‘The Test’: John Boyega Will Star In The New “Contained Thriller” From Director Gavin Hood
John Boyegahas his next project lined-up. He’ll star inThe Testfor directorGavin Hood(X-Men Origins: Wolverine,Ender’s Game), described as a “contained thriller” about a behavioral psychologist and an immigrant dealing with a terrorist group in an “authoritarian near-future.” It’s an adaptation of the Sylvain Neuvel book of the same name.
More John Boyega is never a bad thing, so let’s all take solace in the knowledge that he already has something new in the works. According to Deadline, Boyega is set to star withPayman MaadiinThe Test, a new thriller from director Gavin Hood. And not just any thriller, but acontainedthriller! Which just means it’s going to be a rather small production since big productions are kind of iffy right now what with the deadly virus that has yet to magically go away.
In the movie, “a soft-spoken immigrant (Maadi) taking a citizen evaluation test, and a brilliant young behavioral psychologist (Boyega) supervising ‘the test’ confront a terrorist group lead by a far-right fanatic.” It’s an adaptation of the book of the same name, written by Sylvain Neuvel. The book’s synopsis is even more vague, if you can believe it:
Britain, the not-too-distant future.
Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test.
He wants his family to belong.
Twenty-five questions to determine their fate. Twenty-five chances to impress.
When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death.
How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?
How indeed! Hood said that the project is “a heart-pounding psychological thriller, set in an authoritarian near-future that grabbed me by the throat and left me reeling.”
Truth be told, this synopsis isn’t doing much for me. But I’m a big fan of Boyega, and I’m looking forward to his post-Star Warscareer. Hopefully, more filmmakers are going to use him to his full potential. He’ll next appear inRed, White and Blue, a segment of Steve McQueen’sSmall Axeanthology which is making its debut at the New York Film Festival this month.
