Netflix Wins Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s AI Thriller With Rachel McAdams: Yet Another AI Movie Rolls In

Here we go again: Hollywood has locked in another AI thriller. This time, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is steering the ship, and Netflix has won the bidding war. Rachel McAdams will star in the mysterious untitled project, backed by T-Street (yes, the folks behind Knives Out). Don’t roll your eyes… yet. There may be something here worth watching if they lean into the weirdness of AI instead of playing it safe.

Let’s set the stage. Gordon-Levitt isn’t new to directing, but he’s best known as an actor. He’s teamed with Kieran Fitzgerald on the script; Fitzgerald co-wrote Snowden, so the tone might lean political, technical, or both. Meanwhile, Natasha Lyonne holds a “story by” credit, which suggests she had a hand in the concept or the structural bones of the movie. So we’ve got a writer-director, a co-writer, and a story architect. That’s a solid backbone for an AI thriller that hopes to land somewhere between Ex Machina and Black Mirror.

Netflix winning the package is no surprise. It gives the team a platform with global reach and fewer constraints than a theatrical tentpole might impose. The streaming model suits a film that might want to flex mood, tone, or even uncertainty. The trick will be whether they make this AI story feel fresh or just reheat familiar tropes: the afraid machine, the rogue code, the blurred line between human and algorithm. We’ve seen those movies. A lot.

Rachel McAdams replacing Anne Hathaway adds a layer of curiosity. McAdams has a knack for grounded performances, a normal person in weird circumstances. That could be exactly what this movie needs. If she becomes the human anchor for an AI narrative, that could be powerful. She’s not a sci-fi staple, which might work in favor of the story.

The involvement of T-Street (Rian Johnson’s banner) raises the stakes. Johnson is a filmmaker who leans genres, plots, and surprises. With him in the mix as producer, there’s hope the final film won’t play everything safe. But it’s also easy to see how it might tip into formula. AI is such a trendy subject now that audiences may roll their eyes before the first scene especially if it feels like we’ve seen it before.

So what do we want to see? Maybe AI that isn’t evil, but conflicted. Systems that don’t just try to kill or dominate; they evolve, adapt, wrestle with morality. Maybe thresholds of consciousness, identity, data ownership, algorithmic empathy. If the film explores that grey space, it could rise above the noise.

Still, caution is warranted. The shadows of past AI movies loom large. If the visuals, pacing, or concept fall short, it will feel like any other “humans vs machines” flick. But if the creative team leans hard into nuance, uncertainty, and the uncanny, then this could be one of the smarter entries in the genre.

So yes, roll your eyes at the term “AI movie” for a moment. But don’t close the door yet. With JGL directing, McAdams in front, and T-Street backing it, this might be a fresh spin on a worn concept. Let’s see if the code scares more than the clichés.