EXCLUSIVE: Justin Chon (Blue Bayou) is in talks to direct Capsule, a new sci-fi film for 20th Century Studios.
The film’s current draft is by Elijah Bynum of Magazine Dreams fame and follows a young tech entrepreneur whose life is turned upside down when he mysteriously begins to receive metallic capsules containing messages from his future self.
Hutch Parker will produce for Hutch Parker Entertainment, alongside John Zaozirny, after bringing the original spec by Ian Shorr in to 20th Century Fox in 2013.
Actor-filmmaker Chon broke out behind the camera with a pair of acclaimed Sundance indies — the dramas Gook (2017) and Ms. Purple (2019), which were released by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Oscilloscope, respectively. The former is a black-and-white drama following two Korean American brothers amid the 1992 Los Angeles riots; the latter is a poignant film about a Korean American sibling relationship.
Watch on Deadline
Making his feature directorial debut with the 2015 comedy Man Up, Chon also previously directed Blue Bayou (2021), a Focus Features drama examining the struggles of a Korean adoptee facing deportation, which premiered at Cannes, as well as the music-world drama Jamojaya, which premiered at Sundance 2023.
As an actor, Chon gained recognition for his role as Eric Yorkie in The Twilight Saga. In addition to a number of his own films, he’s also been seen in films and TV series like 21 & Over, Deception and Sin City Saints.
Bynum is a writer-director whose lauded bodybuilding drama Magazine Dreams was shelved for a time amid allegations of assault and other charges against star Jonathan Majors. The film premiered to critical raves at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, winning the fest’s U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award and drumming up Oscar buzz for Majors. Searchlight won it in a heated bidding war before dropping the project amid the Majors controversy. The film is finally set to hit theaters March 21, after being acquired by Briarcliff Entertainment last fall.
Bynum made his feature directorial debut with the A24 crime drama Hot Summer Nights, starring Timothée Chalamet, who at the time was fresh off his breakout moment with Call Me by Your Name. He’s also known for co-writing The Deliverance, Lee Daniels’ horror thriller for Netflix, which debuted last August.
Chon is represented by WME, Blue Marble Management and McKuin Frankel Whitehead. Bynum is repped by CAA, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and Myman Greenspan Fox.
The post Justin Chon & Elijah Bynum Teaming On Sci-Fi Film ‘Capsule’ For 20th Century Studios appeared first on Deadline.
