Okay, so the universe is a little different. Upcoming thriller Seven Sisters appears to be set in a world where the entire planet has adopted China’s “one child only” rule, and Willem Dafoe is breaking the law by raising seven identical sisters. And as they grow from youth into adulthood, those siblings are each played by Noomi Rapace, not Tatiana Maslany. But outside of that basic premise, an awful lot of the trailer for this film plays like Orphan Black: The Movie—in a good way.
The main hook, obviously, is much the same as the BBC show, wherein a single actor plays a range of different people all related by blood, and who could pass for one another if need be. And the other elements of the narrative look similar, as well. All the siblings keeping a secret from the outside world? Check. Nefarious corporate and/or government entity bent on doing them harm? Check. Lots of opportunities to play around with alter egos and acting-within-acting tricks? It’s built right into the concept, which sees all of Rapace’s seven characters getting to spend one day a week (helpfully matched to each of their names—Monday, Tuesday, etc.) outside the walls of their home, each one adopting the persona of “Karen Stettman.” So when one of them goes missing, it’s up to the others to find out what happened, without getting nabbed by the authorities (led by Glenn Close in a couple of not-great hairdos).
It all looks like good B-movie fun, anchored by a solid actor and outlandish premise. Further encouragement lies in the fact this is being helmed by Tommy Wirkola, who gave us the enjoyably daffy Dead Snow and even better Dead Snow 2: Red Vs. Dead. Admittedly, he also directed Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, but they can’t all be winners. Hopefully, this is a pulpy good time—we’ll know when Seven Sisters comes out. It’s listed here as opening August 30, but it’s unclear if that’s the European release date only. (Also, you may see it online as What Happened To Monday?, the title the movie is still given on IMDB.)