White Mars: Bridgerton’s Luke Newton joins Lucy Hale in Antarctica-set horror film
Earlier this month, it was announced that a sci-fi horror film called White Mars, which sounds a lot like The Thing and stars Lucy Hale of Pretty Little Liars, Scream 4, Truth or Dare? and Fantasy Island, will begin filming on November 11. Production is currently underway, with filming taking place at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, where the film is being shot entirely in a virtual production environment. Now, Deadline has revealed that Hale will be joining the cast alongside Luke Newton, who is best known for playing Colin Bridgerton in Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton (his other work includes Disney’s The Lodge and Lake Placid: Legacy).
Martin Owen (The Loneliest Boy in the World), who recently co-directed the survival horror Above the Below with Idris Elba, is directing White Mars from a script by Matt Mitchell, Vicki Sargent and Roo Berry. Set in an isolated Aquila Research Facility, White Mars follows microbiologist Sammie (Hale) as she and Leo (Newton) fight to save the other crew members from a malevolent entity whose sole purpose is to destroy them all. Deadline says this will allow Hale to reprise her roles as Alien’s Ellen Ripley and The Thing’s RJ MacReady. Future Artists Entertainment’s Matt Williams is producing the film with Neil Jones, as well as Singularity Entertainment’s Steve Griffith and Steve Jelley. XYZ Films is co-financing with Singularity and handling worldwide sales. This is the first film from Singularity, “an entertainment company specializing in virtual production and streamlined workflows for independent films.”
Hale said of the project: “White Mars is an absolute psychological adventure and I am thrilled to be shooting this film at Cinecittà Studios in Rome. At the core of this story is Sammie, a character I truly admire for her resilience and strength. I am looking forward to working with Martin Owen, our incredible cast and the entire team to bring this story to life.”
Matt Williams added, “I am thrilled that this is the first in a series of films with the team at XYZ and Singularity. Together, we will bring cutting-edge filmmaking technology to the independent market to compete visually with the high-end studios. We are thrilled to have Lucy join us in this action-packed sci-fi adventure as her character battles the dark forces that threaten us all.
Are you excited for White Mars? What do you think about Luke Newton joining Lucy Hale in the cast? Let us know in the comments below.
