Andy Allo (“Upload”) stars as Mali in the Jesse Atlas feature film debut, Assassin.
Bruce Willis (Glass) and Nomzamo Mbatha (Coming 2 America) star in this action-packed sci-fi thrill ride. A private military operation led by (Willis) invents futuristic microchip tech that enables the mind of an agent to inhabit the body of another person to carry out covert, deadly missions. But when an agent (Mustafa Shakir, “Luke Cage”) is killed during a secret mission, his wife (Mbatha) takes his place in an attempt to bring the man responsible to Justice.
Assassin also stars Dominic Purcell (“DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”). The film was written by Aaron Wolfe and Jesse Atlas and directed by Atlas in his feature film debut.
Check out our interview with Andy:
Director’s statement:
As a director and co-writer, I’m always drawn to sci-fi stories that balance complex emotional landscapes and action-packed genre storytelling.
Assassin is an exploration of identity. The evolution of drone warfare from remotely piloting machinery to remotely inhabiting another person raises important questions about what it means to truly be oneself. Can we retain our identity when the face in the mirror is not our own? How do we navigate our psyche when cognitive dissociation becomes a daily routine? What kind of memory is imprinted when a complete stranger wraps you in an intimate embrace, and you feel their touch on skin that isn’t actually yours?
It’s a psychological minefield, and Aaron Wolfe and I were instantly drawn in by the challenge of visualizing and humanizing the story. The concept gave us so many unique storytelling devices to play with, from mind-bending visuals and surreal sound design, to the repeated spoken mantra “This is not my body.”
But the true gift of this concept was the opportunity to bring the character of Alexa to life with two completely different actors playing her. Nomzamo Mbatha and Andy Allo both came at the character from different starting points, yet fearlessly embraced each other’s choices to discover a shared emotional truth that resonated for both of them.
I’m proud to have created an experience that will linger long after the credits roll, and I can’t wait to hear the conversations it will inspire among the audience.
– Director Jesse Atlas
Saban Films.
