Of the hundreds of title to have their world premieres at September’s Toronto International Film Festival, there is a fairly high-profile genre picture sneaking under the radar. Maggie, which marks the debut of director Henry Hobson, stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Midwestern farmer whose teenage daughter (played by Abigail Breslin) slowly turns into a zombie after being infected by an unknown disease. The TIFF website describes Maggie as a “audacious, genre-bending debut.”
Some photos from the film, which put more of an emphasis on the diseases title character than Schwarzenegger’s Wade, are now online. Based on its festival pedigree and the description above, do not expect this to be a kick-ass thriller with the action star taking down zombies, but a more reflective drama about a man battling his own fears and anxieties.
The zombie drama/thriller looks like new territory for Schwarzenegger. However, his return to the big screen after a stint as California’s Governor and an infidelity scandal has been marred with more misses than hits. Although many are looking forward to Terminator: Genisys (a spell-checker’s nightmare), he has not yet shown us much range or quality in his post-politics resume. Besides his turns in the modestly successful Expendables films, he appeared in three consecutive disappointments: The Last Stand, Escape Plan and Sabotage. Hopefully, the TIFF berth is a sign of quality that can re-assure action fans that the actor still has the range to play more than machismo men (or metallic machismo men).
Maggie does not have a distribution deal or a release date, although given the action star’s spotty track record as of late, the thriller could be released On Demand the same day it hits theaters.
