James McAvoy is filming a new sci-fi comedy in Glasgow alongside Ted Lasso star Juno Temple and Hollywood actress Joey King.
Production is under way on Almost You, a new film which explores themes around artificial intelligence and grief. The film is being directed by Matt Lipsey, whose credits include Ted Lasso, Inside No. 9, Little Britain and Psychoville.
Almost You follows Phoebe, a gifted robotics engineer struggling with the death of her younger sister Edie.
Unable to accept her loss, she breaks the rules at the technology company where she works and uses years of her sister’s messages, videos and social media posts to create a lifelike AI version of her. Phoebe is then forced to confront difficult questions on the morality around now technology.
Temple, best known for playing Keeley Jones in Ted Lasso, stars alongside McAvoy and Joey King, whose films include Bullet Train and The Kissing Booth series.
The film reunites McAvoy and Temple almost two decades after they both appeared in the 2007 film Atonement.
Director Lipsey said the story had originally felt as though it was dealing with the future, only for advances in artificial intelligence to make its subject increasingly current.
He said: “There’s never been a movie that needed to be made more than this one. We thought we were making a film about the future. It turns out it’s about right now.
“Juno, Joey and James will make you laugh, then break your heart, then make you laugh about it.”
Almost You has been written by Alice Moran and is being made by Homefront Productions, Glasgow-based Blazing Griffin and Scared Goose Entertainment.
Danny Page, Matt Schichter and Rory Stewart are producing the film, with Bankside Films handling worldwide sales and sharing UK and North American representation with UTA Independent Film Group.
Stephen Kelliher of Bankside Films said: “We are incredibly excited to be working with Matt Lipsey and this exceptional cast on Almost You. Combining a wonderfully original premise with genuine emotional depth and humour, the film explores the very human desire to hold on to the people we love, in a world where technology increasingly challenges the boundaries of what is possible.
“It is a funny, moving and thought-provoking story which we believe will resonate strongly with audiences around the world.”
The production gives Glasgow-born McAvoy another major project filmed in his home city.
Earlier this year he was shooting Meantime, a six-part comedy thriller based on Frankie Boyle’s novel of the same name and co-written by Boyle and Neil Webster.
McAvoy was spotted filming that production at locations including Bell Street, Parnie Street, St Vincent Street and Govan.