Marvel stars Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor are a couple navigating a rather unusual pregnancy in the first trailer for new sci-fi romance The Pod Generation. Described as a Black Mirror-style look at parenthood, the movie is the latest from Sophie Barthes, the French-American filmmaker behind atmospheric dramas Cold Souls and Madame Bovary.
The teaser, which you can watch above, opens with Clarke's Rachel pushing a cart round a store – only this shop's aisles are stacked full of babies in car seats. She picks one and takes it to the register, before an employee scans the littlun for a price. If you're thinking that sounds too weird, even for a satire, then you'll be relieved to know that a voiceover then reveals that that's one of many "strange dreams" wannabe mother Rachel has been having recently...
Later, Rachel delights in telling her friend that she and her botanist partner Alvi (Ejiofor) have gotten a spot at The Womb Center, which offers portable, egg-like "wombs" (known as pods) that allows soon-to-be parents to share responsibilities during the gestation period. There's just one issue: Alvi had had his heart set on a natural birth.
What follows, however, isn't quite the dark exploration of scientific advancement that you might assume the film would be given its premise. The clip promises a more upbeat and moving affair, with Alvi and Rachel both helping one another face up to their own hopes and struggles when it comes to starting a family – and the world they live in. Rosalie Craig, Jean-Marc Barr, and Boiling Point's Vinette Robinson also star.
"AT LAST ITS ARRIVED!!!!! Last year I made a movie that was one of the best and most fulfilling creative experiences I've ever had, with a female filmmaker that sets my acting soul on fire, Sophie Barthes, the living legend," Clarke wrote on Instagram as the trailer emerged online. "I am SO proud to bring you this beautiful baby of ours!"
The Pod Generation releases on August 11. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way in 2023 and beyond.
