Having had success with original sci-fi in the past thanks to “District 9,” Sony has come on to co-finance and distribute Daniel Espinosa‘s “Life,” which will star Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds, an individual familiar with the Skydance project has told TheWrap.
Reynolds was originally slated to star in “Life,” but his commitment to “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is forcing him to take a smaller supporting role. His “Deadpool” scribes Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese wrote the script.
The space thriller follows a group of astronauts who discover signs of intelligent life in a sample retrieved from Mars.
Skydance’s David Ellison and Dana Goldberg are producing with Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn. The company has a deal at Paramount, though the studio is already backing a similarly-themed sci-fi movie titled “God Particle” produced by J.J. Abrams‘ company Bad Robot. Since that film already has a Feb. 24, 2017 release date, Paramount passed on “Life,” allowing Sony to swoop in and partner with Skydance.
“Life” does not have a release date yet but the cast of Gyllenhaal, Reynolds and rising star Ferguson suggests a plum date awaits. Sony is releasing the Chris Pratt–Jennifer Lawrence sci-fi movie “Passengers” this Christmas.
Sony’s deal for “Life” was first reported by Deadline.