Release date: April 25th Despite years of varied work, Johnny Depp has only appeared in one sci-fi film before, ropey possessed spaceman flop The Astronaut's Wife. That's all about to change, though, when Depp stars in artificial intelligence based techno-thriller Transcendence. Depp appears as Dr. Will Caster, a scientist trying to create a technological "singularity", a machine with "a full range of human emotion and analytical power greater than the collective intelligence of every person in the history of the world". When he is assassinated by a group of radical anti-technology extremists, Caster's consciousness is uploaded by his wife and research partner (Rebecca Hall) onto their computer to continue their research. Of course, this fusion of half-dead scientific genius and unlimited artificial intelligence won't end well for regular humanity. Having collaborated with Christopher Nolan ever since his breakthrough movie Memento, cinematographer Wally Pfister has shot some of the biggest movies of recent times, giving a distinct look and style to The Dark Knight trilogy. A long-term advocate of traditional film stock over digital filming methods, Pfister will undoubtedly give the film, whose trailer gives the impression of an action thriller on a huge scale, an impressive look and size. Jack Paglen's script, meanwhile, was named on 2012's Black List, the list of best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood, so hopefully should give a little substance to Pfister's undeniable style. Given all of that, and the combined box office appeal of Nolan and Depp in recent years, Transcendence has the potential to be one of 2014's biggest films.
