Having proven his worth in visual effects on the likes of The Matrix Reloaded and The Polar Express, Steven Ilous of VFX house SMI Entertainment is now set to cause a stir in Hollywood all of his own. He's behind 'found footage' teaser trailer 2088, a proof-of-concept piece for a science-fiction film set in the futuristic, gritty, neon-trimmed streets of Los Angeles.

On patrol with the LAPD's 'Non Human Crimes Division', the teaser sees a group of cops wiped out by a giant, bad-ass looking robot, most definitely not of the friendly kind. SMI's official website sheds a bit more light on the project, indicating “2088 is a product of emerging technologies and their power to transform and showcase new narrative storytelling practices,” and describes the mission behind the movie as; “To produce, direct and write a transmedia sci-fi/drama property that will entice audiences from all around the world, allowing people to experience this story through multi-platform touch points.”

There's really little more to go on here unfortunately, the 70 seconds of the clip and the project's page giving us but a brief, yet tantalising glimpse of the action just waiting to be mined from Ilous' full-length 2088 screenplay, which when seen side-by-side with the aforementioned trailer, will serve as a one-two pitch punch to studios over the next few months. It has huge potential for sure, with a visual style reminiscent of Blade Runner and likely enough monstrous mechanical anti-heroes to give Michael Bay a run for his money. We're keeping an eye on this one.

Check out 2088's Facebook page for updates.

Richard Birkett