This ‘Bridgerton’ Lover Is Trading Love for Rockets in New Sci-Fi Thriller With Lucy Hale
Bridgerton star Luke Newton is moving from Regency England to White Mars. He’ll star in the upcoming sci-fi thriller alongside Lucy Hale. Deadline reports that the film is currently in production.
The “White Mars” in the title refers to the harsh terrain of Antarctica, where the film is set. Hale will play Sammie, a microbiologist at the remote Aquila Research Facility, while Newton will play Leon, one of her colleagues. They’ll be forced to save their fellow crew members from a malevolent entity bent on destroying them all – perhaps a shadow of The Thing. The film is the latest sci-fi thriller from director Martin Owen; He recently co-directed the astronaut thriller Above the Below with Idris Elba, who also stars in the film. White Mars is currently in production in Rome and will be shot entirely in a virtual production environment similar to “The Volume,” the technology pioneered by The Mandalorian.
British actor Luke Newton made his on-screen debut in 2010 in the third season of the BBC teen drama The Cut. He went on to guest star in the British series Mr. Selfridge, Sadie J, and Doctors. He later starred in the Disney Channel mystery series The Lodge and also starred in the Syfy original creature feature Lake Placid: Legacy alongside Joe Pantoliano; The film details the origins of the giant crocodile that later menaces Bill Pullman and Bridget Fonda in the original 1999 film. Newton broke out as Colin Bridgerton, the third son of Bridgerton, in Netflix’s adaptation of the popular Bridgerton novels; a supporting character in the show’s first two seasons, he became a main character in the series’ third season, which focused on his romance with Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). He will provide his voice for the Portuguese animated film Viana: Legend of the Golden Hearts.
White Mars is written by Matt Mitchell and Vicki Sargent, both of whom wrote the screenplay for Above the Below, along with Roo Berry. Matt Williams of Future Artists Entertainment will produce alongside Neil Jones, with Steve Griffith and Steve Jelley of Singularity Entertainment. Singularity will co-finance the film with XYZ Entertainment. White Mars will be Singularity’s first feature film; It is a production company “specializing in virtual production and streamlined workflows for independent films.”
