If you're a science-fiction fan, chances are that you've heard of something called the singularity. Known more accurately as the "technological singularity," the term refers to a theory that it's possible for technology to acquire intelligence greater than that of a human. This, in turn, would lead to what some refer to as "an intelligence explosion" where the tech would begin taking in information at a pace that no human could possibly keep up with. The most well-known cultural touchstone for this, of course, is the Terminator franchise, where the singularity leads to a robot apocalypse. But now it's been revealed that an anticipated upcoming project will be examining the idea as well.
While it was revealed back in October that Johnny Depp would star in the directorial debut of Christopher Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfister - a project titled Transcendence - at the time there was very little information about the plot available to the public. The Wrap, however, has changed that, and has revealed that the plot will have the theory of the singularity at its core. Based on a story by Jack Paglen, the movie will have Depp playing a scientist who transfers his consciousness into a supercomputer with the hope of "creating the world’s first machine that can think for itself." In addition to the singularity, producer Andrew Kosove says that the project will also involve ideas regarding nanotechnology and artificial intelligence.
While the site warns that the information they received could be out of date, the story says that there will be three main characters in the film, Will, Evelyn and Max, who are all scientists searching for a breakthrough. Depp will be playing Will, who is also married to Evelyn. The plot also involves an "anti-technology organization" that tries to steal and destroy the supercomputer. As for casting the other characters, apparently Ewan McGregor passed on an early draft of the script and while Tom Hardy (who worked with Pfister on The Dark Knight Rises) was interested in the project, he isn't available due to scheduling conflicts. The source adds that early reports of Noomi Rapace's possible involvement are incorrect and that Kate Winslet won't be available for the female lead.
Warner Bros. will be distributing the film in the United States, but a release date has not yet been set.
