Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor land lead roles in sci-fi rom-com

Summarising the plot, 'Variety' reports: "Set in a near future where AI is all the rage and nature is becoming a distant memory, the story revolves around Rachel (Clarke) and Alvy (Ejiofor), a New York couple who are ready to take their relationship to the next level and start a family. Rachel's work gives them a chance to use a new tool developed by a tech giant, Pegasus, which offers couples the opportunity to share pregnancy on a more equal footing via detachable artificial wombs, or pods.

Alvy, a botanist and devoted purist, has doubts, but his love for Rachel prompts him to take a leap of faith. And so begins the wild ride to parenthood in this brave new world."

Barthes, whose last film was based on Gustave Flaubert's classic, 'Madame Bovary', has previously handled one such unusual storyline in the Paul Giamatti-starrer 'Cold Souls' (2009), where the Hollywood star plays a fictionalised version of himself and enlists the services of a company to deep freeze his soul.

The director's part-Indian American husband, Andrij Parekh, is the movie's cinematographer. Last year, he won an Emmy for the episode titled 'Hunting' of the much-acclaimed satirical television series, 'Succession'.