Following the hefty one-two punch of Take Shelter and Mud in 2011 and 2011, respectively, Jeff Nichols quickly emerged as one director you daren’t take your eye off. Midnight Special, only his fourth feature film, is now creeping ever closer to its theatrical bow, and today’s new trailer spotlights the unyielding father-son bond between Michael Shannon and newcomer Jaeden Lieberher.
Infused with the ambience and visual style of Steven Spielberg and John Carpenter’s genre greats, Nichols’ latest foray behind the lens may herald a marked departure for the director, but old-school sci-fi fans will find themselves right at home with the new snippet for Midnight Special.
Revolving around Jaeden Lieberher’s scientific anomaly, Alton, a young boy who harbors a power not of this world, Shannon’s weary patriarch fights through hell and high water to protect his son at any cost, even when he appears to be at least partially responsible for the eerie events that begin to unfold.
Also starring Joel Edgerton, Adam Driver as a deranged governmental agent, Kirsten Dunst and Sam Shepard, Midnight Special slinks into theaters on March 18 shortly after its premiere at next month’s SXSW film festival. Until then, you can catch the latest poster for the sci-fi drama below.
In the sci-fi thriller “Midnight Special,” writer/director Jeff Nichols proves again that he is one of the most compelling storytellers of our time, as a father (Michael Shannon) goes on the run to protect his young son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), and uncover the truth behind the boy’s special powers. What starts as a race from religious extremists and local law enforcement quickly escalates to a nationwide manhunt involving the highest levels of the Federal Government. Ultimately his father risks everything to protect Alton and help fulfill a destiny that could change the world forever in this genre–defying film as supernatural as it is intimately human.