Simulant – Watch Robbie Amell, Jordana Brewster, Simu Liu and Sam Worthington in the trailer for the new sci-fi thriller

Directed by April Mullen, the film is set in the near-future and tells the story of a humanoid A.I.’s attempt to win over a widow’s heart placing it in the path of a government agent trying to stop the rise of machine consciousness.

The film stars Robbie Amell (Upload, The Duff), Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious film franchise), Sam Worthington (Avatar, Avatar 2: The Way of the Water), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), and Alicia Sanz (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series).

Simulant follows Faye (Brewster), a widowed woman searching for comfort following the loss of her husband Evan (Amell) by using an android simulant, or SIM, created in his image. Although nearly identical to her husband, Faye can’t bring herself to love the android in the same way she loved her husband leaving SIM Evan’s love unrequited. Determined to win her heart, SIM Evan’s exceptional ability to think and feel triggers a manhunt led by government agent Kessler (Worthington) who oversees capturing conscious, and potentially dangerous, SIMs.

The film marks Vertical’s second project with Amell, who previously starred in Code 8 alongside brother Stephen Amell, the sequel of which was purchased as a Netflix Original film. DIRECTV has partnered with Vertical on several recent films on exclusive titles including this year’s four-time Indie Spirit nominee Emily the Criminal, Ava, Inheritance and Human Capital.

Ryan Christopher Churchill penned the screenplay, while Tim Doiron and James van der Woerd of WANGO Films (Wander) produced the film. Simulant’s executive producers include Peter Bevan, Chris Lee, Myriad Pictures’ Kirk D’Amico, David Gendron and Ali Jazayeri of TPC, and Vertical’s Peter Jarowey, Rich Goldberg, and Mitch Budin; with Kristin Harris serving as associate producer. The film is financed by TPC and National Bank of Canada.

Simulant hits US cinemas on 2nd June and Canadian cinemas on 7th April 2023.