Director Scott Derrickson's upcoming film The Gorge receives a thrilling update in the form of first-look images -- one of which features The Menu star Anya Taylor-Joy brandishing an ax while presumably under attack from unknown assailants. Responsible for paralyzing audiences with such productions as The Black Phone and Sinister, Derrickson is branching out in The Gorge with an intriguing combination of several genres, including science fiction, action, and even romance.

✕ Remove Ads

The 2025 thriller -- a collaboration with Skydance and Apple Original Films -- will star Anya Taylor-Joy alongside Top Gun: Maverick's Miles Teller and the iconic Sigourney Weaver. In a sneak peek released earlier today (see below), Vanity Fair also revealed a brief summary of The Gorge, describing what sounds like a spy flick and a survival horror rolled into one. "Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy play elite snipers - one American, the other Lithuanian - stationed in watchtowers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge located in a faraway land whose exact location they're not even allowed to know," the synopsis reads. "Their mission? To safeguard the outside world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within."

✕ Remove Ads

Although a snapshot of the film's poster and a few on-set photos were also released, they don't reveal much more about The Gorge or its hidden, mysterious threat. The poster features a watchtower poised behind a single, scaly-looking hand, while the photos only emphasize what kind of intense thrills audiences can expect fromThe Gorge. For example, when discussing the shot of Anya Taylor-Joy standing on a rusty-looking while holding an ax, Derrickson confirmed: "We had a WWII Willys Jeep pulled up the side of a rock wall while under attack."

Derrickson's Other Films May Hold Clues About What's In Store for 'The Gorge' Close ✕ Remove Ads

Scott Derrickson has proven himself extensively in the horror genre, from directing The Exorcism of Emily Rose in 2005 to The Black Phone in 2021. As a sci-fi action thriller with hints of romance, The Gorge certainly seems like a departure from tradition -- but it may actually end up bearing surprising resemblances to his other work. In a previous statement about the film (via ScreenRant), Derrickson reported that "The idea was to ... see [Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller] thrust into survival mode amidst the unrelenting and unpredictable dangers and mysteries of the gorge itself."

Related Anya Taylor-Joy Wants to Teach You How to Kill Your Family

Netflix has found its lead to play the diabolical protagonist in the upcoming show based on author Bella Mackie's bestselling novel.

This indicates that a fight for survival is likely at the heart of The Gorge, similarly to how the main character of The Black Phone struggles against the fate of The Grabber's previous victims. Derrickson has also demonstrated his ability to masterfully weave supernatural elements with real grounded action and horror, as The Black Phone proves once again, meaning that the creature in The Gorge might be the only supernatural element of the film.

✕ Remove Ads

Given these assumptions, Anya Taylor-Joy is probably the best casting choice possible for The Gorge. She's deftly navigated several genres, from exerting her prowess as an action star in Mad Max: Furiosa to delivering a chilling performance in The Witch. Regardless of what kinds of genre-bending surprises The Gorge brings, it's more than likely that she'll be able to handle it.

The Gorge ✕ Remove Ads