Sandra Bullock will star in the upcoming Netflix film called Bird Box, which is set in a post-apocalyptic world in the near future. The plot is based on a popular sci-fi novel from 2014 and will concentrate on a mother's struggle for survival, while attempting to teach her young children the skills needed to combat the deadly threats in this drastically changed environment.

The film is based on a novel of the same name from the author Josh Malerman, and takes place in a time just ahead of ours. The book contains flashbacks and several plot-threads, but focuses on a character called Malorie (who will be played by Bullock) and her two young children. Earth has been devastated by an event known as "The Problem", which has introduced visions and creatures to the planet somehow. One glimpse of these creatures is enough to induce a deadly rage into anyone who sees them, and they are then driven to attack fellow survivors. A main part of the book is an intense journey, which Malorie and her children must endure in a rowboat without using their sight, unless they risk the chance of being driven mad and killing each other.

THR is reporting the casting of Bullock in the film; this will mark her first lead role in a genre movie since Gravity and will be a marked difference to her upcoming part in the female-led heist movie Ocean's Eight. It's due to be directed by Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier, who also shot the incredibly popular miniseries The Night Manager. She will be working from a screenplay adapted from the novel and written by Eric Heisserer, who also performed scripting duties on the critically acclaimed Arrival and the very profitable horror Lights Out.

Netflix logo on Laptop

Netflix has recently made a concerted effort in getting A-list actors into their original productions, with Brad Pitt in War Machine and Will Smith in Bright. This is something that Netflix film chief Scott Stuber is reportedly keen to continue to do for future projects. In this case the combination of an Oscar-winning actress and director should bode well for the quality of the movie, and an Oscar nominee as a screenwriter doesn't hurt the potential either.

While it's not yet known how closely the film will adhere to the events and the situation in the book, there is plenty of promising material for intense and suspenseful sequences. The blinded journey itself, with the characters relying on only their hearing while danger lurks all around them, could be a standout sequence in itself. Bird Box is not due to go into production until August and a release date is not yet known, but this is already looking to be another very intriguing production from Netflix.

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Source: THR