In news that may take some of you completely by surprise, the great Michael Pena has a movie coming out at the end of the month: alien-invasion thrillerExtinction, in which he stars alongside Lizzy Caplan as a father with recurring dreams of his family being destroyed by an unknown force.
When an extraterrestrial armada arrives to destroy Earth, however, these visions may hold the only key to salvation.
Now,Extinctionhasnt had the easiest path to the big screen; like Alex Garlands stunning sci-fi achievementAnnihilation, it can lay claim to the dubious distinction of being too tonally tricky to market.
Put more simply, after a few zigs and zags across Universal Pictures release calendar, the studio ended up pullingExtinctionaltogether, selling worldwide distribution rights to Netflix, which with todays first trailer has plotted a July 27 release for the film.
Whereas Paramount gaveAnnihilationa stateside theatrical release, pawning off rollouts in other countries to Netflix,Extinctionisnt even getting that, which is never a great sign.
And yet, todays first trailer for the Ben Young-directed flick paints a rather promising picture, teasing a sci-fi riff onTake Shelterthat transforms into aWar of the Worlds-esque survival thriller.
Youngs 2016 directorial debutHounds of Lovewas one of the most psychologically complex horror-thrillers to come along in quite some time, and the prospect of pairing him with an actor as versatile as Pena sounds on paper like a slam dunk.
For Netflix, the title represents another high-caliber foray into sci-fi in a year thats already seen the streaming giant roll outThe Cloverfield Paradox,TAU,Mute,The Titan, and sci-fi seriesAltered Carbonto considerable success.
Luckily, those wondering why Universal looked the other way with this one dont have long to wait.Extinctionwill hit Netflix on July 27.
