Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult are young actors who are no strangers to modern supernatural romances and fantasy adventures. Stewart is the face of The Twilight Saga and also held her own in the successful Snow White and the Huntsman – that is, despite engaging in her own fantastical romantic fling with that film’s director, Rupert Sanders. Hoult, meanwhile, is not yet a household name, but his strong turns in Warm Bodies, X-Men: First Class and Jack the Giant Slayer have made him a familiar face. Now, the two actors are in talks to star as the leads in the sci-fi romance Equals for director Drake Doremus (Like Crazy).
Doremus has some credibility in the independent film market, as does Equals‘ screenwriter, Nathan Parker, who penned the space oddity Moon starring Sam Rockwell. In an interview with Little White Lies this summer, Doremus said that on his next project he wanted to “maintain the elements of the intimacy while doing something bigger and different.” In other words, he wants to work with a bigger budget, which Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult’s popularity among teens will help contribute to, while keeping the story simple and compact.
Although the plot details are still under wraps, the film will be a futuristic love story filled with special effects. If it turns out to be a unique blend of the sci-fi elements from Moon and the longing and romance from the director’s Like Crazy, which won the Audience Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Equals should be a film to watch out for.
Production for Equals is slated to begin in 2014, which means the film likely won’t hit theatres until 2015. For fans of the director, keep an eye out for his latest drama, Breathe In, starring Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones. That film is still playing the festival circuit, although it has no current release date in North American markets.