This past December, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o got to take up the out of this world role of Maz Kanata, an enigmatic ally of the light side in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While that role was a product of motion capture, Nyong'o injected so much soul and eccentricity into her performance that you could believe she was an ancient alien. Which is a good thing, considering she might be playing someone not of this Earth in Ava DuVernay's Intelligent Life.
The newly talked about project boasts a who's who of talent, as the item from The Hollywood Reporter would have us believe. The script was penned by the Jurassic World team of Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, as it was adapted from a script they'd previously completed entitled The Ambassador. Meanwhile, DuVernay's name has found itself attached as a possible directorial candidate, with A Wrinkle In Time standing to be the only competition for her attention. Basic details of the plot have Lupita Nyong'o potentially playing an alien masquerading as a human, whose wiles have worked their charm on the U.N. appointed representative of Humanity who serves as our line of first contact.
With such a high concept retelling of a story as old as time, Intelligent Life is shaping up to be quite the potential sci-fi blockbuster. The fact that Lupita Nyong'o is looking to make another venture into genre territory, things already sound interesting enough. But with Ava DuVernay looking to possibly put her stamp on the project, the possibilities could go through the roof. Already, a dream pairing of Nyong'o and DuVernay's leading man from Selma, David Oyelowo, is starting to sound like a perfect storm of talent that could elevate the project from simple genre fair into a possible awards contender.
Sadly, no candidates have been named for Intelligent Life's male lead, so our speculation remains just that for the time being. Regardless of whomever they cast to act opposite Lupita Nyong'o, it's without a doubt that she'll make the situation work to her advantage. Thinking back on her heart wrenching performance in Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave, it's hard to imagine a scenario that she wouldn't be able to wring the pathos out of. If she could endure the trials of slavery on the big screen, then surely any other prospect is easy as pie.
At the very least, we're hoping that Ava DuVernay's attachment to Intelligent Life becomes a full blown commitment, and that Lupita Nyong'o is along for the ride as well. With the lack of diversity in Hollywood becoming a hot button subject, this film could easily do what all good science fiction does, and serve as an interesting lens to examine the pressing social issues of the day. With the production seeking a start date to commence sometime this summer, we'll hopefully hear some news on Nyong'o and/or DuVernay's commitment in the coming months.
