Magicians have been trying to make a resurgence on the cool side of our zeitgeist since Now You See Me (we all know how that went), so it’s no surprise a new indie-superhero angle is being taken with Sleight. The feature debut of writer-director J.D. Dillard — who did VFX work for The Force Awakens — Sleight‘s new trailer has all the floating-card trappings of a superhero flick combined with a coming-of-age crime drama edge.
There are quotes in the trailer hailing the film for its genre-bending abilities, but superhero films and crime dramas go rather hand-in-hand, in my opinion. Still, it looks to have an effective use of VFX for its modest budget. With a lean hour and a half runtime, it could be a late spring indie worth your time. Featuring new-comer Jacob Latimore (The Maze Runner, Ride Along) and the always-watchable Dulé Hill, see the full trailer below, along with a synopsis. Try to ignore the overlay glaringly apparent on the bottom of the screen.
A young street magician (Jacob Latimore) is left to care for his little sister after their parents passing and turns to illegal activities to keep a roof over their heads. When he gets in too deep, his sister is kidnapped and he is forced to use his magic and brilliant mind to save her. Sleight stars Jacob Latimore, Seychelle Gabriel, Dulé Hill, Sasheer Zamata, and Storm Reid.
Sleight enters theaters on April 7th.