Last March, Kate Mara signed on to star in 20th Century Fox's sci-fi thriller Morgan, which marks the feature directorial debut of Luke Scott, celebrated commercial director and son of legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott. We haven't heard anything about the project since then, but today we have the first photos from this sci-fi thriller, which offer our first look at Kate Mara and her co-star Paul Giamatti. In addition, the movie's first teaser trailer is set to debut tomorrow, ahead of its September 2 release date.
The new photos from Entertainment Weekly don't shed much light on the story, which centers on a risk management consultant who is brought in to a remote research lab to determine whether or not an "at-risk artificial being" should be terminated or not. Anya Taylor-Joy, who had a breakout performance in this year's horror-thriller The Witch, is playing this artificial being dubbed Morgan, with Rose Leslie, Paul Giamatti and Boyd Holbrook rounding out the cast in unspecified roles. Along with debuting these photos, Entertainment Weekly spoke with director Luke Scott, who had this to say about the story.
"What Morgan really alludes to is human beings becoming, in a sense, the creator. Not in a traditional religious sense, but an idea that we have the capabilities to become our own creator. And what I suspect could happen - we've seen it in all these movies, whether it's Frankenstein or Metropolis - it's the creation of a being that is greater than the creator. That is fascinating to me, and it definitely feels like a next stage of evolution in the real world."
Jake Scott is directing from a script by Seth Owens, which landed on The Black List as one of the top unproduced screenplays in 2014. The director's father Ridley Scott is serving as a produce with his Scott Free Productions partners Michael Schaefer and Elishia Holmes. Aside from directing commercials, Luke Scott directed a short film entitled Loom, and he served as the second unit director on his father Ridley Scott's 2014 epic Exodus: Gods and Kings. The filmmaker is actually the third of Ridley Scott's children to pursue a career in directing, following his daughter Jordan Scott (Cracks), and his son Jake Scott (Welcome to the Rileys).
Morgan will go up against Disney's drama The Light Between the Oceans and Relativity's thriller Solace when it hits theaters on September 2, which falls on Labor Day weekend. While the Labor Day holiday doesn't always mean big business at the box office, this thriller still could make a dent at the box office. Take a look at the first photos below, and check back tomorrow for the first trailer.
