The directorial debut of Chris Reading, and written by Reading and Russell Owen, SOMNUS follows the crew of an aging cargo ship on their final mission working the monotonous Earth-Mars shipping route. Malfunctions aboard the ship force a change off course to Somnus, a remote asteroid colony. The crew soon discovers the inhabitants of the colony have a dark past, and troubling plans for the future of mankind. The film stars Marcus McMahon, Cullum Austin (Modern Life is Rubbish), Mac McDonald (Flyboys), Meryl Griffiths (Shadow Industry).
A nostalgic take on iconic sci-fi thrillers like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, SOMNUS features stunning visuals and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Forgoing CGI whenever possible, Reading brings the film to life with practical effects and models, with the interiors of the film’s space ship setting shot in a decommissioned military aircraft at the East Midland Aeropark in Derby, England.
“With SOMNUS, Chris Reading has crafted a sci-fi throwback recalling the beloved, early genre work of effects pioneer Doug Trumball who worked with directors like Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg. Epic Pictures is thrilled to bring his bold vision to viewers across the country,” commented Epic CEO Patrick Ewald.
Epic Pictures Releasing Co-Founder Shaked Berenson added, “Audiences and genre lovers in particular have been clamoring for a return to more films driven by practical effects in lieu of CGI. SOMNUS delivers spectacularly in that regard, combining top-notch special effects with compelling human drama and out of this world thrills.”
SOMNUS opens in theatres in select cities on September 9th. On digital platforms everywhere October 4th.
