Paramount and Bad Robot have increased the cast list for God Particle by one today, drafting in Elizabeth Debicki of The Night Manager and The Great Gatsby fame.
It’s by no means the actress’ first foray into the realm of sci-fi, after we learned earlier this year that Debicki had booked a place in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. But whereas James Gunn’s sequel draws from the more fantastical elements of the genre, God Particle is rooted relatively close to reality – somewhere between The Martian and Interstellar when it comes to science fiction and science fact.
Bound on a seemingly one-way trip to the International Space Station with David Oyelowo (Selma) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Concussion), Debicki’s newcomer is part of a small crew of scientists who bear witness to a “terrifying discovery that challenges everything they know about the fabric of reality, as they desperately fight for survival.” Details of said discovery are being kept largely under wraps, though early reports did suggest the narrative will involve a black hole, a particle accelerator and the sudden disappearance of Earth itself – or, just as terrifying, an event that teleports Oyelowo, Mbatha-Raw and Debicki to some far-flung star system.
Behind the lens, it is director Julius Onah that will be steering God Particle out of development hell and onto screens, with J.J. Abrams producing via his Bad Robot banner. Indeed, it looked to be that the promising sci-fi had been swallowed by a black hole soon after production company Paramount InSurge was shuttered.
Now, God Particle is barrelling down on a February 24, 2017 release, when David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and now Elizabeth Debicki will wrangle physics beyond our comprehension.