The venerable Hall H at San Diego Comic Con is home to some of the biggest franchises in all of nerd culture. DC and Marvel are mainstays, as are The Walking Dead and Doctor Who panels. So how did a midnight movie from Sundance storm the biggest stage at Comic Con? It helps when the film is bought by Infinity War helmers Joe and Anthony Russo. The Russos’ AGBO banner, along with Neon Films, shelled out around $10 million for the film after its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
Assassination Nation, directed by Sam Levinson (son of famed director Barry Levinson) is about what happens when the small town of Salem suffers a massive data hack. As secrets come pouring out, the town turns on each other and violence and chaos take over. Four high school girls must defend themselves when the town turns on them. The film stars Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, Abra and Bella Thorn, along with Bill Skarsgard and Joel McHale. Levinson described the film by saying, “Imagine if the comments section came alive and tried to kill everyone you know and love.”
Joe Russo said of the film, “My brother and I grew up in the independent scene. Now that we have gone on this journey that we have gone on, and using the leverage that we have coming off of our work with Marvel, we started our own studio. We owe a karmic debt to the universe to foster and support amazing voices working in film. This is like a whole new generation of filmmaking.”
the trailer plays like a stylish mash-up of The Purge and the Black Mirror episode “Hated in the Nation”, as townsfolk start attacking each other in the streets. The film has been hailed as “The Crucible for the Snapchat generation”, which could be a wildly original take on the classic “teen girls are witches” trope. We have yet to see a movie that tackles the online abuse women continually suffer, and the pervasiveness of online racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny.
Hari Nef discussed the feminist ramifications of the movie by saying, “I think it’s about being a girl in 2018 and not dying while doing that. It’s a lot harder than you would think, actually.” Consider us intrigued.
Are you excited for Assassination Nation?
(via The Hollywood Reporter, image: Neon Films/AGBO Films)
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