detective (it is not Batman, sorry, DCEU fans). From director Robert Rodriguez, Hypnotic is an action thriller that has been in development for nearly 20 years.
After waiting for almost two decades and surviving two Covid-19 lockdowns, the film somehow got into the post-production phase. The movie's first look was released quite recently, and though a lot of editing still remains, there's a good chance that Rodriguez will finally be able to finish his dream project and show it to the world. While we wait for Robert Rodriguez's Hypnotic to make a thrilling entrance on the silver screen, let's look at the cast, release date, and everything we know about the Ben Affleck-led action thriller.
What Is Hypnotic About?
Robert Rodriguez's dream project, Hypnotic, began as a screenplay in 2002 when he once called it one of his favorite stories. In our exclusive interview with Rodriguez, the director described the upcoming movie, saying:
“It's like a Hitchcock thriller on steroids. That's all I can say. As soon as you see the first trailer, you'll go ‘I got it. I'm there.’ It's that kind of a movie. A lot of twists, a lot of turns. Very exciting. It’s a not everything you see is real-type movie and it's got a great cast. It’ll be very energetic. It's one of my favorite stories. I started writing it back in 2002. So it's one of the ones I've had the longest that I've been wanting to do. I'm very excited that we finally might be making it.”
Ben Affleck plays Daniel Rourke, a hardened, compulsive, get-to-the-root kind of detective who loses his daughter in the blink of an eye (quite literally) under mysterious circumstances. While searching for his daughter, he finds clues that lead him to the secret world of psychics, who have special powers to influence the world around them.
Hypnotic plays on the conspiracy theory that psychics are real and influence our world in ways that make reality seem unreal. Rourke begins to unfold the layers of mystery surrounding the so-called "Hypnotics"- the name given to the psychics in the movie for their mind-bending powers. He finds himself plummeting down to the bottom of the rabbit hole, at the end of which lies the answer to his daughter's disappearance.
The official synopsis for the film reads:
Determined to find his missing daughter, Austin detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) instead finds himself spiraling down a rabbit hole while investigating a series of reality-bending bank robberies where he will ultimately call into question his most basic assumptions about everything and everyone in his world. Aided by Diana Cruz (Alice Braga), an unnervingly gifted psychic, Rourke simultaneously pursues and is pursued by a lethal specter (William Fichtner) - the one man he believes holds the key to finding the missing girl - only to discover more than he ever bargained for.
Is There A Trailer For Hypnotic?
Ketchup Entertainment released the first official trailer for Hypnotic on April 3, 2023. The trailer gives viewers a good look at the film's plot as Ben Affleck's character returns to work after his young daughter goes missing. While investigating a criminal who hypnotizes his victims, he realizes that this new adversary may be connected to his daughter's disappearance.
Where and When Is Hypnotic Releasing?
A "work-in-progress" cut of Hypnotic was screened at the SXSW Festival, in Austin, Texas, on March 12, 2023. It received rave and varied reviews from both the viewers and the critics and provided a P.R. boost to Rodriguez's dream project. Rodriguez announced the release date soon after, on March 17, 2023. Hypnotic will be released in the spring on May 12, 2023, on over 2,000 screens domestically by Ketchup Entertainment. So far, no streaming service has been attached to the film's release.
After the film screened at SXSW, Rodriguez was moved by the crowd’s reception, adding, “I’ve been working on this film for many years now, and to see the reaction from my hometown audience at SXSW was humbling and validating. I look forward to now sharing it with all movie lovers who want to experience a crazy fun ride full of unexpected twists and turns.”
Who's Making Hypnotic?
Director Robert Rodriguez will also produce the movie through his Troublemaker Studios banner. He will be joined by former Warner Bros exec Jeff Robinov and John Graham for Studio 8, Mark Gill and Lisa Ellzey for Solstice, Guy Daniella, and Rodriguez's son Racer Rodriguez. The father and son duo also co-wrote the screenplay for Hypnotic with his son, alongside Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla). Several of his family members are working with him on his dream project. We spoke with Rodriguez about the crew working on the film:
“My son [Rebel] now is my full-time composer. My other son [Racer] is my co-writer/producer. My daughter [Rhiannon] is doing storyboards. My other son's [Rogue] doing the animatics, because he's using his game engine stuff that he designed the sets for Heroes with. And then my other son [Rocket] edits with me. So, it's a family affair.”
Who's In the Cast of Hypnotic?
Ben Affleck headlines the sci-fi action-thriller as Detective Daniel Rourke, a hard-headed, no-nonsense kind of guy with a soft spot for his daughter. He is prepared to go to hell to rescue her, believing her disappearance is linked to a greater conspiracy. Hala Finley (We Can Be Heroes) plays Daniel Rourke's daughter, who mysteriously disappears right before his eyes and may or may not have special powers. The only clue left behind about her whereabouts was a picture of her with "Find Lev Dellrayne" written under it, something Rourke finds quite early during his search.
Alice Braga (I Am Legend, The Suicide Squad) stars as the hypnotic Diana Cruz, who is on the run from a secret organization of hypnotics and has her own psychic powers. She eventually teams up with Affleck's Rourke to find his missing daughter and take down the evil group once and for all. The rest of the cast members include J. D. Pardo (F9, Mayans M.C.), Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games, Terminator Genisys), Jeff Fahey (Lost, The Marshal), Jackie Earle Haley (All the King's Men, Watchmen) and William Fichtner (Prison Break, Invasion) playing important roles.
Will There Be a Sequel to Hypnotic?
The screening of the work-in-progress cut of Robert Rodriguez's dream project Hypnotic at the SXSW film festival ended with a cliffhanger, a post-credits scene that left room for a sequel. We might actually get a whole new film franchise if Hypnotic manages to mesmerize the audience in theaters, much like Rodriguez's Spy Kids, which will also be returning soon with another installment starring Zachary Levi (SHAZAM! Fury of the Gods).