Jessica Biel (“The Sinner,” The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) has been set to star alongside Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) in the upcoming sci-fi thriller Ursa Major, Deadline reports today.
The thriller hails from twin brother directors Jonathan and Josh Baker (Kin) and is scheduled to head into production this fall.
Ursa Major takes place “on an Earth-like planet, where a mother (Biel) and daughter (Gomez) fight for survival while hiding from a group of relentless hunters. With the added threat of an imminent and deadly storm, Natalie — now a teenager — begins questioning her mother, Charlie, about who they really are, how they got here, and what they need to do to survive.”
Based on that premise and the team behind it, it feels safe to assume there will be surprises and potential twists in store for the mother and daughter as they attempt to evade their pursuers.
Perhaps more interesting is that Deadline reports that Biel takes over the role of Charlie from actor Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane, Birds of Prey), who departed due to scheduling conflicts.
Gomez most recently played universe-hopping superhero America Chavez in Sam Raimi’s Multiverse of Madness, making her no stranger to the realm of sci-fi. Biel most recently starred as infamous axe murderer Candy Montgomery in Hulu’s true-crime limited series “Candy,” and has appeared in action-heavy genre films like Total Recall and Blade: Trinity. Biel additionally exec produces the hit series Cruel Summer, set to premiere this summer on June 5, 2023.
Emmy-nominated writer Patrick Somerville (“Station Eleven”) wrote the script with Colleen O’Brien and Katie French (“Station Eleven,” “Mr. Robot”).
Producers include Somerville, David Eisenberg, and Stephanie Jacob-Goldman through Tractor Beam, John Finemore through Lost City, Mason Novick through MXN Entertainment, and Allen Fischer and Brian Steinberg through Artists First. Lost City’s James Hoppe and Jack Byrnes are on board as exec producers in association with exec producers XYZ Films, who are handling worldwide sales.
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