Phil Lord and Chris Miller will direct the sci-fi film Last Human, based on the novel of the same name by Lee Bacon. The dynamic duo established themselves as two of the most creative and unique voices in the industry by spinning potentially ill-conceived concepts like 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie into cinematic gold. Their success on those fronts led to them getting the Solo: A Star Wars Story gig from Lucasfilm, but as many people know, that did not go smoothly. Lord and Miller were infamously fired during production, but they did not let that setback negatively impact their career trajectory.
The pair bounced back very quickly from the Solo debacle, producing the critically-acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which is this year’s favorite to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Lord and Miller also co-wrote and produced The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (which earned positive reviews) and haven’t had any trouble lining up new directing jobs. Back in 2017, they boarded an adaptation of Andy Weir’s Artemis, and they’ll be staying in the sci-fi realm for their next project.
According to The Wrap, Lord and Miller will helm the Last Human adaptation for Sony. They will begin work on that film once Artemis is completed. Shazam’s Henry Gayden will write the script, which follows three robots that discover a human child. The main narrative has been described as a “reverse E.T.”
Judging by their most recent films, Lord and Miller have clearly been bit by the sci-fi bug and are very interested in telling those types of stories. Though details are scant at the moment, it sounds like Last Human will be right up their alley. Meta humor and rapid-fire jokes are staples of Lord and Miller’s filmography, but they always bring a strong sense of heart and emotion to their work - be it Schmidt and Jenko’s touching bromance in Jump Street or the real-world twist of The LEGO Movie. Last Human’s apparent similarities to E.T. are promising, as it indicates the film could pack a poignant punch by the time the credits roll. Unfortunately, it may be some time before Last Human becomes a reality. Lord and Miller have yet to begin production on Artemis, so they won’t be turning their attention here for a while.
It’s also telling that Lord and Miller are steering clear of franchise fare for the time being (even Spider-Verse was essentially it own thing) and are staying in their own sandbox. The duo is a popular fan pick for any upcoming superhero film, but they’ve shown little interest there after briefly flirting with The Flash movie. Considering what happened on Solo, this was to be expected and it may be for the better. Lord and Miller obviously thrive when they are given the creative leeway they need to let their sensibilities flourish, and they felt Last Human would be a perfect outlet for their talents. Hopefully, the film lives up to its on-paper potential.
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Source: The Wrap
