Doug Liman Debuts XR Thriller Asteroid at Venice Film Festival

Doug Liman returned to the Venice Film Festival with Asteroid, an ambitious XR (extended reality) sci-fi thriller that combines VR, AI, and interactive storytelling in groundbreaking ways. The project, starring Hailee Steinfeld and others, immerses viewers in a tense narrative about strangers aboard an old Russian Soyuz rocket mining an asteroid, with only one returning to Earth. Asteroid, created by Liman's 30 Ninjas studio in partnership with Google and Samsung, will launch on the new Android XR platform, merging AI, AR, and VR technologies to push the boundaries of cinematic experience. Liman described Asteroid as one of the most difficult projects in his career and sees it as a launchpad for a potential feature-length film, while also highlighting the high bar set for future large-screen adaptations. He remains passionate about space-themed storytelling, reaffirming his interest in a separate ambitious project to shoot a movie in actual outer space starring Tom Cruise, emphasizing that such projects must stand the test of time beyond gimmicks. Liman's career has consistently embraced technological innovation to tell stories that reflect their era, inspired by pioneers like Jim Cameron.