Nesta Cooper to write and star in sci-fi thriller MEM, about a scientist creating zombie-like creatures

Nesta Cooper has racked up more than 30 acting credits over the last decade, with roles in such projects as Kemba, Cold Copy, Bliss, Spy Kids: Mission Critical, Supergirl, and The Edge of Seventeen. She may be best known for playing Haniwa on 24 episodes of the TV series See, or Carly Shannon on 34 episodes of the series Travelers. Now The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that she’s set to add another acting credit to her filmography, as she’ll be starring in the sci-fi thriller MEM – and with this movie, she’ll also be earning her first writing credit, as she’s currently writing the screenplay.

Based on the Bethany C. Morrow novel of the same name (you can pick up a copy HERE), MEM will tell the story of a scientist in Montreal who discovers how to extract memories from people and turn them into zombie-like creatures known as Mems.

Morrow’s novel has the following description: Set in the glittering art deco world of a century ago, MEM makes one slight alteration to history: a scientist in Montreal discovers a method allowing people to have their memories extracted from their minds, whole and complete. The Mems exist as mirror-images of their source ― zombie-like creatures destined to experience that singular memory over and over, until they expire in the cavernous Vault where they are kept. And then there is Dolores Extract #1, the first Mem capable of creating her own memories. An ageless beauty shrouded in mystery, she is allowed to live on her own, and create her own existence, until one day she is summoned back to the Vault. What happens next is a gorgeously rendered, heart-breaking novel in the vein of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. Debut novelist Bethany Morrow has created an allegory for our own time, exploring profound questions of ownership, and how they relate to identity, memory and history, all in the shadows of Montreal’s now forgotten slave trade.

Cooper had this to say about the adaptation: “I’m really grateful to be able to collaborate with a writer as prolific as Bethany. Despite the profound and oftentimes horror-like themes in her work, her voice offers an indescribable comfort. Her stories are so deep and full of life that they immerse you completely in their world.“

Sanjay M. Sharma and Milan Chakraborty are producing MEM for Marginal, while Jennifer Kawaja and Peter Van Auker do the same for Sphere Media. Cooper and Morrow are executive producers – and this also happens to be Cooper’s first producing credit. Filming is expected to take place in Montreal next year.

Does MEM sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this Nesta Cooper / Bethany C. Morrow project by leaving a comment below.