Ben Kingsley will have a Close Encounter in the upcoming sci-fi comedy, Jules, from director and longtime producer Marc Turtletaub. Kingsley stars as Milton, an ordinary guy in a quiet, small-town in Pennsylvania, whose life gets upended when an extraterrestrial crash lands in his backyard. After befriending the alien, Milton’s life gets even weirder when his two nosey neighbors figure out what’s going on and the government get involved.
This movie looks great, especially in the cast surrounding Kingsley. He’s joined by character actress Harriet Sansom Harris, who many will recognize from Memento, Nurse Betty, and Licorice Pizza; Jane Curtain of 3rd Rock from The Sun, and Zoe Winters from Succession.
Turtletaub last directed the terrific 2018 drama Puzzle, which featured Irrfan Khan in his final English-language role. It’s a personal favorite of mine and so I’m looking forward to this, too.
An award winner at the Sonoma Film Festival where its world premiere was held, the film was quickly picked up by Bleecker Street. The audience for this one skews a bit older, and we’ve seen in the past how catering to them can reap unexpected rewards.
Jules opens in theaters on August 11th.
Here’s the synopsis: Jules follows Milton (Kingsley) who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial he calls “Jules.” Things become complicated when two neighbors (Harris and Curtin) discover Jules and the government quickly closes in. What follows is a funny, wildly inventive ride as the three neighbors find meaning and connection later in life – thanks to this unlikely stranger.
