Formerly known as Hello Stranger, the sci-fi thriller Simulant is set to receive a theatrical release in Canada on April 7th – and with that date now just four weeks away, we’re proud to share the EXCLUSIVE first look at the trailer for the film! You can check it out in the embed above.
Mongrel is handling the Canadian release of Simulant. Vertical holds the US and UK/Ireland rights, and are planning to give it a DIRECTV On Demand release on May 5th, followed by a day and date theatrical and VOD release on June 2nd.
Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious), Sam Worthington (Avatar), Robbie Amell (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City), Simu Liu )Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), and Alicia Sanz (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series) star in the film, which April Mullen (Wander) directed from a screenplay by Ryan Christopher Churchill. This is the first produced feature for Churchill, who previously wrote, directed, and starred in the 2009 short film Love Your Enemy.
The story has the following synopsis: With androids (SIMS) and humans coexisting, Simulant centers around FAYE (Jordana Brewster) who has already pulled the plug on her late husband, now she can’t bring herself to do the same to EVAN (Robbie Amell), his android counterpart. Instead of deactivating Evan, Faye sets him up in an apartment to live illegally on his own. While there he meets Casey (Simu Liu), a brilliant programmer who helps him become more human in order to win Faye back. Unbeknownst to Evan, his new friend is wanted for questioning by a determined Artificial Intelligence Compliance Enforcement (AICE) agent Kessler (Sam Worthington). Evan has to win over Faye’s heart before they are both discovered and he loses everything.
Simulant was produced by Tim Doiron and James van der Woerd of WANGO Films. Executive producers include Peter Bevan, Chris Lee, Myriad Pictures’ Kirk D’Amico, David Gendron and Ali Jazayeri of TPC, and Vertical’s Peter Jarowey, Rich Goldberg, and Mitch Budin. Kristin Harris is the associate producer. The film was financed by TPC and National Bank of Canada.
Producer Tim Doiron provided the following statement: “Our relationship with Artificial Intelligence is getting more complex and nuanced every day. Simulant explores the inevitable struggles humanity will face as Artificial Intelligence evolves and integrates deeper into our society. It’s a fascinating exploration, especially when experienced through the gaze of Director April Mullen. We can’t wait to share the film with audiences.“
Director April Mullen added: “In a very real near future, where technological advancements force us to reckon with our conceptual limitations around life, death and consciousness, how do we as humans push ourselves into the next stage of evolution?“
What did you think of the Simulant trailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below!