Two Irish favourites, Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal, star in Foe, an upcoming science fiction thriller film directed by Garth Davis. The film, releasing with Amazon Studios this October, is based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Iain Reid.

The story of Foe is set in the near future, where corporate power and environmental decay are ravaging the planet. The psychological thriller features characters Henrietta/Hen (Ronan) and Junior (Mescal), a young married couple who live a solitary life on their isolated farm. That is until a mysterious stranger (Aaron Pierre) finds his way to their hourse and knocks on their door. This stranger brings news that throws their peaceful life into chaos - Junior has been randomly selected to travel to a large, experimental space station orbiting Earth.

The pair are devastated by the news, with Junior demanding to know what will become of his wife when he leaves. This unknown man is more than prepared for Junior's question, informing him that he far from intends to leave Hen alone. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Hen will be monitored almost 24/7 by a person familiar to them both.

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Aaron Pierre steps into the shoes of Terrance, the mysterious stranger. A relatively unknown actor, in addition to his role in Foe, Pierre is currently recording a lead role as Mufasa in Barry Jenkins' highly anticipated Lion King prequel for Disney. The English actor played Caesar in Barry Jenkins' award-winning limited series The Underground Railroad for Amazon, further starring in M. Night Shyamalan's film Old, in which he played a rapper and for which he wrote and performed a song.

No other casting details for the project have been revealed. However, based on what detailes we know about the book, there is a sneaking suspicion it may be up to these three to bring the book's vision to life.

Speaking about the project, director Davis said: “I’ve been on the hunt to do something in sci-fi, it was always on my bucket list, and also to find material I could make an actor’s piece with a Cassavetian level of performance.”

He continues: “I read Foe and could not put it down. It’s incredibly suspenseful, very moving and dealt with sci-fi in a most grounded way that spoke to where we are heading as a society, with a lot of the questions we all have, explored in a profound way. And the love story just broke my heart, this story of self-determination, fighting for the things that are most precious in our lives, and reminding audiences that this time we have here is precious and the way we treat each other is the way we need to be treating the planet.

“Foe was just a bullseye, for me.”

According to an interview with Variety, Mescal and Ronan dove deep into Foe. Before filming even began, the two video called the director and author for hours, hounding them with endless questions about the story and the characters they play.

The trio in Australia for filming

When the pair landed in rural Wangaratta, Australia, where filming took place, Ronan had prepared a standout piano performance composed by Agnes Obel, who worked on the film's score. Apparently Mescal arrived so dialed-in to his character that he seemed “on another dimension,” producer Kerry Kohansky-Roberts said. “It was extraordinary to watch,” Kerry added. When cameras started rolling after two weeks of rehearsals, the duo were more than ready to go, with the magnetic Pierre sneakily slipping through as the wedge between them.

“Every night, I’d be getting dailies at different times,” said Reid, Foe's author. “I would drop whatever I was doing every time I got the email about these new dailies to watch. I’d brew a pot of tea and sit down and just couldn’t believe what I was watching.”

Needless to say, we're incredibly excited to see this Amazon Studios masterpiece when it lands in cinemas this October 6!