Sci-fi romcoms are rare things. Some of the few examples include the much underrated time travel film Happy Accidents (2000), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), and – if you really want to push the point – Groundhog Day, which celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this year. This is a shame. If ever there were two genres that cried out to be joined together, it’s science fiction and romantic comedy. After all, what could be more romantic than seeing the usual mixture of comic misunderstandings and embarrassing situations against a backdrop of interstellar battles or dimension-jumping jiggery-pokery?
It’s welcome news, then, that a new addition to the genre will soon hit the silver screen. British film Timestalker began shooting last year and features a marvelous array of comedic acting talent and an intriguing plot line full of both romantic and comic possibilities. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming film.
Timestalker: Plot
Timestalker is not a time travel film per se, instead using the trope of reincarnation to jump from one time period to another. Few details have been released regarding the plot, but the main character is Agnes, who is doomed to die and be reincarnated every time she falls in love – with the “wrong” man. Expect visits to Jacobite-era Scotland, Georgian England, 1980s Manhattan – and a post-apocalyptic near future.
Timestalker: Cast
Timestalker is the brainchild of Alice Lowe, who also stars and directs. Lowe’s bona fides in British comedy are extensive; she first came to prominence in 2004 when she appeared as Liz in the off-the-wall sitcom Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. The show was set in a medical facility and managed to send up poorly-made 1980s hospital soaps, melodramatic Twin Peaks-esque supernatural dramas, and pompous, “how-we-made” retrospective documentaries all at once.
Though it only ran for a single series and achieved modest viewing figures at best, the show catapulted its four white-coated young principals to stardom. Richard Ayoade quickly went on to star in several hit comedies such as The It Crowd and carve a second career as a successful film director, while Matt Berry played the lead in Toast of London and is much in demand both as a musician and as a voice actor (genre fans will be familiar with his voice work in Disenchantment, What We Do In The Shadows, and most recently in The Book of Boba Fett).
Lowe, too, went from strength to strength after her big break. A regular in British comedy and sketch shows, appearances followed in high-profile dramas such as Sherlock and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
In 2016, Lowe made her directorial debut with Prevenge, a comedy slasher film in which she stars as a heavily pregnant woman who becomes convinced her unborn child is commanding her to go on a murder spree. Shot in Wales while Lowe herself was pregnant, the edgy, low-budget feature was a critical success, paving the way for Timestalker.
For her latest project, Lowe has assembled an impressive cast. Starring opposite her is Jacob Anderson, best known to fantasy audiences as Grey Worm in Game of Thrones and to sci-fi fans as Vinder in Doctor Who. But comedy fans will also recognize Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead), who, like Lowe, got his break in sitcoms on British TV’s Channel 4, starring alongside Simon Pegg in the cult hit Spaced, and Tanya Reynolds, best known for her roles in Netflix’s Sex Education and HBO’s The Baby.
Welsh actor Aneurin Barnard also stars. Barnard’s resume includes high-profile appearances in Peaky Blinders, as well as supporting roles in films such as Christopher Nolan’s Second World War epic Dunkirk (2017), Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019), and Marie Curie biopic Radioactive (2019). Another Peaky Blinders veteran, Scottish actor Kate Dickie, will also appear.
Dickie has also appeared in Game of Thrones, Prometheus, The Green Knight, and most recently in the second season of Disney+’s Marvel TV series Loki, which is due to drop later this year.
Timestalker: Release Date
As Netflix’s acquisition of the new Welsh-language drama Dal Y Mellt amply demonstrates, the Welsh TV and film industry is having a moment at present.
​​​​​​​Timestalker is another example of the rude health of the industry in the Celtic nation right now. As with Lowe’s directorial debut, Timestalker is produced by Welsh film company Western Edge Pictures; Popcorn Group are co-producers, and the movie is being supported in part by the development agency for Welsh film, Ffilm Cymru Wales.
Principal photography commenced in Wales last fall, with Vaughan Sivell producing. No British release date for Timestalker has yet been announced, though it is understood that Western Edge are aiming for a release later in 2023.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
