Hypnotic: Robert Rodriguez, Ben Affleck thriller is set for a May release

Director Robert Rodriguez‘s action thriller Hypnotic, which stars Ben Affleck, was screened at the SXSW film festival last weekend, and Rodriguez cautioned the audience that the movie was still a “work in progress”. But he’s going to need to wrap up the work very soon, because Deadline reports that Hypnotic is set to receive a 2000+ screen release in the United States on May 12th, courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment.

Scripted by Rodriguez (Machete) and Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), Hypnotic sees Affleck taking on the role of a detective who finds himself spiralling down a rabbit hole while investigating a series of reality-bending crimes mysteriously connected to his missing daughter. Aided by a gifted psychic, he is pursued by a lethal specter who he believes holds the key to finding his daughter. But more rabbit holes await.. 

Affleck is joined in the cast by Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Hala Finley, Dayo Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley, and William Fichtner.

Rodriguez has described Hypnotic as “a Hitchcock thriller on steroids… It’s that kind of a movie. A lot of twists, a lot of turns. Very exciting. It’s one of my favorite stories. I started writing it back in 2002. So it’s one of the ones I’ve had the longest that I’ve been wanting to do.”

As Deadline notes, Hypnotic had a rough ride on its way to the screen: The $70M feature, which El Mariachi and Sin City director Rodriguez has been wanting to make for two decades, was delayed by the pandemic, shut down three different times and involved in an insurance lawsuit. Its main financier and U.S. distributor Solstice imploded during production and the movie spent two years in post-production without a domestic buyer. In an upcoming interview with Deadline, Rodriguez admits the film faced “otherworldly” challenges and said “pages were changed daily to get it done.” He also confirms that scenes will be added to the movie.

Rodriguez had this to say about the Hypnotic theatrical release: “I’ve been working on this film for many years now, and to see the reaction from my home town audience at SXSW was humbling and validating. I look forward to now sharing it with all movie lovers who want to experience a crazy fun ride full of unexpected twists and turns.“

Ketchup Entertainment CEO Garth West added: “It was great to see the reaction to the movie at SXSW, and we are excited to fast-track the film’s completion to bring it to theaters across the U.S. on May 12th. We are honored to be working with visionary filmmaker Robert Rodriguez who has brought his signature style to Hypnotic, and delivered a must-see film for audiences who crave edge-of-your-seat excitement.“

Now we just need to see a trailer.

Are you interested in Hypnotic, and will you be watching the movie during its May release? Let us know by leaving a comment below.