Since 2006, writer/director/producer Lisa Joy has been bending the minds of sci-fi fans on the small screen as one of the key brains behind the twist-heavy adventure that is HBO’s Westworld – but now the filmmaker is taking bringing her skills to the movie world. This summer is set to see the release of Joy’s feature directorial debut with the release of the new thriller Reminiscence, starring Hugh Jackman, and Rebecca Ferguson, and it is now all set to lure you in with its first ever trailer.
Based on an original screenplay by Lisa Joy, Reminiscence takes audiences to a not-too-distant future version of Miami, Florida – a city functioning nocturnally due to the extreme heat during the day, and with water-filled streets due to rising tides. It’s a miserable time to be alive, but there exists a technology that allows any user the ability to recreate and revisit their own memories. Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) is a private investigator who uses this equipment in his work, and he winds up being launched down a spectacularly weird rabbit hole when a mysterious woman named Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) arrives at his office.
The new film marks a reunion between Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson, who previously had the chance to work together in the hit musical The Greatest Showman – and like with that project, Reminiscence also has a killer supporting cast. Thandiwe Newton and Angela Sarafyan, who also work with Lisa Joy on Westworld, are part of the ensemble, as are Daniel Wu, Natalie Martinez, and Cliff Curtis. There definitely isn’t any expectation for any singing and dancing, but instead it looks like we’ll be getting high-stakes, stylized action paired with a noir-tinged narrative.
It’s an interesting setup for a sci-fi film, and the amount of world-building and plot it successfully gets across in the trailer is exciting. Watching this preview, I feel like I get just the right idea of what the movie is going to be without too much information being provided too that feels spoilery. Hopefully it turns out that it’s all the primer one needs to dive into the blockbuster.
Part of Warner Bros.’ 2021 slate, Reminiscence will be getting a day-and-date digital and theatrical release akin to Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, and this week’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. The film will be playing on the big screen domestically on August 20, and on that same day (for a limited 31 day engagement) it will also be made available to stream on HBO Max. To check out what other titles are coming down the pike in the next few months, be sure to check out both our 2021 Summer Movie Guide and our 2021 Movie Release Calendar.
