Despite their young ages, both Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins have already amassed careers that are both exciting and interesting. Jenkins has played Will Robinson in the Lost in Space reboot, as well as the young iteration of Jack Reacher in Reacher. Martell meanwhile got his big break in Midnight Special before going on to star in Knives Out and both chapters of It. Now they play twin brothers in new sci-fi coming-of-age drama, Arcadian.
In the near future, normal life on Earth has been decimated. Paul (Nicolas Cage) and his two sons, Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins) and Joseph (Jaeden Martell), have been living a half-life – tranquillity by day and torment by night. Every night, after the sun sets, they face the unrelenting attacks of a mysterious and violent evil. Then, when Thomas doesn’t return home before sundown one day, Paul must leave the safety of their fortified farm to find him. A nightmarish battle ensues that forces the family to execute a desperate plan to survive.
Directed by Benjamin Brewer, from a script by Michael Nilon, Arcadian also stars Nicolas Cage as the boys’ father. Whilst Cage will be a clear draw to the project for many, Arcadian is more concerned with telling the story of the two young men. Polar opposites, Thomas and Joseph embark on their own journey’s of self-discovery whilst trying to work together to stop the literal monsters that attack each nightfall.
Arcadian debuted at SXSW and took genre fans by storm. The intimate setting and emotion driven plot combine with some wicked special effects and action spectacle to create a movie that is equally absorbing, thrilling, and affecting. Ahead of Arcadian’s release in US theatres on 12th April, THN were granted time to speak with both Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins. Find out why they picked the project, why Jaeden keeps returning to indie cinema, how his acrobatic past helped Maxwell prepare, and exactly why Arcadian should be enjoyed on the big screen.
Arcadian arrives in US theatres from Friday 12th April.
