Written and directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods — who together scripted A Quiet Place — 65 marks a reunion for the duo with producer Sam Raimi. They wrote and directed an episode of his Quibi series 50 States of Fright last year.
65 has been spoken about for years now, with the film being announced back in 2020 and Adam Driver being cast in the movie shortly after the announcement. This gave ample time in this marketing-driven climate for a whole lot of details about the film to emerge. Alas, there have been mere whispers and surface details announced and, to many, it has been long enough now that we must assume this is a marketing tactic. It took until December 2022 for fans to finally get a trailer so with that in mind, and with intrigue rife, here is everything we do know about 65… so far.
Is There a Trailer?
With the production of the film supposedly having finished back in early 2021, there had been plenty of time for a trailer to be released. Finally, on December 14, 2022, the trailer finally landed and can be watched below.
The trailer oozes the moody, tense atmosphere experienced in directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ A Quiet Place. Driver seems at home as the technical-talking protagonist who is unsure of his surroundings and, upon the reveal of the prehistoric dangers that await him, the score and pace kick in. Culminating in a superbly shot jump scare, the trailer certainly makes 65 look like one of 2023’s most unmissable sci-fi movies.
What Is 65 About?
Sony and the filmmakers are being very stringent about keeping details on the plot of “65” under wraps. For now, all we have to go on is this official logline, which appears on the project’s Variety Insight page: “An astronaut crash lands on a mysterious planet only to discover he’s not alone.”
While, additional details are under lock and key for the time being, although it’s safe to assume this movie probably won’t see the main character discovering the world he’s landed on is home to some genial creatures that just want to help him get back to Earth. If anything, Beck and Woods’ involvement suggests “65” is more likely to resemble “Cast Away” in space, except it turns out Wilson the volleyball is actually a blood-thirsty alien.
That, plus the description of the film as a “science fiction thriller,” could lead to an array of interesting possibilities. If Beck and Woods intend to return to their “A Quiet Place” wheelhouse, “65” could be another high-octane, wide-appeal blockbuster thriller; after all, they’ve shown that they know how to keep an audience on their toes with sparse dramatic elements. But if we’re to judge by Beck and Woods’ previous work as directors, “65” could just as well be a weirder, more challenging, more twisted genre exercise in the vein of “Haunt” or their “50 States of Fright” segment “Almost There (Iowa).”
We’ll just have to wait and see. Composer Danny Elfman, who’s doing the score for the film, did promise in an interview with Inverse that it is “a pretty wild piece of imagination,” so whatever Beck and Woods have in store for us, we’re ready for it to get our hearts and minds racing.
The Cast of 65
This film’s ambiguous nature can make it feel like there is a lot to be desired, however, confidence in the cast should calm those fears. The first and most notable name announced for the film is Adam Driver. Having starred as Mauricio Gucci in House of Gucci and Jaques Le Gris in The Last Duel, Driver’s appeal grows even more universal, with his name alone being enough to guarantee strong viewing figures on a project. Through his talented character work, Driver has gained a superb reputation in Hollywood that makes his addition to this ensemble at the very least reassuring. He has a fantastic record in a plethora of genres, but this style of science-fiction may be new ground for the leading man. This would suggest that the script and concept were strong enough to have Driver sign onto the project, indicating the movie’s potential for success.
Driver will be joined on screen by Chloe Coleman (Gunpowder Milkshake) and Ariana Greenblatt (Love and Monsters). Unsurprisingly, this is where the known cast list ends, and we don’t even have the names of the characters yet. Hopefully, that’ll change as we go into 2023 and the release date gets closer.
When Is the Release Date of 65?
For some reason, the release date of the film has changed several times during its production and post-production process, with many sources often giving conflicting information. In May 2020, it was announced the film would release on May 13, 2022, however other reports suggested a date in April. It now seems that the date has been pushed back considerably and eager fans will finally get to experience its launch in theaters on March 10, 2023.
Directors, Writers, and More
Beck and Woods are directing, writing, and producing “65,” with Raimi, Zainab Azizi, and Debbie Liebling also producing for Raimi Productions. The pair have a mixed track record of success as directors so far; where their 2015 found-footage thriller “Nighlight” earned pretty terrible reviews, “Haunt” got a warmer reception, even if critics mostly agreed it borrowed a little too much from iconic horror movies like “Saw.” All the same, they seem to be improving every time they step behind the camera, so that bodes well for “65.”
Beck and Woods’ creative team only further inspires confidence in “65.” Their ranks include cinematographer Salvatore Totino (whose visuals certainly helped elevate the “Quiet Place”-style thriller “Bird Box”), as well as “Blade Runner” costume designer Michael Kaplan (who also worked with Driver on Disney’s “Star Wars” sequel trilogy). Perhaps most exciting of all, Danny Elfman is composing the score, which should no doubt help to set the film’s appropriately uneasy, creepy mood.
