The Creator: John David Washington Wages War Against AI in New Trailer

"We are this close to winning the war. But the AI are developing a super weapon. Retrieve it... or they win." That's the concept behind The Creator, the original sci-fi thriller from Star Wars: Rogue One and Godzilla director Gareth Edwards. Disney's 20th Century Studios on Monday dropped new footage from the timely take on the war against artificial intelligence, which follows an ex-special forces agent (Tenet's John David Washington) on a mission into war-torn New Asia to eliminate a world-ending weapon. As it turns out, the weapon appears to be a child — a robotic young girl named Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). 

Washington leads a cast that includes Gemma Chan (Marvel's Eternals), Ken Watanabe (Godzilla), Sturgill Simpson (Killers of the Flower Moon), newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles, and Allison Janney (I, Tonya). Watch the new trailer below.

The official synopsis states: "Amidst a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (Washington), a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife (Chan), is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war… and mankind itself. Joshua and his team of elite operatives journey across enemy lines, into the dark heart of AI-occupied territory… only to discover the world-ending weapon he's been instructed to destroy is an AI in the form of a young child." 

While there are similarities to James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day — a dystopian future war against AI, a human resistance, and humanity under threat from a nuclear holocaust — Edwards says The Creator was more influenced by filmmaker Stephen Frears' 1984 film The Hit.

"Like, 'This isn't real; this is just a laptop, just turn it off.' You know what I mean? That is kind of what the movie is about," Edwards explained to Total Film magazine. "There are all those questions. And there's no easy answer."

Edwards will be on hand to promote The Creator and debut new footage at the "Directors on Directing" panel scheduled for Friday, July 21st, at San Diego Comic-Con 2023.

The Creator opens September 29th only in theaters.