The first-ever robot story is coming to the big screen, courtesy of science fiction visionary Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City, I, Robot). Mallory Jansen, Anthony LaPaglia, and Lindsay Ferris will star in R.U.R. Deadline reports that the movie will begin filming this fall in Sydney, Australia.
Jansen will star as Helena, a woman who visits the island factory of Rossum’s Universal Robots (the R.U.R. of the title) to liberate the robots from their human masters. Her actions, although well-intentioned, have disastrous consequences for humanity. Says Proyas, “Karel Čapek’s play is about man abusing technology, which is even more potent now, so I’m thrilled to be bringing this story to audiences today.” Australian actor Jansen is best-known in North America for her roles on Galavant, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and The Big Leap. LaPaglia is a familiar presence in the big and small screens, thanks to his roles in Without a Trace, Frasier, and Empire Records; he has recently starred in Florida Man and Boy Swallows Universe. Ferris previously starred in Proyas‘ Gods of Egypt, and also appeared on Ash vs. Evil Dead. The movie will be Proyas‘ first feature since 2016’s Gods of Egypt, which was a critical and commercial disappointment.
What Is ‘R.U.R’ About?
Written by Czech author Čapek in 1920, R.U.R. centered around the creation of artificial humans – “robots” – by the mad scientist Rossum. Helena Glory, the leader of the Humanity League, tries to free the robots from capitalistic oppression, but instead foments a robotic uprising. However, from the ashes of humanity, a new race is born. The play was a great success; first performed in 1921, within the space of a few years it had been translated into 30 languages. Spencer Tracy made his Broadway debut in its first American production. Čapek coined the word “robot” in the play, derived from the Czech word “robota”, which means “forced labor”. “Robot” quickly became the de facto name of science fiction’s many mechanical beings, earning Čapek a place in sci-fi history. Many subsequent productions dealing with artificial intelligence have homaged the play, but it has never been fully adapted for the screen.
In addition to directing R.U.R. and writing the script, Proyas will also produce the film alongside Morris Ruskin, Adam Krentzman, Steven Matusko, and Brett Thornquest. Matthew Rhodes of The Hideaway Entertainment, Rohit Khanna, and Alasdair King of Icon Film will executive produce.
R.U.R. is in pre-production now, and will begin filming on October 21; no release date has yet been set. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
via Collider