Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks are teaming up yet again – following such non-horror classics as CAST AWAY, FORREST GUMP, and to a much-lesser degree POLAR EXPRESS – but this time the two will be joining forces on a sci-fi flick, which doesn't sound like it will be "horror" but all the same it sounds like a must-see. The upcoming feature film is called BIOS and it's scheduled to start filming early next year. Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment picked the film up in October, which is written by Craig Luck (SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY) and Ivor Powell (BLADE RUNNER).
Here's the ridiculously tearjerking synopsis:
Hanks will portray Finch, the last man on earth, who decides he must plan for the worst by building a robot that could care for his dog if in the event of his death. The canine is the only thing in the world that Finch truly loves. His challenge, however, is programming the robot to “love” the dog and teaching the dog to accept the strange synthetic newcomer as a member of their pack.
Zemeckis on BIOS:
We’re producing a really magnificent science fiction project called Bios with Tom Hanks. It’s a really cool science-fiction story. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world and Tom Hanks may or may not be the last human survivor on the planet.
Spielberg described the movie in a statement as
An original, emotionally stirring tale that at its core is very much an Amblin movie. There's no one more perfect to embody this story about the meaning of being human than Tom Hanks.
Zemeckis on working with Hanks:
We have a terrific shorthand. When you work with someone like Tom for so long and on so many things you can’t help but have a shorthand when you’re doing things. We’re always kicking around ideas for movies and stories and things to do. This time I’m not directing, I’m producing, so that’s different. The director is Miguel Sapochnik. He’s a great guy and it’s going to be awesome. It’s a really, really good project.
So yeah, Zemeckis will not be directing this new film – only producing – but with such a killer premise in their back pocket, the filmmakers could have hired Uwe Boll to helm this film and it would still make billions of dollars. As is, the film's director Sapochnik is no slouch and has been behind the camera of such recent TV hits as the "Battle of the Bastards" episode of GAME OF THRONES and Netflix series ALTERED CARBON.
BIOS scheduled to start filming early next year. Are you as emotionally wrapped up in this new Zemeckis/Hanks film's premise as I am? Sounds like I AM LEGEND, but with a robot to boot! I'm in. Horror or not.