A year ago, director David Karlak released the sci-fi short RISE, which starred the late Anton Yelchin and was scripted by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. This short offered a glimpse into a dystopian future, 2043, where
man’s attempt to create artificial intelligence has spun wildly out of control, leading to a war between man and machine.
Warner Bros. had some interest in building a franchise out of the concepts presented in the short, but the project has now changed hands, with the rights being obtained by producers Brian Oliver and Johnny Lin.
Oliver and Lin will be financing a feature expansion of the short and also see franchise potential here. As Lin says:
Brian and I are extremely excited to have an opportunity to build a film franchise based on David Karlak’s wildly popular short. I hope this is the start to a long-lasting financing and producing relationship."
The idea of a war between man and machine is nothing new, but RISE does take an intriguingly grounded approach to the battle. In case you missed the short (as I did), it can be seen below.