Poor Dave Franco. All he wanted to do was read Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse alone in a diner like any other unsuspecting mad chill bro. Unfortunately, Emma Roberts had to pour a bucket of cold water on that plan and get him involved in a wild goose chase. Now, they’re linked together in some totally crazy game that could destroy their lives forever.
At least, that’s what appears to go down in the trailer for Nerve, the latest thriller from Catfish directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost. Before you scoff, don’t forget that they were responsible for the best of the Paranormal Activity films — ahem, the third one (fourth one, too) — and so there’s reason to believe they could twist this into something clever.
As it stands, though, this looks like a hodgepodge of various thrillers, ranging from David Fincher’s Polanski-esque The Game to Blumhouse’s ever-intriguing Purge series. The stakes are high: Five-second kisses, spontaneous tattoos, and scandalous public appearances wearing only underwear eventually turn into a Thunderdome standoff.
What the hell is going on here? Figure out for yourself above or wait until Nerve hits theaters July 27th via Lionsgate.
