After initially losing sight of its January production slot, we now have word that Nicholas Hoult has dropped out of Charlie McDowell’s sci-fi flick The Discovery. In his place, Jason Segel will now star opposite Rooney Mara and Truth star Robert Redford, with principal photography finally due to commence early next month.
The Mad Max: Fury Road star had been attached to the project since October, but when the klaxon sounded to mark production was imminent, Hoult was forced to bow out of McDowell’s genre piece. Co-written alongside his The One I Love writing partner Justin Lader, The Discovery imagines a reality where scientists have arrived at the mind-bending conclusion that an afterlife does indeed exist, raising nine kinds of existential and spiritual questions for humanity to face.
At the crux of the story, though, is Robert Redford, the intellectual pioneer that takes responsibility for The Discovery. Segel, on the other hand, has joined to play the role of Redford’s son, who falls head over heels in love with Rooney Mara’s troubled woman. What exactly Mara’s character is haunted by is still up for question, though you would assume that her emotions – and, by effect, her relationship with Segel’s lead – are radically amplified when coming to terms that there exists life after death.
In light of the last-minute switcheroo, filming for The Discovery will get underway next month in Rhode Island. The film’s low-key nature points to a festival circuit early next year, and we’re intrigued based on that existential premise alone.