Candid set photos from the Daniels’ upcoming sci-fi project, starring Matt Damon, hint at a tokusatsu film along the lines of Power Rangers.
Update: Everything Everywhere All At Once directors the Daniels have been rather vague about what their follow-up movie is all about. Currently untitled, it’s said to be an action adventure with an ecological theme, and has also been described as a collision of The Breakfast Club, Inception and anime.
A collection of candid set photos that have seeped out from the LA production add a further twist. Star Matt Damon and four of his fellow actors are shown decked out in colourful superhero costumes, complete with matching helmets. The outfits look uncannily like the ones worn by the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, or any one of a number of similar tokusatsu/superhero shows hailing from Japan.
We won’t reproduce the images here for fear of attacks from winged lawyer monkeys, but you can see them at World Of Reel. This, presumably, is where the anime influence comes in.
There’s nothing to suggest, of course, that the entire movie is a Power Rangers-inspired action adventure. But then again, this is the Daniels, so there’s a possibility that it could be. The budget is said to be a hefty $150m; after the multi Oscar-winning success of Everything Everywhere, Universal is laying a big bet that the Daniels can make lightning strike twice.
Our previous story follows…
24th July: Plot specifics have been notably thin on the ground for director Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinart’s follow-up to their gonzo awards darling, Everything Everywhere All At Once.
It’s said to be some sort of action adventure featuring a young ensemble cast and an ecological theme. Matt Damon is the major name among the cast, while other members of the ensemble have been added in recent weeks (see below).
As for what it’s actually about, Damon has provided a bit of a tease to The Dan Patrick Show (via World Of Reel). Here’s what The Odyssey star said:
The way they pitched it to me was: if The Breakfast Club meets Inception meets an anime film meets an episode of The John Oliver Show that didn’t get aired. So, if you liked Everything Everywhere All at Once and all the wildness and all the heart, I think you’ll really like this one.
There are a number of ways that could be interpreted. A satirical thriller with the dreamlike quality of Inception, but based on a bunch of school kids on detention, perhaps?
It’s not a lot to go on, but it’s… something. The Daniels’ untitled sci-fi anime thriller comedy is due for release in cinemas on the 19th November 2027. We’re sure to hear more on the mystery project soon, so we’ll keep you posted.
Our original story follows…
24th June 2026: Filmmaking duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinart – who call themselves the Daniels, or just Daniels (sounds cleaner) – have been working away for some time on a mystery genre project.
While that genre project is still a mystery – we don’t even have a title – the names of actors are starting to emerge from the mist. Matt Damon is the big name attached so far – he’s replacing Ryan Gosling, who bowed out earlier this year – it sounds as though he’ll be but one face among a broader ensemble.
Sean Kaufman, Sandra Oh and Charles Melton have all been attached in recent weeks. Most recently, Deadline reports that a further four names have been added: Silvia Dionicio, Jackson Kelly, Thalia Dudek and Kerrice Brooks. The latter appeared in 2024’s My Old Ass, a thoroughly charming coming-of-age comedy told with a smattering of time travel.
Described as an event film, this is the Daniels’ first film under their five-year contract with Universal; they signed it in 2022, not long after the breakout success of Everything Everywhere All At Once, so the rate they’re going, it may prove to be the only film they make under that deal.
There have been reports that Universal has set aside a hefty budget of $150m for the Daniels’ new opus – almost ten times as much as their previous film. Then again, Everything Everywhere All At Once was nominated for eleven Oscars and won seven, and made a tidy profit in cinemas to boot, so there’s a good reason to invest in the filmmakers’ particular brand of designer quirkiness.
What exactly is Universal investing in? At present, there are only rumours – including one that it’s some sort of superhero movie with an ecological angle. An adaptation of Captain Planet and The Planeteers, perhaps? Probably not, but you never know.
We’ll bring you more on the Daniels’ antics as we hear it.
