That’s the premise of a brand new film that may become the biggest science fiction disaster movie ever financed by, and shot in, China.
An image from The Day After Tomorrow, a similarly themed environmental disaster movie. Image: Fox
The working title of the film is Imago, and it will be written by Adam Robitel (Insidious: Chapter 4) and Gavin Heffernan. The duo just sold their pitch “for a substantial but undisclosed sum” to a Los Angeles and Beijing-based production company called Cristal Pictures. The aim is to cast both Western and Chinese actors for “the first big budget sci-fi disaster movie to be made in China as an official Chinese co-production,” according to the press release. It was specifically conceived to be shot in Hong Kong.
The premise of Imago is our worst environmental nightmare. Technology has figured out a way to stop global warming and save the planet. Yes! We’re saved! But when it’s actually used, thing go horribly wrong, resulting in “unimaginable consequences”.
“We loved this pitch,” said Cristal president Scott Einbinder. “It’s a great character-driven disaster movie, a genre favourite in China and around the world, with appeal for U.S. audiences as well. We’re fast-tracking this one and hope to be in production by late 2017.”
Whether or not Imago ends up happening or becoming a hit, the idea to use our current environmental situation (which at last check was absolutely abysmal) as the premise of a big budget disaster movie is smart. Scary, but smart. We’ll be keeping an eye out for info on this one.