Louis Leterrier's Liminal Brings Telepathic Thrills to the Big Screen
Based on a graphic novel by the creator of Babylon Five, sci-fi action thriller Liminal will be directed by Louis (Fast X) Leterrier and star Vanessa Kirby and Yahya Abdul Mateen II.
In theory, director Louis Leterrier should be shooting the eleventh Fast & Furious film by now, but delays on that franchise juggernaut appear to have given him space for other work.
The French filmmaker is now working on an original sci-fi action thriller for Apple, per Deadline. Called Liminal, it's based on the graphic novel Telepaths by J Michael Straczynski - a veteran screenwriter of comics, film and TV who gave us, among other things, the cult show Babylon Five.
Although it's only just been given the greenlight, Liminal also has a couple of stars attached: Vanessa Kirby and Yahya Abdul Mateen II. Who they'll play in the movie hasn't been disclosed.
Straczynski's original story saw our planet caught up in a solar flare, which instantly grants a select group of people telepathic abilities. As a synopsis on Goodreads explains, "This rapid, forced awakening creates immediate pandemonium as the world grapples with the loss of mental privacy."
In the chaos, factions emerge: the law on one side, as represented by a bunch of telepathic cops in Boston, and a group of acolytes surrounding a 'wrongly convicted prisoner' (Goodreads again).
The adaptation will be handled by Justin Rhodes, previously of Terminator: Dark Fate fame. Leterrier's previous work also includes The Transporter and its sequel (vehicles for Mr Jason Statham) and The Incredible Hulk, so if his track record's anything to go by, Liminal will involve a great deal of action.
Leterrier previously had the unenviable task of taking on the troubled Fast X when regular director Justin Lin abruptly left the production days into shooting. The film made over $700m, but cost a reported $378.8m - a truly staggering amount of money.
The sequel, currently titled Fast Forever, has been a long time coming, not least because its studio is said to be trying to reign in costs. Leterrier still appears to be attached as its director, and the film's due for release in 2028. Presumably, he's fitting both productions into his schedule.
Leterrier was quite open about Fast X's chaotic production when we spoke to him in 2023.
"It was daunting. Absolutely daunting, scary. The opportunity of a lifetime, obviously. I personally couldn't... my career would have been destroyed, for one thing... but I as a fan couldn't accept that this franchise was going to go down and just peter to a stop."
