If you’ve ever sat through a Hollywood awards show and thought, “Someone should really storm the stage with a crossbow,” director Romain Gavras (Athena) is about to fulfill your highly specific wish. Netflix has released a first-look image for Sacrifice, a genre-bending ride that pits an existential Chris Evans against a cult-leading Anya Taylor-Joy.
While the streaming giant is keeping the official premiere date locked in a vault, the teaser imagery confirms that production is well underway. And looks like it’s going to be the most chaotic charity event of the year.
Hostage Takeovers and Hollywood Egos
The official logline sets up a pitch-black satirical thriller. A film star attempting a career comeback is abducted from an environmental gala alongside two other high-profile guests by a radical group convinced that a human sacrifice is the only way to save the planet. Talk about an aggressive carbon offset.
However, a quick deep-dive into the film’s IMDb page reveals that Gavras might be hiding some supernatural cards up his sleeve. Alternate plot breakdowns describe armed activists hunting for a “legendary relic that could unlock supernatural powers.”
The most detailed breakdown gives us the exact dynamic we didn’t know we needed:
During a star-studded charity gala brimming with celebrities, billionaires, and empty speeches, a movie star in the midst of an existential crisis (Chris Evans) is taken hostage by a radical warrior (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her devoted followers. As the night descends into chaos, both an inward journey and an outward adventure ensue, where the line between performance and belief, salvation and sacrifice, begins to blur.
A Cast List That Feels Like an Algorithm Fever Dream
The ensemble cast for Sacrifice reads like someone fed a pop-culture blender a handful of Compound V. Joining Evans and Taylor-Joy in the madness are Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, and John Malkovich. They are joined by Sam Richardson (I Think You Should Leave) and Ambika Mod (One Day). Pop pioneer Charli XCX and Swedish cloud-rapper Yung Lean also star.
What Exactly Is This Movie?
For what it’s worth, IMDb currently classifies the film under the elusive umbrella of an “action-adventure-comedy.” Given Gavras’ track record with hyper-stylized, high-octane tension, expect something that tracks somewhere between a riotous satire on celebrity activism and a violent, cult-fueled thriller.
Either way, you can officially RSVP “yes” to this particular gala. Stay tuned for an official Netflix release date.
