It was announced at the beginning of the year, in January, that Sam Worthington and David Duchovny have joined the cast of The Exiles, helmed by festival favorite director Midi Z. The film is supposed to be the director's English-language debut, and the project has already entered production. Now, adding more details to the existing slate of information, the director has revealed something important about the story of the film.

Midi Z recently revealed that his upcoming venture with Sam Worthington will be a modern reimagination of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.

Midi Z has disclosed that his upcoming film, The Exiles, which stars Sam Worthington, David Duchovny, and Ke-Xi Wu, is based on Joseph Conrad's beloved masterpiece Heart of Darkness, which has been updated with a new narrative. Speaking with Variety at the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), Midi Z discusses how The Exiles carries on a career-long investigation of identity and displacement, the unlikely path that led him into filmmaking, and the enduring influence of Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien.

"I never went to film school. I was simply someone who loved cinema. I learned from online reviews, books, and whatever resources I could find," said Midi Z.

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and a real-life criminal case in Southeast Asia served as inspiration for his most recent film. Conrad's book was notably adapted by Francis Ford Coppola for Apocalypse Now, but Midi Z claims his version takes a fresh approach and presents a unique fictitious tale.

About 90% of the language in the US-Taiwan co-production is in English, and all of the filming takes place in Taiwan. Midi Z intends to release the movie in 2027, and it is currently in early post-production. The expectations for the film have gone far up into the sky since we now know that it shares the same source material that the iconic Apocalypse Now is loosely based on. 

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The tease has further fueled the excitement for the project, which has a scintillating lineup of actors and creative heads.    

Coming fresh off his recent success with Netflix’s I Will Find You, Sam Worthington (Avatar: Fire and Ash, Fractured) will join David Duchovny (The X-Files, Californication) and Ke-Xi Wu (Ice Poison, Nina Wu) as the main lead in Midi Z’s The Exiles. There is no information on additional cast members of the film. But it does have a multi-Oscar-nominated production team.

The creative team includes cinematographer Ed Lachman (The Virgin Suicides, Carol, El Conde), editor Hank Corwin (The Tree of Life, The Big Short), and composer Lim Giong (Cannes best score winner for The Assassin). The Exiles will be released at the forthcoming European Film Market in Berlin by Mister Smith Entertainment, with CAA handling the US rights. Later this year, the movie is scheduled to debut at a prestigious festival.

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Are you excited for Sam Worthington’s The Exiles? Do let us know.