Apple reportedly acquired the rights to Dolly, a science fiction courtroom drama about a robot companion that kills its owner, then proclaims itself innocent and demands a court trial.
The movie is set to star Academy Award nominee Florence Pugh (Little Women). No director has yet been attached.
Deadline writes that:
“Pugh has quickly become one of Hollywood’s rising stars in the leading lady ranks following her star-making turn in Midsommar and Oscar-nominated role in Little Women. She next stars in Marvel’s Black Widow set to hit theaters in May 2021, and she recently began production as the female lead in Don’t Worry Darling for New Line, directed by Olivia Wilde. She also recently attached herself to star in The Maid adaptation at Universal.”
Dolly is based on a 2011 short story by Hugo Award-winning speculative fiction author Elizabeth Bear. It is being written for the screen by Vanessa Taylor and Drew Pearce Penning. The script remains uncompleted, and the movie does not yet have a definite green light.
All the right ingredients
Dolly certainly sounds interesting, like Apple TV+’s take on a smart sci-fi movie like Alex Garland’s excellent Ex Machina.
Apple TV+ already has a handful of sci-fi projects in various stages of completion. The most notable one currently viewable is alternative space race series For All Mankind. The streaming service is also working on alien invasion show Invasion and a series based on Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy.
Recently, Apple snapped up the rights to a sci-fi comedy starring Andy Samberg. It also acquired the rights to Blake Crouch’s parallel universe thriller Dark Matter. Apple TV+ also has a few crime/legal thrillers, including the series Defending Jacob.
In other words, Dolly sounds right up Apple’s alley in terms of high concept-but-thought-provoking entertainment.
There’s no word on when it will arrive on Apple TV+. However, it will join a packed roster of movies for Apple’s streaming TV service. Others include the upcoming Cherry by the Russo brothers, Martin Scorsese’s next film and more.
Source: Deadline
