Anya Taylor-Joy is teaming up with Miles Teller to take on…aliens? A serial killer? Who knows when it comes to the elusive “The Gorge,” the latest thriller from “The Black Phone” and “Sinister” director Scott Derrickson.
The Apple Original Film from Skydance Media centers on two elite snipers, played by Taylor-Joy and Teller, who are stationed in watchtowers on opposite sides of a highly-classified gorge. Taylor-Joy’s character is Russian, while Teller’s is American. Together, the duo must overcome international politics to safeguard the outside world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within the titular gorge.
The official synopsis reads: “They bond from a distance in a faraway land while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late.”
Sigourney Weaver co-stars.
Director Derrickson told IGN that “The Gorge” “blends multiple genres — romance, science fiction, action, spy thriller, and even horror” to create an un-categorizable feature.
“The idea was to first invest a lot of time into the backstories and evolving connection between the two characters played by Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, and then see them thrust into survival mode amidst the unrelenting and unpredictable dangers and mysteries of the gorge itself,” Derrickson said.
“The Tomorrow War” scribe Zach Dean wrote the script.
The film is produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, alongside Crooked Highway’s Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, and Sherryl Clark, plus Dean, Adam Kolbrenner, and Greg Goodman. Teller also executive produces.
Taylor-Joy recently starred in “Furiosa” and Teller is expected to return for the follow-up to “Top Gun: Maverick,” which his co-star Glen Powell announced is in the works.
Meanwhile, there is no word yet if “The Gorge” director Derrickson will return to helm the highly-anticipated sequel to “The Black Phone.”
Derrickson previously told IndieWire that his emphasis on horror in his filmography was a purposeful theme.
“My answer is always: Horror art is not putting more horror in the world. It is putting a reckoning with horror into the world,” Derrickson said. “There’s plenty of horror in the world, there’s not enough reckoning with the horrific, there’s not enough honest reckoning with the horrible. To me, horror cinema, horror literature, anything involving Gothic art, is a way to tap into and reckon with the unspoken and unspeakable evils, and threats of the world, whether it’s in fears, fear of ourselves, fear of the other, fear of the serial killer, feel of fear of nature, what it can do, all of that.”
He added, “The more reckoning we can have with the really terrifying aspects of human life, the healthier we are. I personally fancy the idea that fans of horror movies have a kind of mental health that only they can have.”
“The Gorge” premieres February 14 on Apple TV+. Check out the trailer below.
