'Foe': Sci-Fi Thriller Starring Saoirse Ronan Acquired By Amazon

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Aussie filmmaker Garth Davis. Getting a big lift on his career by co-directing much of “Top of the Lake” with the great Jane Campion,  Davis soon won the gig to direct the Oscar Best Picture nominee “Lion” starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman. Following “Mary Magdalene,” which impressed Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara enough to co-star together, Davis is back with a new feature film titled “Foe.” The sci-fi thriller adaptation stars Irish actors Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird,” “Little Women“) and Paul Mescal (“Normal People“) and has been acquired by Amazon Studios.  The “Foe” script was co-written by Davis and the novel’s author Iain Reid.

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“Foe” takes place in a near-future setting as corporate power and environmental decay dominate the planet. A young married couple, Hen and Junior (played by Ronan and Mescal), have been living an isolated life on a farm for seven years. Terrance (played by Aaron Pierre) arrives one night at their door with news that throws their lives into turmoil as Junior has been selected to be sent to an experimental space station in Earth’s orbit. Hen won’t be left alone, though; she’ll have “familiar company” that pushes her to make a life-changing choice.

Deadline has revealed that Amazon purchased the genre pic for a price north of $30 million and adds that actor Aaron Pierre (“Rebel Ridge“) has replaced Oscar-nominee LaKeith Stanfield, who is currently busy shooting the big Disney remake of “The Haunted Mansion” alongside Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Rosario Dawson, and Danny DeVito that is being directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People“).

Production on “Foe” is said to begin early next year in Australia, which will likely help keep costs down with lucrative tax incentives offered by the land down under.

Speaking of Disney, Davis was reportedly attached to direct “Tron 3 for the studio with Oscar-winner Jared Leto (“Blade Runner 2049“) set to star as the new lead. However, it’s been a while since we’ve had a concrete update on that cyberpunk project. With Daft Punk (composed the impressive score for “Tron Legacy“) recently breaking up, it makes it difficult to see the studio moving forward anytime soon.