Cinematographer Wally Pfister has not been behind the camera for Christopher Nolan's heady 2014 science fiction blockbuster Interstellar, because he has been busy with his own directorial debut, Transcendence. The even heady-er (if that is a word) project aims to tackle identity, memory, immortality and evolution of the human consciousness, seemingly with all the bombast that Hollywood is known for. This is perhaps a small step backwards after the marvellous optimism at play in Spike Jonze's Her, insofar as we are back to the default 'fear' that usually is piled on in these projects. But no matter, with Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Morgan Freeman, Kate Mara, Rebecca Hall, Clifton Collins Jr. and Cillian Murphy, and a world class cinematographer at the helm, there is no doubt that this will be a handsome film indeed.
I get a curious The Lawnmower Man crossed with Seven vibe:
Dr. Will Caster is an artificial intelligence researcher who strives to create a machine that possesses sentience and collective intelligence. Extremists who oppose technological advancement target him, but their actions drive him toward his goal. Caster also wants to become part of the new technology, and his wife Evelyn and his best friend Max Waters, also researchers, question the wisdom of this drive. Caster's goal to acquire knowledge becomes one to acquire power, and he seems to be unstoppable.