BREATHE Trailer (2024) Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Hudson

BREATHE Trailer (2024) Milla Jovovich, Jennifer HudsonShow more

BREATHE Trailer (2024) Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Hudson, Sam Worthington, Sci-Fi
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It’s Jennifer Hudson versus the apocalypse — and her fellow survivors — in the new movie Breathe.
Also starring Milla Jovovich, Quvenzhané Wallis, Common, Raúl Castillo and Sam Worthington, the upcoming thriller is directed by Stefon Bristol and written by Doug Simon.

PEOPLE is exclusively debuting the first trailer, which features Hudson and her costars in action-star mode.

The Oscar winner, 42, can be seen navigating a New York City deprived of breathable oxygen and holing up with her family.

“After Earth is left uninhabitable due to lack of oxygen, a mother Maya (Hudson) and her daughter Zora (Wallis) are forced to live underground, with short trips to the surface only made possible by a coveted, state-of-the-art oxygen suit,” reads a synopsis.

Milla Jovovich in Post-Apocalyptic Trailer for Breathe
Milla Jovovich in "Breathe". COURTESY OF BREATHE PRODUCTIONS INC.
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Maya’s husband Darius, “whom she presumes to be dead,” is played by Common, 51. “When a mysterious couple arrives claiming to know Darius and his fate, Maya tentatively agrees to let them into their bunker,” continues the synopsis.
But, as the pulse-pounding trailer indicates, “these visitors are not who they claim to be.”

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“I am so proud to share the screen with such a talented group of actors,” Jovovich, 48, tells PEOPLE in a statement. She adds that Breathe director Bristol was a “wonderful” collaborator.

Jennifer Hudson in Post-Apocalyptic Trailer for Breathe
Jennifer Hudson in "Breathe". COURTESY OF BREATHE PRODUCTIONS INC.
Bristol, a Film Independent Spirit Award winner for 2019's See You Yesterday, also has praise for his “incredible” cast, who “all bring freshness and something gravely unique to the storytelling.”

He tells PEOPLE he is “so damn happy for the world to finally get to see” what he calls “a labor of love.”

Milla Jovovich and Jennifer Hudson in Post-Apocalyptic Trailer for Breathe
COURTESY OF BREATHE PRODUCTIONS INC.
“It’s a story about a mother and daughter who are at odds, fighting to survive,” the filmmaker says. “They have to learn to trust each other, because one small mistake will mean agonizing death. What family can’t relate to that?”

In a statement about the film’s message, Bristol says Breathe is “a personal story. The more personal, the more universal. We want to scare the audience to realize that the Earth can end tomorrow.”
Quvenzhane Wallis and Sam Worthington in Post-Apocalyptic Trailer for Breathe
Quvenzhané Wallis and Sam Worthington in "Breathe". COURTESY OF BREATHE PRODUCTIONS INC.
Citing a Native American proverb — “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, but we borrow it from our children” — Bristol adds that his goal with the film was to help audiences “realize that we are on the verge of leaving our children and future generations with a terrible planet” thanks to man-made climate change.

“The characters keep talking and thinking about their children. They are more concerned about the survival of their children than themselves. The future generations do not deserve this. We have to give our children the tools to help sustain and re-grow the Earth.”

Breathe is in theaters, on digital and on demand April 26.

A mother-daughter duo to fight for survival against strangers desperate for oxygen in Breathe.
The movie stars Jennifer Hudson and Quvenzhané Wallis as mother and daughter pair Maya and Zora.
Director Stefon Bristol's new film is a personal story about trust and survival, aiming to scare audiences into realizing the fragility of our planet.
In a stark future where Earth's air is no longer safe, the few remaining survivors would be left to scrap and claw for every last store of oxygen. That's the terrifying reality imagined by Stefon Bristol's upcoming action thriller Breathe, which stars Jennifer Hudson and Quvenzhané Wallis as a mother and daughter who are limited to living underground when the surface becomes uninhabitable. A new trailer shared today shows their desperate fight for survival when confronted by strangers seeking shelter whose intentions may not be as benevolent as they initially seem.

The events of Breathe are set in motion after Maya's (Hudson) husband and genius inventor Darius (Common) leaves their bunker for a longer outing, only to presumably run out of oxygen and die on the surface. Alone and forced to make excursions themselves, Maya and her daughter Zora (Wallis) try to get by, but danger quickly finds them when they run into two survivors during one trip. One of them, Tess (Milla Jovovich), pleads for the pair to let her into their bunker, so she can examine and replicate Darius's oxygen generator. Her plan could help save the planet, but she shows her true colors after shutting off their power and preparing to let them suffocate. While her intentions are unknown, it's clear she and her fellow survivors will go to any lengths to seize the oxygen they need, forcing Maya and Zora into a tense fight for their lives.

Breathe becomes a gritty, intense actioner in the second half of its trailer. As Maya and Zora leave the safety of their bunker behind, they confront the survivors head-on in the harsh, brightly-colored post-apocalyptic wasteland where one well-placed shot or ambush could leave them without air. To ensure they can live peacefully, they'll have to confront the group of survivors where they live. In addition to Jovovich, the mother and daughter will come into contact with Sam Worthington and Raúl Castillo, among others, during their excursion.

'Breathe' Is a Personal Story for Bristol
A protégé of the great Spike Lee, Bristol has earned his fair share of flowers, taking home a Film Independent Spirit Award for his previous film See You Yesterday. He recently told People Magazine, though, that his latest film is a "labor of love" that he's incredibly eager for audiences to see in part because of how relatable it is. "It’s a story about a mother and daughter who are at odds, fighting to survive," he said. “They have to learn to trust each other, because one small mistake will mean agonizing death. What family can’t relate to that?" Beyond that, he's noted in previous statements how the goal is to show audiences how close our planet is to being unlivable for future generations. With the trailer, he reiterated that message, adding that it's "a personal story. The more personal, the more universal. We want to scare the audience to realize that the Earth can end tomorrow."

Breathe arrives in theaters and on-demand on April 26 in the U.S. Check out the trailer below:

Breathe 2024 Film Promo Image
Breathe (2024)
Air-supply is scarce in the near future, forcing a mother and daughter to fight to survive when two strangers arrive desperate for an oxygenated haven.

Release Date
April 11, 2024
Director
Stefon Bristol
Cast
Milla Jovovich , Sam Worthington , Common , Jennifer Hudson , Quvenzhané Wallis , Raul Castillo , James Saito , Dan Martin
Main Genre
Action