‘True Love’: Gareth Edwards' New Sci-Fi Movie Adds Benedict Wong, Danny McBride, And Gemma Chan
If you’re going to make a sci-fi movie, it probably can’t hurt to get a cast that’s intimately familiar with the genre. DirectorGareth Edwardsapparently agrees, as Deadline reports that the latest to join his next production titledTrue Loveinclude a trio of sci-fi veterans headlined byDanny McBride,Gemma Chan, andBenedict Wong. The newcomers will be joiningpreviously-announced John David-Washington, ostensibly playing the lead of theTrue Lovecast after navigating temporal pincer movements inChristopher Nolan’sTenet.
Of course, all three established actors have plenty of genre experience between them. McBride memorably played against type as he fought to avoid becoming Alien chow in Ridley Scott’s divisiveAlien: Covenant. Chan will be seen in Chloé Zhao’s upcomingEternals, after notably double-dipping in 2019’sCaptain Marvelas an entirely different character altogether. And most recently, Wong added to his impressive résumé as the fan-favorite Wong in the upcomingDoctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, a voice performance role inRaya and the Last Dragon, and an understated turn in Alex Garland’s masterfulAnnihilation.
Described only as an original sci-fi story set in the near-future,True Lovewill mark Edwards' first directorial effort after stepping foot into theStar Warsuniverse with 2016’s largely successfulRogue One: A Star Wars Story. According to Deadline, Edwards only committed to this project last year after carefully weighing his options.
So Where as Gareth Edwards Been, Anyway?
After breaking into the industry with hislow-budget indieMonsters, an impressively tense (and appropriately-titled) small-scale sci-fi thriller that was nonetheless full of grand visual effects shots, Edwards parlayed his success into 2014’s sneakily underratedGodzilla, effectively kicking off Legendary’s “MonsterVerse” with a bang that allowed it to recently reach a crescendo withGodzilla vs Kong. Next up was the highly-publicizedRogue One, which went on to become a box office breakout in spite of the turbulent reports ofbehind-the-scenes issues.
However, initial reports hinted that essentially having the filmtaken away from himin the edit had an adverse effect on Edwards' skyrocketing career. Many a film fan has shuddered at the phrase “Director’s jail,” a term used for filmmakers who have found themselves branded as undesirable commodities within the industry after an infamous flop or two. Thankfully, Deadline clarifies that Edwards simply had been developing his pick of stories that he’d been developing in the interim.
As a fan of his first two efforts and at least his apparent intentions for shaking upStar Warsin a big way with the boots-on-the-ground perspective ofRogue One, I couldn’t be more curious about how this next stage of Edwards' career will unfold.
