Reminiscence release date, cast, and plot for the Hugh Jackman sci-fi movie

Wolverine is taking to the sea. It’s been more than two years since Hugh Jackman hung up the claws of Wolverine. Now, the actor is setting his sights on something a little different: Climate change in a noir, underwater Miami.

Reminiscence, a new science-fiction thriller, is set in a futuristic Miami suffering under the effects of climate change. The story centers on a private eye who specializes in retrieving lost memories, which is possible due to some of the speculative technology introduced in the movie. The film will be written and directed by Westworld producer Lisa Joy.

While there is little information available detailing the plot, trailers, or additional casting, here’s everything we know so far about Reminiscence.

WTF is Reminiscence?

Reminiscence is a science-fiction thriller set in Miami, where climate change has sunk much of the city underwater. The script, written by director Lisa Joy, made the coveted screenwriter’s Black List in 2013.

The Black List synopsis reads:

An “archeologist” whose technology allows you to relive your past finds himself abusing his own science to find the missing love of his life.

When is the Reminiscence release date?

Reminiscence will release on August 20, 2021. Initially, it was set to be released back in April, only to be replaced by Mortal Kombat. The film was then moved to September before being bumped up to not compete with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Additionally, like all of its releases this year, Warner Bros. has decided to simultaneously release the film in theaters and for streaming on HBO Max on August 20.

Who stars in Reminiscence?

Four major actors will anchor the film: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible — Fallout), Westworld standout Thandiwe Newton, and Daniel Wu, who starred in the 2018 film Tomb Raider and the AMC martial arts drama Into the Badlands. Reminiscence is a reunion of sorts for Jackman and Ferguson, who starred together in the 2017 musical The Greatest Showman.

Jackman stars in Reminiscence as protagonist Nick Bannister — “think Wolverine meets Humphrey Bogart,” said Joy in an interview with Deadline — while Wu will play the villain. Deadline reported that Jackman’s character, the private eye, “becomes vexed” by a client (played by Ferguson).

What is the world of Reminiscence?

In a lengthy explanation on Deadline, Joy reveals her film’s origins. Drafted during her first pregnancy, she began toying with the notion of memories:

“Almost as though that electrical stimulation is unlocking some raw date file in their mind, from a moment from long ago that they haven’t thought of, since. Our memories, the way we tend to experience them, are sort of fuzzy around the edges, like a watercolor that has bled into the past and is not totally clear.

“In this procedure, when people would think back and have this stimulation in their nervous system, the memories that they impact are so immersive and vivid, it was like they were there, again. The smells, the touch, the sound. It wasn’t like they were remembering from a distance, a third party on their own life. It was like they were transported over time, to that very moment.”

The film will depict a future that isn’t far off. While Joy argues that there are generally two sides to the futurism coin — one is “sleek” and a “little cold” that is full of “gleaming buildings” and holograms, the other is “dystopian” and “gritty” — Joy says neither will totally dictate Reminiscence.

Wrote Joy:

“What I’m going for is the way the future will probably naturally unfold. Buildings don’t change that much over ten year’s time. If you look out the window, it’s probably the same bodega that was there 20 years ago. Cities tend to have an evolutionary pace, all their own.”

Joy, of European and Asian ancestry, will let her biracial identity flow through this new vision of an underwater Miami that looks like Venice and Thailand. “The dry lands that are more inland have become the home of the rich, who have taken over the dry inland part and left the rest of the community to create new communities on the flooded outskirts. The way that this looks onscreen will be beautiful, as though Miami — turned into Venice — meets the floating markets of Thailand.”

She added, “That’s what this culture looks like. I wanted to create a really immersive culture of life and sensuality that’s really appealing.”

Reminiscence arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on August 20, 2021.