# 2034 (film)
**2034** is an upcoming American science-fiction thriller film directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Netflix, set in the near-future year of its title and centered on a critical look at artificial intelligence, including how AI threatens both society and creative labor.[1](https://www.productionlist.com/productions/week/2026-06-08) It stars [Rachel McAdams](https://www.edgepedia.org/rachel-mcadams) and is produced by [Rian Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rian-johnson) and Ram Bergman through their company T-Street Productions.[2](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in his third feature as director[1](https://www.productionlist.com/productions/week/2026-06-08) |
| Writers | Screenplay by Gordon-Levitt and Kieran Fitzgerald; story credit shared with Natasha Lyonne[2](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/) |
| Lead cast | Rachel McAdams, with Joel Edgerton, Jeff Daniels, Toni Collette, Alfre Woodard, Caleb McLaughlin, Chloe Coleman, Nnamdi Asomugha, Sagar Radia, and Robert Gilbert[3](https://www.darkhorizons.com/five-more-join-gordon-levitts-ai-thriller-2034/) |
| Producers | Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman through T-Street Productions; Netflix distributing[2](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/) • [4](https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/film571695.html) |
| Filming | Began May 4, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia; Montenegro also listed as a location[2](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/) |
| Status | In post-production as of October 5, 2026[5](https://www.productionlist.com/production/untitled-ai-thriller-aka-2034) |
| Release | No date announced by Netflix; a 2027 release is expected[2](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/) |
## Premise
Plot details have been kept under wraps. The film is set in the year 2034 and is described in production documents as a direct creative exploration of themes surrounding artificial intelligence; industry reports characterize the story as portraying AI in a negative light, centering on the friction between human creativity and automated systems.[2](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/) • [6](https://studio.aifilms.ai/blog/gordon-levitt-2034-netflix-ai-thriller) The Production List weekly summary states that the film takes a critical look at how AI threatens both society and creative labor.[1](https://www.productionlist.com/productions/week/2026-06-08)
## Cast
**Rachel McAdams** leads the film. She was reported in April 2026 as the only cast member then attached; her recent work includes [Sam Raimi](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-raimi)'s survival-thriller *Send Help* and Netflix's *Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga*, and she received an Academy Award nomination for *Spotlight*.[2](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/)
In June 2026, Deadline reported five additions: [Alfre Woodard](https://www.edgepedia.org/alfre-woodard), Toni Collette, Chloe Coleman, and [Sagar Radia](https://www.edgepedia.org/sagar-radia), with a CV listing indicating that the UK actor and comedian Robert Gilbert had also signed on. They joined the previously announced [Joel Edgerton](https://www.edgepedia.org/joel-edgerton), Jeff Daniels, Nnamdi Asomugha, and Caleb McLaughlin. Character and story details remained undisclosed beyond the AI theme.[3](https://www.darkhorizons.com/five-more-join-gordon-levitts-ai-thriller-2034/) IMDb additionally lists Shannon Woodward, Angela Yeoh, Dylan Smith, Sagar Radia, Jake Ambrose, Gary Fannin, and Jeffrey S. Vez among the cast.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38641692/)
## Production
The project circulated under the working title **Untitled AI Thriller** before being identified as *2034*.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38641692/) Netflix and T-Street confirmed production in early April 2026, with filming set to begin on May 4, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia, according to issue 1496 of *Production Weekly*; [Montenegro](https://www.edgepedia.org/montenegro) was also listed as a filming location.[2](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/) • [6](https://studio.aifilms.ai/blog/gordon-levitt-2034-netflix-ai-thriller) Dark Horizons reported that filming began in the UK in early May.[3](https://www.darkhorizons.com/five-more-join-gordon-levitts-ai-thriller-2034/) Production List's weekly entry for June 8, 2026 recorded principal photography underway in Belgrade with Montenegro as a second location and a wrap scheduled for July.[1](https://www.productionlist.com/productions/week/2026-06-08)
Production List's dedicated listing names Netflix, T-Street, and Work in Progress as the production companies, with Ram Bergman, Ben LeClair, and [Brian Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-johnson) as producers and Michael Sledd as line producer; it also credits Andjelka Vlaisavljevic as a writer and lists Atlanta, Georgia and Serbia as locations with a March 2026 shoot date.[5](https://www.productionlist.com/production/untitled-ai-thriller-aka-2034) IMDbPro lists Gordon-Levitt, Fitzgerald, Rian Johnson, and Ram Bergman among the producers.[8](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt38641692/)
[Anne Hathaway](https://www.edgepedia.org/anne-hathaway) was originally attached to star before she began filming *The Devil Wears Prada 2* (2026), according to IMDb trivia.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38641692/) Early reports in April 2026 linked [Natalie Portman](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-portman) to the project via Collider, but follow-up reporting identified McAdams as the star.[9](https://www.natalieportman.com/2026/04/28/new-project-for-natalie/)
## Release
As of April 2026, Netflix had not announced a release date. What's on Netflix projected a 2027 release given the reported filming schedule and a lengthy post-production period.[2](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/) FilmAffinity lists the film with a 2027 year and Netflix as distributor.[4](https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/film571695.html) By October 5, 2026, the film had finished principal photography and was in post-production.[5](https://www.productionlist.com/production/untitled-ai-thriller-aka-2034)
## Other films titled 2034
The title *2034* is shared by unrelated works, including *2034 – för frihet*, a Swedish-language dystopian drama directed by Richard Desiatnik about a surveillance-controlled future Sweden, produced by MarcelKoeppe Media Production with Filmpool Nord, and a 2025 Canadian comedy-science-fiction feature directed by Guillaume Capovilla about a teleportation-driven shift to a car-free world.[10](https://2034.nu/en/home/) • [11](https://cabaneasang.tv/film/2034/)
## References
1. [Production List — Week of June 8, 2026, Film & Television Industry Alliance](https://www.productionlist.com/productions/week/2026-06-08)
2. ["'2034' AI Thriller Starring Rachel McAdams to Begin Filming in May 2026", What's on Netflix (April 2, 2026)](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/2034-ai-thriller-netflix-preview/)
3. ["Five More Join Gordon-Levitt's AI Thriller \"2034\"", Dark Horizons (June 9, 2026)](https://www.darkhorizons.com/five-more-join-gordon-levitts-ai-thriller-2034/)
4. [2034 (2027), FilmAffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/film571695.html)
5. [Untitled AI Thriller (AKA 2034), Production List (last updated October 5, 2026)](https://www.productionlist.com/production/untitled-ai-thriller-aka-2034)
6. ["Joseph Gordon-Levitt's AI Thriller '2034' Heads to Netflix", AI Films Studio blog (April 2, 2026)](https://studio.aifilms.ai/blog/gordon-levitt-2034-netflix-ai-thriller)
7. [2034, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38641692/)
8. [2034, IMDbPro](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt38641692/)
9. ["New Project for Natalie?", NataliePortman.com (April 28, 2026)](https://www.natalieportman.com/2026/04/28/new-project-for-natalie/)
10. [2034 – för frihet, official site](https://2034.nu/en/home/)
11. [2034 (2025), CaSTV](https://cabaneasang.tv/film/2034/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2025–2026 films › Political and conspiracy thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license