Movies

Leslie Odom Jr. and Cynthia Erivo are time-crossed lovers in mindbending Needle in a Timestack

Plus, Orlando Bloom as a nefarious warper of time.

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Published on September 14, 2021 12:00PM EDT

If love is in the form of a circle, what lines would you cross to be with your soulmate?

Such is the question at the heart of the teaser trailer for writer-director John Ridley's new film, Needle in a Timestack, which EW is debuting exclusively above. In the mind-melding clip, we're introduced to Leslie Odom Jr.'s character Nick, who kicks things off in a futuristic, ominously decorated room. He's asked where he'd like to go, and is informed he can travel to "any time" he'd care to visit. Apparently, he wants to go to his wife Janine, played by Cynthia Erivo, whom he's apparently starting to forget. "Wherever you are, whenever you are, I will find you. We'll find our way back," he says.

Per the film's official synopsis, the Needle in a Timestack is set in the near future, where Nick and Janine live in marital bliss until Janine's ex-husband (Orlando Bloom) warps time to try to tear them apart using Nick's college girlfriend (Freida Pinto). As Nick's memories and reality disappear, he must decide what he's willing to sacrifice o hold onto — or let go of — everything he loves. Can love endure in a future where time is fluid, and all of life may be just an illusion?

Ridley, who wrote the screenplay based on a short story of the same name by Robert Silverberg, is thrilled that audiences will finally get to see the time-crossed story on the big screen. "After the year-plus we've all endured, it's an absolute joy to present a film rooted in love, allurement, and possibilities," he said in a statement to EW. The film also stars Jadyn Wong, Laysla De Oliveira, James Kirk, and more.

Needle in a Timestack hits theaters, on-demand, and digital Oct. 15.

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