Production is underway on the AI thriller Serena, and Deadline reports that a sinister chatbot in the story is being played by Andi Matichak, who is best known for playing the role of Allyson Nelson, the granddaughter of Laurie Strode, in the recent trilogy of Halloween sequels from Blumhouse Productions and director David Gordon Green (those films being Halloween 2018, Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends).

Directed by Rob Alicea, who is making his feature debut, from a script written by Jonathan Benecke and P.T. Hylton, Serena has the following synopsis: Desperate to launch her company into the future with resounding success, a CEO commissions tech engineer Holly to build her an AI model. However, before being implemented it must be tested. Down-on-his-luck and funds, former rock star, Chris Sadowsky, is asked to be one of the testers — with devastating repercussions. A simple tool, a chatbot who calls herself ‘Serena’ (Matichak) proves to be a soothingly sinister weapon of destruction, all while being void of conscience or heart.

Ashleigh Murray (Riverdale) plays tech engineer Holly, with Steven Strait (The Expanse) as former rock star Chris Sadowsky. Also in the cast are Tyrone Marshall Brown (Power), María Gabriela González (Fantasy Island), and newcomer Nicole Gut.

Jerry Careccio of Bad Idea is producing Serena alongside Scarlett Camargo of Leaving Normal Productions and Brodrick Haygood of Moon Howler. Careccio had this to say about the project: “In an era where technology is seamlessly woven into our lives, our film serves as both a gripping thriller and a stark warning. The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence holds incredible promise, but it also presents certain dangers we can’t afford to ignore. With a killer script and under Rob’s human vision, Serena aims to shine a light on the dilemmas, vulnerabilities, and costs of an unchecked AI revolution.” 

Does Serena sound interesting to you? What do you think of the idea of Andi Matichak playing a sinister chatbot? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

I didn’t like the new Halloween movies very much, but Matichak did well with the material she was given to work with in them, so I’m glad to see her signing on for another genre movie and look forward to seeing what her chatbot Serena is going to be like.

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