Wally Pfister may not be a household name as far as directors go, but you’ve definitely seen his work. He’s been a cinematographer for Christopher Nolan since MEMENTO, and even won an Academy Award for his work on INCEPTION. It’s only natural that at some point he get a shot at a director gig. His first film in that chair is TRANSCENDENCE, which deals with a sentient being, in this case played by Johnny Depp. The plot description is below, and let’s just say it’s every bit as complex and fascinating as some of Nolan’s more unusual work. Outside of Depp, the film also stars Kate Mara, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, and Morgan Freeman. Check out the two teaser trailers below, and we’ll warn you they are definitely “teaser” trailers. We expect a more full trailer likely next week. Let us know in the comments if this one is on your radar.
Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed—to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can…but if they should. Their worst fears are realized as Will’s thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.