The Office Star Joins Sci-Fi Documentary

A new trailer for the film begins with John Krasinski’s distinctive voice asking the viewer to “Imagine a world where life on Earth is totally sustainable.” The trailer goes on to show some of the efforts being made to bring about this hopeful future, including some that are already in development. In what is easily the coolest moment in the trailer, giant solar panels are shown above the Earth’s atmosphere, Collecting solar energy and beaming it back down to the planet.

Cities is intended to be shown exclusively in IMAX theaters and theaters with similarly oversized screens. According to a press release, the movie “invites audiences to explore the innovations engineers are designing now to meet the pressing challenges of a changing world and forge a brighter, more sustainable future,”

The John Krasinski narrated film will make its debut on February 16 in select museums and science centers. Cities of the Future was shot on 70mm film using 3D cameras and aims to show a hopeful future—something not usually found in dystopia-obsessed Hollywood. A description of the documentary notes that the movie will go from “electric flying cars and aerial highways” to “smart buildings” and “greener infrastructure,” as it depicts a possible bright future for our planet.

Cities of the Future will combine groundbreaking CGI with live-action cinematography to portray its theoretical future paradise. The movie will also take a look at current urban landscapes already in the process of transforming into their future counterparts. It will feature some of Earth’s most famous cities, such as Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Singapore.

“John Krasinski is an exciting and talented storyteller, and his voice will lend warmth and humanity to our story,” said two-time Oscar-nominated director Greg MacGillivray. According to MacGillivray, Cities of the Future will imagine how “our lives might look like in 50 years,” based upon “engineering marvels,” currently being envisioned “by visionaries today.”

Meanwhile, actor-writer-director John Krasinski expressed how “thrilled” he was to be working on the project in a statement of his own. “Audiences will be fascinated to discover how engineers see the future,” said the multi-hyphenate star. Krasinski, who’s best known for his role as Jim Halpert on NBC’s long-running sitcom The Office, also touted the “incredible new technologies” being designed currently to “help our cities adapt.”

Shaun MacGillivray, son of Greg and co-director of Cities of the Future, noted that “parents and teachers” are often looking for entertainment for children that will also turn them on to STEM activities. “We hope Cities of the Future will inspire kids to see engineering as a meaningful way to help others and leave a positive mark on the world,” the junior MacGillivray said of the film.

MacGillivray Freeman Films produced the movie in association with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). ASCE is the award-winning team behind the IMAX documentary Dream Big: Engineering Our World, while MacGillivray Freeman Films bills itself as the Earth’s foremost producer and distributor of independent, giant-screen 70mm films. The production company has over 40 IMAX movies to its credit, with many more on the way, including the new doc voiced by John Krasinski.

Source: Deadline