''R.U.R.'' (''Rossum's Universal Robots'') is an upcoming

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

film written and directed by

Alex Proyas Alexander Proyas ( ; born 23 September 1963) is an Australian film director. He is known for directing the films ''The Crow (1994 film), The Crow'' (1994), ''Dark City (1998 film), Dark City'' (1998), ''I, Robot (film), I, Robot'' (2004) and '' ...

and based on the 1920 Czech play of the same name by

Karel Čapek Karel Čapek (; 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright, critic and journalist. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel '' War with the Newts'' (1936) and play '' R.U.R.'' (''Rossum' ...

. The film stars Sammy Allsop, Lindsay Farris,

Anthony LaPaglia Anthony LaPaglia (, ; born 31 January 1959) is an Australian actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen he has received several accolades including three AACTA Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. For his starring role as Jac ...

Mallory Jansen Mallory Jansen (born ) is an Australian actress and model. She is best known for playing Aida / Ophelia / Madame Hydra in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Early life Jansen was born in Australia ...

and

Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including several AFI and AACTA Awards, Logie Awards, and Helpmann Awards. He bega ...

Premise

The film follows a young woman, Helena, who arrives at the island factory of Rossum's Universal Robots. Helena plots to give the robots souls and emancipate them from capitalist exploitation, a decision that quickly leads to unintended destruction.

Cast

as Helena Glory * Lindsay Farris as Harry Doman *

Goran D. Kleut Goran may refer to: Ethnic groups *Gorane, or Goran, an ethnic group of northern Africa *Goran (Kurdish tribe), an ethnic group of the Middle East *Gorani (ethnic group), an ethnic group of southeastern Europe Other uses *Göran, a Swedish name * ...

as The Rossom Twins * Nicholas Brown as Doctor Gall * Brenden Lovett as General Alquist * CJ Bloomfield as Primus * Brian Lipson as Dr Hallemeier * Lauren Grimson as Amelia * Sammy Allsop as Helena Glory

Production

Development

announced that he had written a film adaptation of

's 1920 Czech play '' R.U.R.'' in August 2023. Proyas would also direct and produce alongside Morris Ruskin. The

film was described as "''

Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' (known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'') is a 1964 political satire black comedy film co-written, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is loosely ...

'' and ''

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

'' meets ''

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Victor Fra ...

'' and ''

The Greatest Showman ''The Greatest Showman'' is a 2017 American musical period drama film directed by Michael Gracey from a screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon, based on an original story by Bicks. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, ...

''." Speaking about the process of adapting the original play, Proyas said he wrote it with an intent of placing focus on current technological advancements. Proyas said "it talks about what’s happening today in terms of AI, but through the lens of this wonderful, classic tale, so a lot had to change.” In 2023, Lindsay Farris was cast as the general manager of Rossum's Universal Robots, Harry Domin. In October 2023, Proyas announced a kickstarter for the film. Proyas said it would allow him to "have the creative freedom required to create original films free from studio interference". In August 2024,

and

were added to the cast. In October, Proyas announced the casting of

, Nicholas Brown, Brenden Lovett, CJ Bloomfield, Brian Lipson, Lauren Grimson and Sammy Allsop. Proyas documented the development of the film on a monetized

Patreon Patreon (, ) is a monetization platform operated by Patreon, Inc., that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service and sell digital products. It helps artists and other creators earn a recurring income by provid ...

blog.

Filming

The film began

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

on 28 October 2024. The shoot extensively deployed

on-set virtual production On-set virtual production (OSVP) is an entertainment technology for television and film production in which LED panels are used as a backdrop for a set, on which video or computer-generated imagery can be displayed in real-time. The use of OSV ...

References

External links

* {{Alex Proyas Films based on works by Karel Čapek Science fiction musical films Films directed by Alex Proyas Films produced by Alex Proyas Films shot in Sydney English-language independent films Upcoming English-language films Films about robots