Annabelle: Creation and Becky star Lulu Wilson, who is soon to be seen in The Wrath of Becky, has signed on to star in the alien invasion film Xeno for writer, director, and VFX Artist Matthew Loren Oates. Deadline reports that Wilson is joined in the cast by Omari Hardwick (Power) and Trae Romano (Stargirl).
Set to start filming in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 8th, Xeno will see Wilson taking on the role of a teenage girl befriends a terrifying alien that crash-lands in the desert near her home. As government agents close in, the girl protects her dangerous new companion while also dealing with her depressed mother and the mother’s abusive boyfriend.
Kevin Hart is producing the film through his company Hartbeat. Hartbeat’s Bryan Smiley and Luke Kelly-Clyne are also producing, alongside Oates and Shana Marie. Thai Randolph, Kevin Healey, and Ty Walker serve as executive producers for Hartbeat, and Hart’s global media company is working with The Henson Company to build the film’s alien creature. So this thing is probably going to look pretty cool.
Oates has directed multiple short films, but his only previous feature is the 2006 drama Wasted, which is also known by the title Farewell Bender and is listed on IMDb as an adventure thriller for some reason. That film had the following synopsis: Three twenty-something pals circa 1996 revisit their small-town roots to attend the funeral of their high school friend Bender. The guys spend a wild weekend reminiscing over football, booze and babes while struggling with one buddy’s self-destructive lifestyle, another’s seemingly perfect life and the other’s humiliating insecurities.
Xeno sounds like it actually will be an adventure thriller… and I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s going to turn out. Wilson is a talented young actor, and I can’t wait to see what the Henson Company does with the alien character.
In addition to the films listed above, Wilson’s credits include Deliver Us from Evil, The Millers, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Cop and a Half: New Recruit, Sharp Objects, The Haunting of Hill House, The Glorias, and Star Trek: Picard.
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