Josh Hutcherson is making his return to feature films with a high-profile thriller, 57 Seconds. The Hunger Games star will be acting alongside Hollywood legend Morgan Freeman. Rusty Cundieff (Tales From the Hood, Chappelle's Show) has been roped in to direct the film from a screenplay by Macon Blair (I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore, The Toxic Avenger reboot). 57 Seconds is based on a story by renowned British Author E.C. Tubb.
Highland Film Group is co-financing the film and will soon launch sales at the European Film Market. 57 seconds is still in the early stages of production, but as per The Hollywood Reporter, the film is described as an "exhilarating action thriller" with sci-fi undertones. The plot synopsis reads:
57 Seconds follows tech blogger Franklin Fausti (Hutcherson), who lands a career-defining interview with the visionary technology guru Anton Burrell (Freeman). After thwarting an attack against the celebrated technophile, Franklin picks up a mysterious ring that Burrell has dropped and soon discovers the ring allows its possessor to travel 57 seconds into the past. Driven by revenge and with Burrell’s support, Franklin uses the ring to dismantle the pharmaceutical company responsible for his sister’s death. But he soon gets entangled in a treacherous and brutal chain of events with much more than his own destiny at stake.
Former child star and Hunger Games alum Josh Hutcherson is playing the lead role, making his return to feature films after three years. Ever since the culmination of the Hunger Games franchise in 2015, Hutcherson has mostly appeared in independent films. His last mainstream film was the 2017 comedy, The Disaster Artist. However, Hutcherson has been headlining the severely underrated comedy series Future Man on Hulu. The show aired its third and final season in 2020.
It will be wonderful to see the Zathura star in another sci-fi film. Director Rusty Cundieff, too, is excited to collaborate with Hutcherson and Freeman. Cundieff released the following statement via THR:
I am beyond thrilled to have the considerable talents of Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson as contributors to our time-travel thriller, 57 Seconds. Today, we have tools at our fingertips that allow us to respond to events at the moment, short-circuiting our time to be thoughtful and consider the consequences. 57 Seconds examines how emotions influence the innate human desire to solve things quickly via technology, be it a gun, pill or computer. I am truly looking forward to getting on set with our talented cast and producing team to create something special.
Morgan Freeman Will Next Appear Alongside Al Pacino and Helen Mirren in Sniff
Morgan Freeman heads to the film noir genre for his next film, Sniff. A star-studded thriller, Sniff will see Freeman playing a detective who uncovers a hidden underworld of sex, drugs, and murder in a wealthy retirement community. Al Pacino, Danny DeVito, and Helen Mirren also star in Sniff - an acronym for Senior Nursing Institute & Family Foundation. Taylor Hackford (Ray, The Devil’s Advocate) from an original screenplay by Tom Grey. Sniff is expected to release in late 2022.
As for 57 Seconds, the film doesn’t have a release date right now but is likely to hit the screens in 2023. Principal photography on 57 Seconds will commence in April. More casting announcements are expected in the coming weeks.