The Natural Order: Glen Powell to star in sci-fi thriller from Barry Jenkins

Deadline reports that Barry Jenkins, director of Mufasa: The Lion King, is setting up his next project and has tapped Glen Powell to star. The project is based on an upcoming novel by Matt Aldrich titled The Natural Order. Plot details have largely been kept under wraps, but it’s been described as an “elevated sci-fi thriller revolving around the pursuit of eternal life.“

In addition to directing The Natural Order, Jenkins will co-write the script with Aldrich. Jenkins will produce alongside Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak for Pastel. Powell will also produce with Dan Cohen under their new Barnstorm production company.

Although Mufasa: The Lion King was a big success (grossing $712 million worldwide), Jenkins wasn’t enamoured with the experience of all-digital filmmaking. “It is not my thing,” Jenkins told Vulture. “I want to work the other way again, where I want to physically get everything there. I always believe that what is here is enough, and let me just figure out what is the chemistry to make alchemy? How can these people, this light, this environment, come together to create an image that is moving, that is beautiful, that creates a text that is deep enough, dense enough, rich enough to speak to someone?” Hopefully, he’ll get that chance with The Natural Order.

As for Powell, he’s quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest actors. After major roles in Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man, Anyone But You, and Twisters, Powell is bigger than ever. He’s currently shooting Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, which is based on the novel by Stephen King.

Powell stars as Ben Richards, a “desperate man, needing money for his sick daughter, who joins the most popular show, The Running Man, in which teams of killers hunt down contestants. The longer that a contestant survives, the more money that person makes. But as the game show’s producers and killers will find out, this desperate man will break all the rules and expose the show’s dark secrets.” In addition to Powell, the cast includes Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), Lee Pace (Foundation), Daniel Ezra (All American), William H. Macy (Shameless), Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim), Emilia Jones (CODA), Jayme Lawson (The Batman), David Zayas (Dexter), and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing). The film will hit theaters on November 7, 2025.

Powell is also set to star in the latest mystery box movie from J.J. Abrams.

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