Fresh off her Oscar-nominated performance as Elphaba in Wicked, Cynthia Erivo is heading into the jungle — and not the Wicked kind.
Erivo’s Edith’s Daughter production company is joining forces with Platinum Dunes — the team behind A Quiet Place and The Purge franchises — to produce a feature adaptation of Saturation Point, a sci-fi action thriller based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke and BSFA Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky. The film is in development at Universal Pictures, with Minnie Schedeen (Amazon MGM, New Line) tapped to pen the screenplay.
The story centers on Dr. Jasmine Marks, who leads a search and rescue mission deep into The Zone — a blistering stretch of rainforest along the equator that’s so hot and humid, it’s considered inhospitable to intelligent life. But of course, there’s more lurking in that heat than anyone expects. As Marks journeys further into the terrain, she discovers not all intelligent life is human — and the danger waiting inside might not just be biological, but corporate.
Erivo will produce alongside Solome Williams via their Edith’s Daughter banner, which has a first-look deal at Universal. Michael Bay and Brad Fuller, who’ve made a name turning genre thrillers into box office gold, will produce through their Platinum Dunes shingle. Alex Ginno is set to executive produce and oversee the project for Platinum Dunes. Universal’s Ryan Jones and Christine Sun will oversee for the studio.
This marks another bold move for Erivo and her production company, which launched in 2020 with a mission to center stories that amplify and celebrate overlooked communities. Meanwhile, Universal seems to be doubling down on smart sci-fi with a horror edge, hot on the heels of this week’s release of Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Tchaikovsky’s original novel, published earlier this year, blends climate thriller with high-stakes survival horror, and the adaptation could follow in the footsteps of Platinum Dunes’ most successful franchises — grounded, terrifying, and wildly cinematic.
Erivo’s star continues to rise. Alongside producing, she’s returning as Elphaba in Wicked: For the Good, which hits theaters November 21. The first half of the Wicked saga pulled in nearly $800M worldwide and scored 10 Oscar nominations, winning two. Erivo earned nominations across the board — Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG — for her leading role.
No casting has been announced yet for Saturation Point, but with Erivo behind the wheel and Platinum Dunes steering the genre vision, this could shape up to be the next big sci-fi franchise out of Universal.
Stay tuned — The Zone is heating up.