NEON is behind a new memory thriller titled, “The Actor,” from director Duke Johnson and the studio has unleashed a trailer for the upcoming pic based on the novel “Memory” by Donald E. Westlake with a script penned by Stephen Cooney and Johnson. The studio has sent along a trailer for the pic and gives audiences some insight into what to expect ahead of the film’s release on March 14.
This story of memory and time focuses on our protagonist, Paul, who is stuck in a small town but can’t remember how he got there and has zero memory of who he is. A very perplexing situation that starts to reveal itself throughout the runtime.
Assembled for “The Actor” is a lineup of actors such as André Holland (“Moonlight”), Gemma Chan (“The Creator,” “Eternals”), May Calamawy (“Moon Knight,” “Ramy”), Asim Chaudhry, Joe Cole, Fabien Frankel, Olwen Fouéré, Edward Hogg, Toby Jones, Youssef Kerkour, Simon McBurney, Tanya Reynolds, Tracey Ullman, and Scott Alexander Young.
An official synopsis from NEON for “The Actor” reads:
“Based on the novel ‘Memory’ by Donald E. Westlake, ‘The Actor’ finds Paul Cole (Holland) stranded in a mysterious small town with no memory of who he is or how he got here. Without a sense of identity or purpose, he starts from scratch and begins courting a local costume designer Edna (Chan). As bits and pieces of his past slowly emerge, he attempts to find his way home, but time is slippery, appearances can’t be trusted, and it’s unclear which of his identities is real.“
If the subject matter and director sounds familiar that’s because Johnson co-directed the Charlie Kaufman animated film “Anomalisa,” using stop-motion animation to tell that story. Lots of Kaufman’s material focuses on concepts of memory, time, and our perceptions of reality. “The Actor” overlapping some of that (but telling its own story) could be attractive to those who find those kinds of psychological and thought-provoking themes to be compelling stories.
And lastly, the project’s producing team features Johnson, Paul Young, Abigail Spencer, and Ken Kao.
You can watch the trailer for “The Actor” below:
