Taylour Paige, the Grammy-nominated singer and actor (“Zola,” “The Toxic Avenger”) has voiced “Astra,” Eliza McNitt‘s immersive experience which will premiere at SXSW.
In “Astra,” McNitt explores the mystery of life in the universe as she did previously in “Spheres,” which was produced by Darren Aronofsky and boasted a voice cast including Jessica Chastain, Patti Smith and Millie Bobby Brown. The title won the VR grand prize at the Venice Film Festival, and sold out of Sundance in 2018 for a record-breaking seven-figure deal.
“Astra” reteams McNitt with “Spheres’s” award-winning French production banner AtlasV (“Wallace and Gromit in the Grand Getaway”). The title is produced in collaboration with meta, as it combines spatial storytelling with mixed reality and cinematic sequences.
“Astra” starts off with the discovery of an astrobiologist’s lost belongings, which transports users on an otherworldly voyage spanning our solar system and reaches into the vastness beyond. The search for life in the cosmos echoes the quest to understand loss on Earth.
“Taylour has a remarkable ability to portray characters that are both grounded and otherworldly. I couldn’t be more honored to collaborate with her on ‘Astra,'” McNitt said in a statement. “This mixed reality experience unfolds from the human perspective of exploring life in the universe.”
“Astra” will be released in the spring on meta Quest 2 and 3 headsets. McNitt is a Sundance Institute Screenwriting and Directing Lab Fellow for her narrative feature “Black Hole.” AtlasV signed last year with CAA and has been building a presence in the U.S. Besides “Spheres,” the company’s credits include the interactive animation “Madrid Noir.”
