Sony Pictures has dropped the first trailer for Patient Zero this week, a new zombie thriller starring The Crown‘s Matt Smith, Game of Thrones‘ Natalie Dormer and the prolific Stanley Tucci.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which much of humanity has been infected by a virus that turns them into savage killers, Smith’s victim – the only one who doesn’t suffer from the usual symptoms – comes into contact with Tucci’s more evolved zombie. Dormer’s scientist hopes that if Smith can communicate with him, he can become Patient Zero and give them the key to curing the epidemic.
If this film rings a distant bell, that might be because you remember it being discussed back when it was shooting…in 2015. Yup, Sony has been keeping this one on the shelf for ages, despite Smith and Dormer having a lot of success over the past few years. That suggests the studio doesn’t have a lot of faith in the pic, which comes from the minds of director Stefan Ruzowitzky and writer Mike Le.
That’s only supported by the fact that Patient Zero is being dumped on VOD on August 14th before being offered a limited theatrical release a month later, on September 14th. Obviously, there are a growing number of acclaimed movies being released on demand rather than in cinemas, but we have to say we don’t imagine this being one of them.
After all, the storyline is a little rote, even if the cast look to be giving it their best shot in this trailer. Though Smith’s stab at a US drawl is admittedly pretty distracting.
Tell us, are you interested in catching Patient Zero when it’s finally unleashed on the world next month? Leave your thoughts in the usual place down below.
