Riz Ahmed teams up with Octavia Spencer for sci-fi thriller

Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer have been cast in Invasion, a sci-fi thriller pic from BAFTA-winning UK film-maker Michael Pearce, reported Deadline.

Amazon Studios has taken worldwide rights to the project and the script is written by Pearce. It follows two young brothers who go on the run with their father, a decorated Marine (Ahmed), who is trying to protect them from an inhuman threat. As the journey takes them in increasingly dangerous and unexpected directions, the boys will need to confront hard truths and leave their childhood behind. The film is aiming to shoot in the US this year.

Pearce’s Beast, which was a breakout film for stars Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn, scored the director an Outstanding Debut BAFTA, alongside producer Lauren Dark.

Ahmed is coming off Sound Of Metal, which Amazon will release in the US later this year, and 2020 Berlin premiere Mogul Mowgli. He is an Emmy-winner and Golden Globe nominee for HBO series The Night Of.

Oscar-winning Spencer picked up her first Emmy nomination last night for her lead role in Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker. Next year, she will be seen opposite Anne Hathaway in The Witches, based on the popular Roald Dahl novel of the same name. Additional upcoming credits include Thunder Force for Netflix, alongside Melissa McCarthy and the second season of Truth Be Told for Apple.

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