Coming off his Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor in Green Book, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali has been cast in the sci-fi feature Sovereign, which is being produced by Entertainment One along with Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps.
The film is being directed by Marc Muden (Electric Dreams) from a script by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place), although plot details are being kept under wraps.
“We have long loved this project and have been patiently waiting until we found the right leading actor, which we no doubt have found in the incredibly talented Mahershala Ali,” said Nick Meyer, eOne’s President of Film. “The cast is clearly shaping up well and is backed by a creative team with a proven track record and the ability to tell a story that will resonate with audiences around the world.”
“Much like our film Arrival, this project is for us a dream pairing of an inspired screenplay with a truly visionary director,” added Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps. “Marc Munden has been an exceptional collaborator in shaping this singular story into one that jumps off the page and with the phenomenally talented Mahershala Ali at the heart of this film, we feel we now have the dream creative partners to tell a story that audiences won’t forget.”
Ali previously won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight, while his other credits include Luke Cage, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and True Detective.