Few films are able to tap into the current social zeitgeist quite like sci-fi thrillers, and in the digital age of information sharing and mass surveillance, James Ponsoldt’s The Circle feels more timely now than ever before.
Adapted from Dave Eggers’ nervy page-turner, The Circle follows a budding tech enthusiast named Mae (Emma Watson), who lands the opportunity of a lifetime when she’s invited to work under Eamon Bailey, the Steve Jobs-esque media mogul and the main driving force behind the title conglomerate. Played here by the great Tom Hanks, Ponsoldt’s upcoming thriller represents a change of pace for the two-time Oscar winner, though we’re confident Hanks will bring the necessary gravitas to a Silicon Valley pioneer who’s clearly masking a secret or three.
Also starring Ellar Coltrane, Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) and John Boyega (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), up above you’ll be to clock eyes on the film’s second – and likely final – trailer, in which we see Watson’s lead character slowly begin to uncover the dark secrets lurking beneath The Circle. Situated in a world in which information sharing takes precedent above everything else – including personal privacy – James Ponsoldt’s intellectual thriller throws up all kinds of moral and, crucially, timely conundrums, and it’ll be interesting to find out how audiences react to his star-studded adaptation.
Knowing is good; knowing everything is better. The Circle invites moviegoers into Tom Hanks’ digital utopia on April 28th.
When Mae (Emma Watson) is hired to work for the world’s largest and most powerful tech & social media company, she sees it as an opportunity of a lifetime. As she rises through the ranks, she is encouraged by the company’s founder, Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks), to engage in a groundbreaking experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics and ultimately her personal freedom. Her participation in the experiment, and every decision she makes begin to affect the lives and future of her friends, family and that of humanity.