The Creator Trailer: Rogue One Director Gareth Edwards Has A New AI Sci-Fi Movie

I'm going to say something real controversial here and propose that Gareth Edwards is a fantastic director. 2014's "Godzilla" and "Rogue One" both certainly have their fair share of critics, but the two blockbusters and his feature debut "Monsters" all prove that he has a keen interest in putting new spins on sci-fi; an impeccable (and all too rare) eye for conveying a genuine sense of scale; and the VFX chops as a former digital effects artist to actually pull off such heady concepts and visuals. Let's put it this way: Anyone who brought to life some of the best and most visceral kaiju brawls ever put on screen and helped bring the galactic struggles of "Star Wars" down to a boots-on-the-ground perspective with what was essentially a war movie deserves their accolades.

That's why the wait for Edwards' next project since 2016 has felt so unbearable. One would think that delivering a $1 billion hit with the "Star Wars" IP would earn an endless amount of blank checks to come, but perhaps the oft-reported accounts of extensive reshoots scared off both fans and studio heads alike. No matter, as Edwards is finally set to make his grand return with an original sci-fi epic titled "The Creator." After quite a bit of buzz following the early footage reactions out of CinemaCon, 20th Century Studios has released a new teaser for the exciting project. Check it out below!

Well, I can't say that's entirely what I was expecting ... but I'm here for it anyway! The footage from "The Creator" (previously titled rather vaguely as "True Love") certainly boasts all of Gareth Edwards' usual hallmarks as a filmmaker: breathtaking vistas, unabashed sci-fi nerdery, and a jaw-dropping level of weight and scale that practically overshadows every actor in the frame. But in a marked departure from his previous movies, this one also has the advantage of one of the most charismatic and exciting talents in the lead role: John David Washington.

Co-written (along with Chris Weitz) and directed by Edwards, "The Creator" stars several brand-names in its ensemble cast along with Washington, including "Godzilla" veteran Ken Watanabe, "Eternals" star Gemma Chan, the always-great character actor Ralph Ineson, the Oscar-winning Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, Danny McBride, newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles, and even singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson. Oh, and you better believe that Edwards' usual director of photography, the uber-talented Greig Fraser ("Rogue One," "Dune," "The Batman") is once again along for the ride.

"The Creator" drops into theaters on September 29, 2023. Its synopsis reads:

Amidst a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (Washington), a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife (Chan), is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war... and mankind itself. Joshua and his team of elite operatives journey across enemy lines, into the dark heart of AI-occupied territory... only to discover the world-ending weapon he's been instructed to destroy is an AI in the form of a young child.