First Look At Alicia Vikander And James McAvoy In Romantic Thriller Submergence

James McAvoy and in-demand Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander star in today’s first image for Wim Wenders’ romantic thriller, Submergence.

Clutching on to one another in the face of relationship woes, McAvoy and Vikander anchor the adaptation as two lovers facing separate life-or-death situations on opposing ends of the globe. Based on J.M. Ledgard’s acclaimed novel of the same name, Submergence finds Danielle Flinders (Vikander) plunging beneath the waves as a marine biologist, surveying the depths from the relative safety of her submersible.

While spending time in that man-made bubble, Flinders takes comfort in the time spent with her significant other (McAvoy), who is thrust into a grave situation of his own after being captured by jihadist fighters while serving in Somalia. Divided by geography, Submergence then charts how each lover deals with their perilous conditions, and we’re intrigued to learn how Wenders will weave a feature film out of Ledgard’s work. Perhaps Vikander and McAvoy’s plight will be told in parallel, punctuated by flashbacks to moments of happier times?

Submergence has all the makings of a festival hit – possibly Toronto or Venice – with a theatrical release expected at the beginning of 2017. As for McAvoy and Vikander, the former can next be seen reprising the role of Professor X in X-Men: Apocalypse, while the latter has lined up a number of high-profile flicks including Jason Bourne, The Light Between Oceans and Warner’s Tomb Raider movie.