Frank Grillo and Maria Bakalova reunite in the sci-fi thriller Override, delivering intense action, emotion, and high-stakes survival.
Well, get ready to set your countdown clocks, because two powerful forces (Frank Grillo and Maria Bakalova) in cinema collide on screen. The gritty and intense action veteran Frank Grillo is now set to star alongside Academy Award nominee Maria Bakalova in the high-octane sci-fi survival thriller Override. And the best part? This isn’t a random team-up, it’s a live-action reunion for two foundational players of James Gunn’s new DC Universe.
Just the official synopsis would be enough to terrify you. Override centers on a futuristic soldier (Bakalova) who is betrayed and left for dead. With a fatal wound that could end her mission and her life — she’s forced to race against time. Her last best chance, an experimental synthetic angel (Grillo), the most advanced battlefield A.I. Now that is a premise that practically screams high-stakes survival.
Frank Grillo has carved out a niche as a hard, take-no-prisoners type of character exactly the type of guy who would survive in a dark, futuristic world. In the cage, behind the mask or chasing bad guys in one of his numerous action franchises, Grillo infuses each role with a visceral, authentic edge. Watching him play something as nuanced as a synthetic angel on a battlefield A.I. probably running in a human host is a nifty swerve that may meld his physicality with a colder, more technical turn.
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Then there is Maria Bakalova. She’s a genuine chameleon of an actress. She made a splash with a phenomenal, Oscar-nominated turn in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, displaying stunning comedic and dramatic chops. She established her action and sci-fi bonafides with her voice work as Cosmo the Spacedog in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Her casting as a futuristic soldier abandoned to die is a perfect match, giving her a chance to go full tilt in an emotionally charged, physically grueling part.
What makes this matchup so appealing for comic book movie fans is their shared DCU history. Both Grillo and Bakalova are a part of the new James Gunn-led slate, voicing characters in the upcoming animated series, Creature Commandos Grillo as the gruff Rick Flag Sr., and Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic. To have their professional collaboration go straight from the sound booth of an animated series to an intense, original live-action thriller is really affirming of their chemistry.
Behind the lens, the movie is in capable hands. Override is directed by Jordan Downey, who charmed critics with his 2018 fantasy-horror film, The Head Hunter. His background indicates that this isn’t going to be just a plain action movie, expect strong visual aesthetics, sharp and focused narrating that will bring the project above the run-of-the-mill sci-fi thriller.
The most thrilling news is that this film is not only in development—it’s being made as we speak. Production is underway in Belfast, so updates, first look images and a trailer are definitely coming sooner rather than later. Amid the relentless churn of reboots and sequels, Override feels like a fresh blast of futuristic wind. It brings together two amazing talent with very different skill sets – Grillo’s action credentials and Bakalova’s dynamic versatility – in a high-concept, pulse-pounding scenario.
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Override looks like it will be one of the most thrilling sci-fi thrillers coming out in the near future. Embodying her trademark hard-edged and ferocious presence alongside grittiness of Frank Grillo and versatility of Maria Bakalova lending emotional depth, heat and high-tech chaos is a recipe for heart, heat and high-tech chaos. Their reunion outside the DCU is a crossover fans never knew they wanted a mash-up of action-star firepower and nuanced acting. In control Jordan Downey’s direction, Override is more than just a futuristic survival flick, it’s a cinematic declaration of resilience, trust, and the narrow divide between humanity and machine. To sum up, everything is indicating that this will be the next big genre hit to “override” the competition.
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At Sundance 2026, Andrew Stanton’s In the Blink of an Eye debuts with a bold multi-timeline sci-fi tale examining human emotion in the past, present and future.
If you have been keeping up with the Sundance Film Festival 2026, you may have found yourself wondering what Andrew Stanton is doing these days. The Whiz behind Wall-E has at long last arrived back on live-action soil and he is doing so with uncertainty, not caution. His new film In the Blink of an Eye is not only a return to form it is a high concept, mindbending thrill ride.
| Feature | Details |
| Movie Title | In the Blink of an Eye |
| Director | Andrew Stanton |
| Writer | Colby Day |
| Genre | Science Fiction / Drama |
| Narrative Style | Triptych (3 interconnected stories) |
| Time Periods | 45,000 BC (Neanderthals), Present Day, and Far Future |
| Core Theme | Human connection across time, evolution, and technology |
| Story Approach | Visual storytelling & behavior over heavy dialogue |
| Structure | Non-linear and multi-timeline |
| Editing Style | Using “Emotional Sync Points” to link different eras |
| Premiere | Sundance Film Festival 2026 |
| Vibe | Thought-provoking, Sci-Fi With Emotional Depth |
| Standout Factor | Skips the “Hero’s Journey” to focus on shared human feelings |
So, what’s the deal? That’s not your average “aliens destroy the White House” science-fiction movie. It’s a triptych — which is just a fancy way of saying that it tells three separate stories that are all interconnected.
It is a narrative that leaps randomly back and forth over the course of thousands of years, from ancient Neanderthals to the current day, and then to the future.
It’s ambitious, it’s a little experimental, and it’s trying to suss out what really makes us “human” from era to era.
Andrew Stanton had long been working on big shows such as Stranger Things, 3 Body Problem, and he spent that time ‘hand-picking’ his dream team. He’s also leaning heavily on his animation roots.
Andrew Stanton’s biggest takeaway is the importance of imagination. He thinks the presence of a character — an expression, a movement, or maybe a choice can say more than dialogue ever could. The end product is a movie meant to make you feel first, leading emotion with images rather than explaining everything in words.
The author, Colby Day, confessed he was a little tired of the typical movie structure we get applied to everything. Rather than tracking a single protagonist on a familiar trajectory, he wanted to “blow up the world” and change the rules. He was inspired by films such as Cloud Atlas — those “big swings” that might be a little messy but way more interesting than a “safe” blockbuster.
Just think about what it would be like to edit three separate films into one. The editor Mollie Goldstein said they had to find “sync points.” They’re moments when a character in 45,000 BC is experiencing exactly what someone in the future is. It’s the emotional glue that holds the whole thing together.
Connectedness is the new spectacle: The age of hollow, effects-laden action-movies is waning. In the Blink of an Eye caters to a burgeoning demand for narratives with emotional connections — demonstrating that no matter how far technology evolves or centuries elapse, what really resonates is how intimately we are linked to one another.
The Comeback of the “Big Idea”: For a time, it seemed like movies were made by committee. This feels like a personal project and a risk. If this works, studios will once again trust directors with strange, “unfilmable” scripts.
Universal Struggles: By featuring Neanderthals, the film makes us aware that even as our phones evolve, our hearts don’t. We’re all still coming to grips with the same primal fears and loves that people had thousands of years ago.
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Darkly In The Blink of an Eye is a quiet rebellion against all the sci-fi that has played it safe for far too long. Rather than pursuing bigger explosions and louder stakes, it looks inward – across centuries, across species, across futures – to consider what actually endures.
When the film connects Neanderthals, modern humans and future societies through shared feelings, it tells us our survival is not dependent on wiping out the other; rather it magnifies our humanity. If this movie sticks the landing like it promises, it won’t just be a standout at Sundance — it may indicate a turn toward even braver, more emotionally intelligent sci-fi, where connection matters more than spectacle.
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Colin Farrell returns to Matt Reeves' Batman universe as the Penguin in The Batman Part II, and shares the dark world of Gotham and his passion storytelling.
Colin Farrell has got us very excited to return to Gotham as The Penguin in The Batman Part II. Far from it being about getting action scenes right, or even stealing the show with the character’s arc. Farrel explained in a chat with Collider that what pulls him back are the people he gets to work with, and the “Matt Reeves immersive world that’s just very, very gritty.” There’s definitely a love for the vibe and the behind the scenes team it feels like. Farrell kept it real, he explained the camaraderie and new ways of working on set keep bringing him back, as he promotes the upcoming movie The Ballad of a Small Player releasing on 29 October 2025.
Colin Farrell delivered so many thoughts on his role in HBO’s massive hit The Penguin. So the experience evidently stuck with him for good. The series its eight-episodes run in late 2024. It garnered rave reviews, high ratings, and mentions for major awards like the Emmys and Golden Globes. Farrell really got to dive deep into the character, all of the intricate layers and psychological twists and turns that you can only explore in a long form series. Apparently the part allowed him to stretch his acting chops quite a bit, and fans seemed to get as much pleasure as he did. With all the buzz around the show, it is no surprise that The Penguin turned out to be one of HBO’s breakout hits.
The show ended up a huge success, attracting 5.3 million viewers across all platforms during its first weekend, marking the largest four-day debut for a tier one Max original since The Last of Us dusted off in January 2023. The show received rave reviews from critics with a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many reviews referring to Colin Farrell’s performance as “transformative” and “a true tour de force.”
It’s not so much ‘What do I do with this?, but I just want to be in that world and be with Robert and be with Jeffrey again and be brought by Matt Reeves,’ said Farrell. After a deeper exploration of the HBO series character, Farrell returning to the movie sequel isn’t about further expanding the Penguin’s story, instead rejoining the talented ensemble.
Colin Farrell shared his happiness by saying “I’m really excited to be back in that world, to just be around it,” he said as he contemplated joining such an unparalleled group of creatives once more.
Farrell’s ties to the world of Batman are deeply embedded since he was a kid growing up in Dublin. He shared, he was raised watching Burgess Meredith’s legendary turn as the Penguin in the ‘60s Batman TV series when he was 5, and then Danny DeVito’s iconic performance in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns at around 11 or 12.
For the actor, the joy is a little simpler, just getting to play in a world “where a character called Bruce Wayne and Batman exist, is such a joy.” He admired how Reeves had “re-imagined a world that is unique enough and yet still honors the struggles of that city and the psychological struggles of the character of Bruce Wayne.”
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Although Farrell has now confirmed that his part in The Batman Part II will be very small, a smaller appearance than in the first film. He has read the full script and described it as “extraordinary”. He hinted that THE BATMAN 2 is a much deeper plot, it means that Reeves is expected to be seen in scarier scenes and it will further keep the franchise as the stakes are bigger.
Filming for The Batman Part II is set to begin April 2026. Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis and Colin Farrell are returning to their roles. Farrell seems doubtful about a second season of The Penguin. He said to Deadline, “I’ve heard some talk about it, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Part of me thinks we should just leave it as we got away with something special.”
For Farrell, being part of Matt Reeves’ Batman world is more than just another gig—it’s a dream come true from his childhood, and he’s surrounded by collaborators who are as passionate as he is about telling grounded, character-driven stories in the dark, complex reality of Gotham. The criminal underworld of Gotham City is once again ready to entertain their fans but Colin Farrell’s Penguin has made a permanent impact on the Batman mythos and his passion for this universe and the team behind it will keep him coming back for as long as they’ll have him.
