As you can imagine, after Ryan Gosling exited Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s upcoming untitled action sci-fi comedy set up at Universal, there was a scramble to find his replacement. Who might take over?
It was already reported that Keanu Reeves and Brad Pitt were sought out to lead the film, but both declined to star. There’s no word yet on whether they read the script, but they must surely have been briefed on what the film would be about — which we still don’t know.
That said, why are all the big names declining this role? The Hot Mic’s Jeff Sneider says A-listers may be passing on the project because the lead roles are actually for “five children/teenagers,” rather than a top-tier Hollywood star.
My best guess is that this mysterious film could potentially be inspired by those iconic ’80s movies centered on groups of young teenagers that tend to mix adventure, coming-of-age, and genre storytelling. Just a hunch, and of course done in a way that’s very distinctive to the Daniels’ kooky style.
Regardless, we may now have our first concrete information about the film. We do know the genre, however; Kwan recently confirmed that the film is a “fun sci-fi action comedy” with “a big heart.” The budget sits at around $150M. No other details are known.
Originally slated for June 12, 2026, the new project quietly vanished from Universal’s schedule last year, sparking rumors of creative overhauls. Kwan did confirm that the script has been tinkered with to adapt to constant changes in the world.
The new release date for this untitled sci-fi action comedy “with a big heart” is November 19, 2027.
‘Minus Zero’ has been tracking for a $30M+ domestic opening, but that number now feels conservative. We’re looking at a real shot at $40M.