Oscar Isaac has been tapped to produce and star in The Great Machine, a film based on Brian K. Vaughan’s award-winning sci-fi comic series Ex Machina. Isaac has just wrapped up his time as Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and will next appear in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune alongside Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson. The Great Machine will not be his first producing credit, as he previously produced Operation Finale along with Jason Spire, who will also be one of the producers on The Great Machine.
Vaughan’s Ex Machina series follows Mitchell Hundred, a one-time superhero who becomes the mayor of New York City following the events of 9/11. During his stint as a superhero, Hundred used his ability to communicate with mechanical devices to protect the city. However, despite the superhero element of the story, Ex Machina focuses more on Hundred’s role in the government and the politics he deals with. The film adaptation was officially announced only last week, as well as the name change to The Great Machine because of the 2015 sci-fi film Ex Machina, which, amusingly, starred Isaac.
According to THR, Isaac will play Hundred in The Great Machine, adding yet another sci-fi role to his long list of credits. As was previously announced, Legendary Entertainment is developing the project, and Vaughan himself will be another producer. Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel will write the script.
As The Great Machine is still in the early development stages, it likely won’t hit the big screen for a long time. However, the fact that Isaac’s casting news came so soon after the project’s development was announced suggests Legendary is eager to get things moving. Comic book adaptations have been the hottest genre for years now, and that isn’t likely to change for a while thanks to Marvel and DC’s popularity. Technically, The Great Machine could almost be considered a DC film because the Ex Machina series was published under DC Comics imprint Wildstorm.
Based on Isaac’s track record, he will be a good fit to play Hundred. He’s already proven himself to be a capable sci-fi actor thanks to films like Ex Machina and Annihilation, and many were thrilled to hear Isaac had been cast in Dune. Also, Vaughan is considered one of the best comic book creators of all time, so it will be thrilling to see an adaptation of one of his stories. Several are in development right now, meaning there will be plenty of chances to view Vaughan’s work. Having him on board as a producer is also a good sign, since he’ll be able to help make The Great Machine into the best possible adaptation it can be.
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Source: THR
