Cynthia Khalifeh Lands Next Film Role in Sci-Fi Thriller "White Mars"
Lebanese actress Cynthia Khalifeh's next big-screen role promises to be one of her most intense yet. Her latest project, "White Mars", a sci-fi thriller from XYZ Films, has officially wrapped production after action-packed months of shooting in Rome.
Lucy Hale ('Pretty Little Liars'), Luke Newton ('Bridgerton'), and Sabrina Dhowre Elba ('Three Thousand Years of Longing') round out the cast.
Directed by Martin Owen (Above the Below) from a script by Matt Mitchell, Vicki Sargent, and Roo Berry, "White Mars" was shot in a virtual production environment at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome.
Future Artists Entertainment's Matt Williams will produce the pic alongside Neil Jones with Steve Griffith and Steve Jelley from Singularity Entertainment. XYZ Films is co-financing, in conjunction with IPR.VC with Singularity, and is handling worldwide sales.
'White Mars' is the first feature to be announced for Singularity, an entertainment company 'specializing in virtual production and streamlined processes for independent films'.
Set in an isolated Aquila Research Facility, 'White Mars' follows microbiologist Sammie (Hale) as she and Leo (Newton) fight to save their fellow crew members from a malevolent entity whose sole intention is to extinguish them all.
'It was an adventure. It was a different type of project for me, running around screaming, blood, guts, all the stuff. But it's gonna be very fun,' Hale said in a previous statement about the movie.
The film will be the first full-length feature shot using volume stages, a tech update to green screen that uses light to create immersive 3D visual elements during the shooting process.
'So it was a different type of acting for me,' she said. 'I had to prepare a little differently. You had to bring something to life that wasn't necessarily there. So it was a challenge, but very fun.'
Hale has described White Mars as 'an absolute psychological thrill ride'. "I'm so excited to film this at the Cinecittà film stages in Rome," she said in a statement, describing her character Sammie as 'the heart of this story'.
'I truly admire for her resilience and strength,' she said. "I can't wait to collaborate with Martin Owen, our incredible cast, and the entire team to bring this story to life."
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