Karl Urban Steps Outside the Verse for a Grieving Kid’s World of Living Objects in ‘I, Object’
Karl Urban has spent years fighting supes and saving Starfleet, so watching him turn up in a heartfelt animated family drama feels genuinely unexpected. But that is exactly what is happening with ‘I, Object,’ an upcoming live-action and animation hybrid that marks one of the more surprising projects of the actor’s career.
‘I, Object’ is written and directed by Andrew Niccol, the Oscar-nominated Kiwi filmmaker behind ‘The Truman Show’ screenplay and the sci-fi classic ‘Gattaca.’ The film is set for a theatrical release on July 23 in New Zealand, distributed by Umbrella Entertainment. It is a co-production between Canada’s Scythia Films and New Zealand’s Southern Light Films, and was shot in Wellington.
The project first came together back in 2023, when Niccol assembled an eye-catching all-Kiwi ensemble. The Hollywood Reporter revealed at the time that Urban, alongside Melanie Lynskey, Thomasin McKenzie, and Jemaine Clement, had signed on to lead the live-action and animation feature. In January 2024, Anna Faris stepped in to replace Lynskey after the ‘Yellowjackets’ star had to exit due to scheduling conflicts, and filming got underway in Wellington that same month.
The footage shared by @TheBoysOOCC on X offers a first proper look at Urban in the film, showing him in what appears to be a charged, emotionally raw moment. Urban plays a character named Frank, while the story’s young lead, Tom, is portrayed by Bentley Storteboom. Ethan Hawke, Jemaine Clement, and Rachel Griffiths round out a voice cast that brings the animated objects surrounding Tom to life. There is a particular neatness to Hawke joining the project, given that Niccol directed him nearly three decades ago in ‘Gattaca.’
‘I, Object’ centres on Tom, a 10-year-old boy with a vivid imagination where faces come alive in everyday objects. After his father’s death, he retreats into his own world as a refuge from reality. Niccol has spoken about wanting to spread what he describes as his “disease of seeing faces in objects,” noting that the scientific word for it is pareidolia, and that once you start seeing them, you cannot stop. He also described an ambitious technical approach, telling the NZ Herald that the visual effects were built to be photo-real, comparing the intention to watching a cheese grater come to life with the same conviction audiences brought to dinosaurs.
Niccol also reflected on filming in his home country after so many years abroad, saying that being something of a foreigner in his own land allowed him to look at Wellington with fresh eyes and re-embrace the city. That outsider perspective feels fitting for a story rooted in finding connection in the most unexpected places.
The film is being positioned as a fantastical family drama, which puts it squarely in territory that Hollywood has not explored with quite this combination of talent in some time. With a filmmaker of Niccol’s calibre at the helm and a cast that spans from Urban and Faris to Hawke and Clement, the ambition here is clear. Whether the emotional premise lands as powerfully as Niccol hopes will be something audiences can judge for themselves come July, so share your thoughts below on whether ‘I, Object’ has earned a spot on your watchlist.
