If you’re a fan of Mad Max: Fury Road and nostalgic science fiction, then you just may enjoy Kin, a new film starring Zoë Kravitz. The trailer has arrived, and it’s loaded up with dystopian drama.

As the first directorial feature for brothers Jonathan and Josh Baker, Kin is based on their 2014 short film Bag Man. For the original premise, a 12-year-old African-American travels from Harlem to the woods of upstate New York with a mysterious bag. In comparison, Kin’s synopsis brings the boy’s brother into the picture as they attempt to fend off real-life baddies and supernatural soldiers with a mysterious weapon. The film stars newcomer Myles Pruitt, who will soon appear on the May 3 episode of Donald Glover’s acclaimed FX series Atlanta. Kin also stars the aforementioned Kravitz, the daughter of legendary rock star Lenny Kravitz and an established film star in her own right. Rounding out the cast are Dennis Quaid, Carrie Coon, James Franco, and Jack Reynor.

Yesterday, Lionsgate released the Kin trailer on YouTube. Whereas most new clips build the suspense, this one begins with a mini-hype sequence before transitioning into the actual footage. Early on, Quaid’s fatherly character offers life lessons to his young son, Eli, commenting about the harsh realities of life while requesting that he stay out of trouble. Images of a cemetery and abandoned buildings support the bleak tone, leading to the boy’s discovery of an expired extraterrestrial being, along with a rather large weapon. From there, it’s a game of cat and mouse as the elderly brother emerges from prison and Franco’s villainous character, complete with a neck tattoo, makes life difficult for the protagonists. Overall, the Kin trailer hypes up the family bond angle and themes of redemption.


At the 2016 Toronto Film Festival, Lionsgate officially purchased the rights for Kin. On social media, the twin brother directors are promoting their new film, and with a unique twist. Under the handle @REDBikeBlueBike, the brothers Baker share their own account. Meanwhile, the film’s official Twitter account repeats a crucial bit of information from the trailer: Kin was produced by the team behind Stranger Things and Arrival, both of which became pop culture phenomenons with their emotional supernatural narratives. Kin will be distributed by Summit Entertainment.

At the moment, the Baker brothers aren’t exactly household names like Steven Spielberg. But with Kin’s release date still four months away, we can probably expect some major mid-summer hype, certainly with the assistance of Shawn Levy, who not only produced Stranger Things but also directed the first two episodes. On top of that, his production work for Arrival earned him an Oscar for Best Picture. So, it seems that Kin will have plenty of momentum by late August.

KEY RELEASE DATES
Kin release date: Aug 31, 2018