In his first non-Bridgerton project since the romantic series began airing in 2020, British actor Luke Newton is dipping his toe into the Antarctic as he joins Lucy Hale in White Mars, according to Deadline. He’s set to star alongside Lucy Hale in the drama reminiscent of The Thing about scientists battling an untold evil at the ends of the earth.
White Mars is set at the isolated Aquila Research Facility in Antarctica, where Hale plays a microbiologist named Sammie, and Newton joins as fellow scientist Leo. When a malevolent entity invades the station, Sammie and Leo must fight to save their fellow crew members from death when the creature comes after them, determined to extinguish every last spark of life in the most isolated place on Earth.
“White Mars is an absolute psychological thrill ride, and I’m so excited to film this at the Cinecittà film stages in Rome,” Hale previously told Deadline when the film was announced. “At the heart of this story is Sammie, a character I truly admire for her resilience and strength. I can’t wait to collaborate with Martin Owen, our incredible cast, and the entire team to bring this story to life.”
Martin Owen directs the film, from a script by Matt Mitchell, Vicki Sargent, and Roo Berry. White Mars is set to be shot “entirely in a virtual production environment,” according to Deadline, which we imagine is something like The Volume, a projection tool used for science-fiction projects like Disney’s The Mandalorian, which allows filmmakers to completely immerse their stars in out of this world landscapes.
“I am excited for this to be the first of a multi-slate of films with the team at XYZ and Singularity,” producer Matt Williams said when the film was announced. “Together we will be bringing technologically advanced movie making to the independent market to compete visually with high end studio films. We are thrilled that Lucy is joining us on this action-packed sci-fi adventure as her character battles the sinister forces that threaten us all.”
The project is Hale’s latest journey into horror, after the recent release of the trailer for F Marry Kill, where she finds herself head to head with a dating app killer. This comes after a long run in the popular Pretty Little Liars series, as well as films like Truth or Dare, Fantasy Island, and last year’s Inside Man. Luke Newton is, of course, best known for Netflix’s Bridgerton, which he headlined last season, but isn’t a stranger to horror, having starred in Lake Placid: Legacy in 2018.
No release date has been set for White Mars.
