A pill that gives you superpowers. A rise in superpowered crime. A former soldier devoted
to stopping the threat at its source. A cop willing to bend the rules in the name of law
and order. A teenage dealer caught up in the whole mess. And some of the most dazzling
visual effects and action scenes in superpowered movie history.
Put them together and you get Project Power, a new, unconventional sci-fi movie that offers
a fresh and innovative spin on the superhero formula. Starring actors with plenty of prior
blockbuster experience, the movie is based on one of the hottest scripts in Hollywood.
You want more? Here's everything you should know before Project Power drops on August
14, 2020. And just so you know, light spoilers ahead.
Keep an eye on writer Mattson Tomlin - you may not know his name now, but you will soon.
Not only is Tomlin a co-writer on Matt Reeves' upcoming superhero epic The Batman, but he's
also collaborating with the Project Power filmmakers once again on a big-screen adaptation
of Mega Man, based on the classic video game franchise. Still, Project Power came first.
Back in October 2017, Project Power was the subject of a fierce bidding war between a
number of Hollywood studios.
Given the story's unique premise, it's easy to see why. In Project Power, a new pill called
Power has begun flooding the streets of New Orleans that grants anyone who takes it superpowers.
There's just a couple catches. For one, while the chemically induced abilities are powerful,
they only last for five minutes. For another, the powers the pill bestows are unique to
the person taking it. Yeah, you might get invisibility or super-speed. You might also
blow up and die. So, yeah. It's a gamble.
But who's responsible for Power flooding the streets of New Orleans… and why are they
making it happen? And for that matter, who could possibly be powerful enough to put a
stop to it?
You know Jamie Foxx. In Project Power, Foxx plays Art, a vigilante with a mysterious link
to the pill's origins, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. In 2005, Foxx won an Oscar
for his portrayal of Ray Charles in Ray. That same year, he was nominated for another for
his performance in Collateral. He's been in everything from Dreamgirls to Miami Vice to
Annie. He's headlined his own sitcom, won Grammys, and hosted game shows. He's even
played a super-powered being before - in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Foxx appeared as the
iconic Spidey villain Electro. Suffice it to say, Foxx is right at home here.
And you know Joseph Gordon-Levitt, too. Not only did Gordon-Levitt have a major role in
The Dark Knight Rises, but his diverse filmography includes dramas like 50/50, romantic comedies
like (500) Days of Summer, biopics like Snowden, sci-fi action flicks like Looper, and everything
in between. In other words, he's an incredibly versatile actor, which serves him well for
his turn as Frank, a New Orleans police officer who takes Project Power's signature pill on
the sly.
You may not know Dominique Fishback, but you will soon. The young actor, who most recently
appeared in David Simon's The Deuce, appears in Project Power as Robin, a high school student
who also happens to be Frank's dealer. Fishback is Project Power's heart and soul. Even up
against heavyweights like Foxx and Gordon-Levitt, she manages to steal the show.
The entire cast is filled with Hollywood veterans. The first one you'll notice is Rodrigo Santoro
as Biggie, a man who sells Power for the shadowy organization behind the pill's creation. He's
also King Xerxes of Persia in 300 and its sequel, Maeve's boyfriend Hector on Westworld,
and the castaway Paulo on Lost. Courtney B. Vance - a Tony-award winning actor and The
People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Law and Order: Criminal Intent star - appears
as Captain Crane, Frank's world-weary boss. Amy Landecker, who plays a scientist with
links to the organization behind the Power pill, is best known for her leading role on
Transparent and supporting turns in films like A Serious Man.
Project Power has a few fun guest appearances, too. YouTube personality Casey Neistat makes
a brief cameo about halfway through the movie. Former UFC fighter and stunt man Tait Fletcher
pops up as a bearded heavy that you do not want to mess with. The best one though, is
Colson Baker - aka rapper Machine Gun Kelly - as Newt, the fire-powered hooligan who gives
Foxx's Art the fight of his life.
At first, directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost seem like a surprising choice for a
superpowered action movie like Project Power. Their breakthrough movie was Catfish, a documentary
about Schulman's younger brother and his sketchy online relationship that was so popular its
title has become shorthand for internet trickery, not to mention having spawned a TV spinoff
of the same name. From there, they moved on to the documentary-style horror movies Paranormal
Activity 3 and 4, which paved the way for the more traditional fright flick Viral and
the virtual reality thriller Nerve.
Look a little closer, though, and you'll find a number of similarities to Shulman and Joost's
previous films. Project Power isn't about the internet, but like Nerve and Catfish,
it's all about the dark side of tech.
On the scarier front, Project Power's transformations - especially the ones that go horrifically
wrong - have more than a little bit of body horror mixed in. Project Power can be as gory
as a horror movie, too. When it comes to showing the aftermath of Project Power's super-powered
slugfests, Shulman and Joost don't pull any punches.
In terms of scope, it's the duo's biggest movie to date, and it's their first with real,
honest-to-goodness action scenes. Thankfully, Shulman and Joost are more than up to the
job. The fights between Art, Frank, and their powered-up rivals are gritty and violent,
yet also have a creative playfulness you haven't seen in other superhero epics - but you will
soon enough...
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