Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum to Reach for the Stars in the Wachowskis’ Upcoming ‘Jupiter Ascending’

Andy and Lana Wachowski will be taking us to new and unexpected places again. And they’re bringing Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum along for the ride.

The Wachowski siblings, the writing and directing team best known for creating the ground-breaking "Matrix" trilogy, have begun shooting their next project, a sci-fi adventure called "Jupiter Ascending." The movie is going before cameras at the Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, England, and finds them once again exploring some of the themes of revolution and human possibilities that have been the hallmarks of their work.

"Jupiter Ascending" will star Mila Kunis as Jupiter Jones, a Russian expatriate who works as a janitor and whose life seems to be going nowhere. But Jupiter has big dreams, and it turns out fate has remarkable things in store for her. Jupiter learns about her true destiny when she meets Caine (played by Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered former warrior from another planet. Caine tells Jupiter she was born on a night when the stars were pointing to an extraordinary event. And Jupiter discovers she carries DNA that could mark her as the next leader of the entire universe.

"Jupiter Ascending" seems to fall in line with the usual philosophical concerns of the Wachowski's work, and the movie will feature an impressive supporting cast. Along with Kunis and Tatum, both of whom are coming off high profile projects – Kunis appeared in "Oz: The Great and Powerful," while Tatum headlines the upcoming "White House Down" – the movie will also star Sean Bean (from the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy and "Game of Thrones"), Eddie Redmayne ("Les Miserables" and "My Week With Marilyn"), Tuppence Middleton ("Trance"), James D'Arcy ("Hitchcock"), and Doona Bae ("The Host"). "Jupiter Ascending" will also be something of a reunion for D'Arcy and Bae; they both appeared in the Wachowskis' last picture, the Oscar-nominated "Cloud Atlas."

A significant amount of behind-the-camera talent on "Jupiter Ascending" has also worked with the Wachowskis in the past, including cinematographer John Toll, production designer Hugh Bateup, editor Alexander Berner, and visual effects artists Dan Glass and John Gaeta. Shooting in England is expected to last through June, followed by some location work in Chicago. And if all goes according to plan, Warner Bros. will be releasing "Jupiter Ascending" to theaters in 3-D in July 2014.