Amazon secures Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal sci-fi thriller ‘Foe’ in €30m deal
Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal will star in the new thriller. Picture: PA Wire
Irish actors Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal will star as a married couple in a new sci-fi thriller that takes place in a near future where corporate power and environmental decay are ravaging the planet.
Amazon has secured 'Foe,' which is based on the Ian Reid novel of the same name, in a deal that is estimated to be in the region of €30 million, according to the Irish Film and TV Network.
Four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan and Normal People star Paul Mescal will portray a young married couple, Junior and Hen, in the film which is directed by Garth Davis.
The couple who live a solitary life on their isolated farm get a knock on their door from a stranger one night, bringing news that throws their lives into turmoil. Junior (Mescal) has been randomly selected to travel to a large, experimental space station orbiting Earth. Arrangements have been made so that when he leaves, Hen (Ronan) won’t have a chance to miss him, because she won’t be left alone — not even for a moment. Hen will have familiar company that pushes her to make a life-changing decision.
Speaking about the Irish acting duo, director Davis told Deadline: “What I love about Saoirse is, you see her on screen and she is just so unfiltered and alive. She represents to me all the things we need to protect in the world.
“Putting her in the belly of this suspenseful and uneasy story is the whole point. What she represents is precious, she’s an empath.
“She fights for the things we all should be fighting for. I was looking for an actress who just had those qualities, and that beauty.”
“Paul Mescal, he is just a normal guy and you believe he’s married to her and that they come from the same part of the world, which they do in reality,” he added.
“I buy them as a rural couple.”
Foe was reportedly one of the most sought after films at the Cannes Virtual Market earlier this year, with Deadline reporting in July that Amazon Studios had moved into exclusive talks with sellers FilmNation, CAA, and UTA over a worldwide rights deal for the thriller.
Filming is due to get underway early next year in Australia.
