Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Tessa Thompson Lead Sci-Fi Thriller ASH

Tessa Thompson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are attached to star in the new sci-fi thriller ASH, directed by Flying Lotus and based on an original screenplay written by Jonni Remmler.

XYZ Films and GFC Films are to produce, with Neill Blomkamp (DISTRICT 9) and Echo Lake onboard as exec producers. XYZ Films is financing and handling worldwide sales at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Flying Lotus is also set to compose an original score, with a production aiming to shoot in New Zealand next year.

Additionally, Flying Lotus will be attending TIFF to support his segment of V/H/S/99 which is having its world premiere in the TIFF Midnight section, and will also be meeting with key buyers about ASH.

When a woman (Thompson) wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed, she must decide if she can trust the man (Gordon-Levitt) sent to rescue her. But as their investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events, he begins to wonder how innocent she really is.

Tessa Thompson is an actress and producer. Most recently, Thompson can be seen as 'Valkyrie' in Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder which was released in theatres in July 2022. She is a BAFTA nominated actress for her role in Rebecca Hall's directorial debut Passing (2021). In 2020, Thompson starred in Amazon Prime's Sylvie's Love, which she Executive Produced.

Thompson is currently in post-production of Creed III which is set to release in March 2023. Thompson's past film credits include the Creed franchise, Selma (2014) and Dear White People (2014). Thompson can also be seen starring on television in HBO's Westworld Season 4. Her production company Viva Maude is also actively in development on several projects including Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Luster and Who Fears Death.

Gordon-Levitt Is best known for roles in INCEPTION, LOOPER, DON JON and 50/50. He most recently starred in the new Showtime anthology series "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber" in which he starred as Uber's Travis Kalanick and prior to that he starred in the Apple TV+ series "Mr. Corman," which he also created and directed.

On the film side, Gordon-Levitt will next appear (in voice only) as Jiminy Cricket in PINOCCHIO, an upcoming live-action-CGI animated musical fantasy drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and recently wrapped production on the indie comedy PROVIDENCE with Lily James and Himesh Patel. He most recently starred in the Academy Award-nominated Aaron Sorkin film THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, as well as in the hit Netflix film PROJECT POWER opposite Jamie Foxx and in the independent thriller 7500, written and directed by Patrick Vollrath.

Jonni Remmler is a German-Brazilian writer working across English and German-language entertainment. He most recently wrote for the ZDF crime series Das Quartett and has multiple television projects in development for the German market. His sci-fi podcast Deep Signal is in active development for LA-based Echoverse.

ASH will serve as a follow up collaboration between XYZ and GFC, having successfully worked together on NZ Oscar entry THE DEAD LANDS from Toa Fraser, which was presented to the US market by James Cameron and Toa's next feature 6 DAYS starring Jamie Bell, Mark Strong and Abbie Cornish which was a global hit on Netflix.

Flying Lotus aka Steven Ellison is a genre-bending Grammy Award-winning producer, composer, filmmaker, rapper and founder/owner of Brainfeeder Records. Originally from Los Angeles, California, he has defined an entire creative generation by synthesizing his vast range of musical and narrative visual influences into an expansive yet unmistakable world of sound and imagery.

Since 2006, Ellison has released six studio albums to global critical acclaim and composed much of the bumper music heard on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. An alumnus of The Los Angeles Film School, his debut film KUSO premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, and last year he executive produced and scored the successful Netflix anime series YASUKE, directed by LeSean Thomas ("The Boondocks") and starring LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You, "Atlanta") based on the real historical figure of a famed Black samurai from 16th century Japan.

Most recently Steven wrote, directed and scored a segment for the latest installment of the anthology franchise V/H/S/99, releasing this October after it's TIFF premiere. Ellison has worked with celebrated visionaries from David Lynch and Alma Harel, to Hiro Murai, Khalil Joseph and Shinichiro Watanabe, and has been mentored by legendary filmmaker, Terence Malick.

"It's an absolute dream come true to collaborate with some of the most talented actors out there!" said Flying Lotus.

Matthew Metcalfe, who heads GFC and Nate Bolotin, partner at XYZ Films, said "We couldn't be happier for Tessa and Joseph to headline this film, they are both incredibly talented and gifted actors. With Steve at the helm, this is going to be a truly visionary film and we couldn't be more excited to take the project into production in 2023."

XYZ's current projects include BLACKBERRY from director Matt Johnson, THE BLACK KAISER with Mads Mikkelsen, HOUNDS OF WAR starring Frank Grillo, Robert Patrick and Rhona Mitra, and the Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead film SOMETHING IN THE DIRT which premiered at Sundance 2022.

Its current slate also includes Nic Cassavetes' GOD IS A BULLET starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maika Monroe and Jamie Foxx, NOCEBO directed by Lorcan Finnegan with Eva Green and Mark Strong, and ACCUSED from BAFTA-nominated BOILING POINT director Phillip Barantini. XYZ is in post-production on the Netflix Original HAVOC, directed by Gareth Evans and starring Tom Hardy and Forrest Whitaker.

Current titles for GFC Films include A MISTAKE, Christine Jeffs' medical misadventure drama starring Elizabeth Banks and THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK based on Mark Manson's global best seller.

While previous titles include the THE DEAD LANDS (film and TV adaptation), the feature adaptation of Thomas Piketty's #1 NY Times Bestselling book CAPITAL IN THE 21st CENTURY in partnership with Studio Canal and MOTHERS OF THE REVOLUTION, produced in conjunction with Universal Pictures and narrated by double Academy Award winner, Glenda Jackson.

Echo Lake Entertainment currently produces "The Great" for Hulu which was nominated for numerous awards in its first two seasons. Season 3 has just been ordered by Hulu. Nominated for two Emmy's in its 1st season, the series stars Elle Fanning and Nicolaus Hoult. Recent credits include ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES and OXYGEN for Netflix, VAN HELSING for Syfy and THE SECRETS WE KEEP distributed by Bleecker Street.

Thompson is repped by WME, Mosaic and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein. Gordon-Levitt repped by WME and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein. Jonni Remmler is represented by Echo Lake Entertainment and Hayden Goldblatt at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.

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