For a relatively young movie studio, A24 already has an extremely prestigious reputation. Having garnered 25 academy award nominations in the last 5 years alone, and with a slew of critical darlings under their belt (including Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar, Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, and Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight), it seems this cutting-edge New York studio can do no wrong. As well as being known for producing bold, stylistic indie hits and having “an instinct for cool”, A24 have recieved praise for championing fresh, up-and-coming writers and directors. It seems this cutting-edge independent distribution company is sticking to their guns with upcoming sci-fi thriller, Everything Everywhere All at Once, only the second feature film from writer/director duo, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known simply as 'Daniels' (though Scheinert himself created the bizarre film The Death of Dick Long).
Daniels have had their noses to the film industry's grindstone for over a decade, developing their unique blend of surrealism, action, and comedy by directing wild, frenetic music videos. Their stylistic sensibilities are visible in work as early as the 2011 video for Foster the People's Don't Stop (Colour on the Walls), and by 2013, the duo's flair blossomed with the turbo-charged, brutal, and comically lewd video for DJ Snake's Turn Down for What. Following the success of Daniels' offbeat black comedy, Swiss Army Man (starring Paul Dano as the depressed Hank Thompson and Daniel Radcliff as... a flatulent corpse), audiences have been buzzing in anticipation over their next joint feature project. And here it is! Everything Everywhere All at Once is an indie approach to the multiverse concept, which is currently enjoying a boon thanks to a certain mainstream movie empire (and maybe also the popularity of Rick and Morty). Over three years since we first heard about this "interdimensional action film", the first trailers are now available.
What is Everything Everywhere All at Once About?
Meet Evelyn Wang, a chinese immigrant in her mid 50's, currently sitting through a boring and patronising lecture from a tax office employee. Mrs. Wang has a husband, a daughter, and (what looks like) an aging father whom she cares for dearly. Buried under a pile of reciepts and struggling to accurately file her taxes, Evelyn is monotonously pinned against the wall by the monsters of mundane, slow, everyday problems. That is, until she finds herself actually pinned against the wall, in a broom closet, by a version of her husband from an altnernate universe.
There is a great evil. It's extremely powerful, it can take over bodies, and it's spreading across the multiverse. Also, the multiverse is real, there are infinite versions of you, but you in particular are the version we need to help save the universe(s). Why you? Because you've faced an innordinate amount of pain and rejection, and that has made you strong. Talk about a call to adventure for poor Evelyn, our reluctant hero with an incomprehensively large amount of responsibility thrust on her all at once. It seems from the trailer that some futuristic technology is being used to power a 'mind link', connecting our Evelyn to the knowledge, skills, and emotional memories of her alternate selves. It's up to her to harness her seemingly infinite potential, and use her link to the multiverse to defeat this interdimensional evil. Apparently action-packed, hilarious, and mind-bending, Everything Everywhere All at Once is looking like a fun high-concept romp, but one ominous line from the film's official synopsis hints that there darker turns to come. It seems that this film may contain far more than just a Good-versus-Evil plotline. We may be in for a heartstring tugger, as Evelyn tearily says to her daughter: "of all the places I could be [...] I just want to be here with you."
Who will star in A24's mind-boggling action film?
Michelle Yeoh is our leading lady. Yeoh has a rich history as an action star, she rose to fame as the badass protagonist of a number of Hong Kong martial arts movies such as Yes Madam (1985) and Holy Weapon (1993). Many movie lovers know Yeoh for her iconic performance as Yu Shu Lien in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), and she recently returned to her martial arts roots in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. We're thrilled to see her back in the driver's seat after a few recent supporting roles, and having also been spotted on the set of Avatar 2, it's clear that Michelle Yeoh will remain a household name in action movies for a long time.
Playing Evelyn's husband(s), Ke Huy Quan makes a triumphant return to the silver screen. Aside from a small role in Netflix's Finding O'Hana (2021), Quan has been away from the film world for a long time, and it's been even longer since he stole the show (and our hearts) as Short Round in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984). You may also recognise Quan from his role as Data in the somewhat now-overrated children's classic, The Goonies (1985).
Continuing the theme of well-loved actors from forty years ago, Jamie Lee Curtis is also joining the cast in a creepy looking role. We'll call her 'patronising tax lady who may also become the villain'. Having exploded onto the film scene as the vulnerable teenager hunted by Michael Myers in Halloween (1978), it will be exciting to see how she'll handle the sinister side of this dynamic. Having worked consistently for decades now, and worked in every genre from goofy comedies like Freaky Friday to action-dramas like True Lies, there's no doubt that Curtis has the dynamic range to pull off a terrifying villain this time around.
Also joining the ensamble are a range of actors from seasoned veterans to virtually unknowns. Most notably, the prolific James Hong will be playing the role of Evelyn's father. Hong has been working in Hollywood since the 1950's and is well known for his wealth of supporting roles, from the beloved Roman Polanski neo-noir Chinatown and the original Blade Runner (1982), all the way to Kung Fu Panda 3.
Jenny Slate is also on board. Slate is adored in the comedy world for her work on Saturday Night Live and recurring role as Mona-Lisa Saperstein in NBC's Parks and Recreation, but also remains an indie darling as a co-creator and writer of the brilliant and beautiful children's series, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once is currently unknown, as are Harry Shum Jr.'s and Andy Le's. Shum Jr. is most well known for playing Mike Chang on the Fox hit-series, Glee, while Andy Le has popped up in a number of recent films, including working alongside our star in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Le is often performing high-flying stunts. One final cast member, yet another Shang-Chi alumnus, Stephanie Hsu features quite heavily in the trailer, looking like an awesome katana-wielding multiversal mentor for Evelyn.
When will Everything Everywhere All At Once hit our screens?
After a bumpy ride early in production (which saw the exit of actress/rapper Awkwafina), filming and post-production are complete, and Everything Everywhere is slated to be A24's first film of 2022. With the Russo Brothers producing, it's no surprise that this film has a ton of momentum behind it, and has even been selected to open the South by Southwest festival on March 11, 2022. The film will be in theatres March 25th, 2022, and is likely to land on Apple TV's streaming platform shortly afterward.