For all his success as a director (and there has been a lot of it), J.J. Abrams might be stronger in his skills as a producer, bringing television shows like “Lost” and “Castle Rock” and movies like the “Cloverfield” franchise and the latter half of the “Mission: Impossible” series to life under his Bad Robot banner. While not all of his work is great (see: “11/22/63,” “The Cloverfield Paradox,” etc.), Abrams has shown consistency and diversity in the projects he decides to bring to the screen.
While Abrams is hard at work directing the as-of-yet-untitled “Star Wars: Episode IX,” his latest production is “Overlord,” helmed by the little known “Son of a Gun” director Julius Avery, which seems to blend elements of war films, action, sci-fi, and supernatural horror. Read the official synopsis below.
In the upcoming WWII horror-thriller OVERLORD, a group of American paratroopers drop into Nazi-occupied France on the eve of D-Day. As they struggle to carry out their seemingly impossible mission, they discover a secret Nazi lab carrying out terrifying and bizarre supernatural experiments.
Abrams has found IMAX sneak previews to be a fruitful means of promoting his films for years; after “The Dark Knight” began the trend in 2008, showing its opening bank robbery sequence before “I Am Legend,” several of Bad Robot’s films have had extended previews before IMAX films, including “Star Trek Into Darkness” and “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” The early preview should give the film some buzz, especially with horror fans. As with Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” ‘Overlord’ could find the current political climate (one filled with actual Nazi horror) to be productive to commercial success.
Like “The Cloverfield Paradox,” “Overlord” has no huge names attached to the film, perhaps except for Wyatt Russell, who starred in the “Black Mirror” standout episode “Playtest.” The film also stars Jovan Adepo, Jacob Anderson, and Bokeem Woodbine.
After premiering at Fantastic Fest in September, “Overlord” arrives in theaters just after Halloween on November 9.