According to Deadline, Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings star Simu Liu has officially landed his first major villain role in Netflix’s upcoming sci-fi thriller film Atlas, which will be led by Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers). In addition, Golden Globe winner Sterling K. Brown and Abraham Popoola (The Great) have also signed on for key roles in the project.
Besides the Netflix film, Liu will also be appearing in another high-profile project in the form of the live-action Barbie film along with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Meanwhile, Brown, after the series finale of This Is Us, will next be seen in the Hulu miniseries, Washington Black.
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Atlas will be directed and produced by Brad Peyton (Rampage) from a screenplay written by Aron Eli Coleite, based on Leo Sardarian’s original draft. The project will be a part of Lopez’s multi-year first-look film and TV deal with Netflix under her Nuyorican Productions.
“The film centers around a woman fighting for humanity in a future where an AI soldier has determined the only way to end war is to end humanity,” reads the synopsis. “To outthink this rogue AI, Atlas must work with the one thing she fears most — another AI.”
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Atlas will be produced by Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina, Matt Schwartz, Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell, Jeff Fierson, Greg Berlanti, and Sarah Schechter. Executive producers are Courtney Baxter and Mike McGrath.
This marks the third project under Nuyorican’s overall Netflix deal, with the first one being an action film titled The Mother, and the film adaptation of The Cipher, both of which are also set to be led by Lopez.
