Two big names have joined a forthcoming mystery sci-fi Netflix project: Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. After a supporting turn in Edgar Wright's well-received Baby Driver last year, moviegoers will next see Foxx as Little John in the upcoming gritty re-imagining of Robin Hood, however the actor is perhaps best known for his starring role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been somewhat less prolific in recent years, his last notable role being that of Edward Snowden in the Snowden biopic, but the 37 year-old is currently filming plane-based action thriller, 7500.

It was previously announced that Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Nev's older brother, Catfish fans) would be directing a science fiction movie for Netflix, with the duo having worked together previously on several installments in the Paranormal Activity franchise. The film's script was written by Mattson Tomlin (Solomon Grundy, Rene) and will be produced by Screen Arcade as part of their association with the streaming service. Those basics aside, little else is currently known about the project, with title and plot details both still under wraps.

Joost and Schulman have, however, found two bona fide A-list stars for their movie as, according to Deadline, both Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have signed on to star. Unsurprisingly, there are currently no details available regarding the character either man will play in the movie.


Snapping up these two high-profile names lends the Joost/Schulman project a huge amount of credibility in its early stages of pre-production and greatly magnifies the excitement and anticipation surrounding it. What previously could have looked like just another Netflix sci-fi original now has the potential to be something special, not just because it has big name actors involved, but because those names would likely not be involved unless the script and concept were of a suitably high standard.

With that said, the project does represent new territory for many of the figures involved. While the duo behind Screen Arcade, Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless, have a long history of producing successful Netflix content such as Narcos, Schulman, Joost and Tomlin are all relatively new to the business and especially to the realm of science fiction. Likewise, Jamie Foxx is not an actor frequently associated with the genre, although Gordon-Levitt should be able to help his co-star along, having appeared in the likes of Inception and Looper.

However this project eventually pans out, the news of Foxx and Gordon-Levitt's casting acts as further proof that Netflix original productions are now competing on a par with cinematic releases when it comes to budget, pulling-power and star-studded casts. What this evolution ultimately means for the film industry remains to be seen but if it results in more cinema-quality movies readily available for streaming from the comfort of home, movie fans won't be complaining.