Does Hugh Grant know about Jar Jar Binks? That’s probably not a question you’ve ever considered before, but as I click the Zoom link and prepare to interview Scott Beck and Bryan Woods about their new film, Heretic, it’s at the top of my list of topics to discuss — right after diving into the filmmaking duo’s religious upbringing.
Believe it or not, both Star Wars and religion both play a pivotal role in A24’s latest psychological thriller from Beck and Woods (best known for creating the Quiet Place franchise). Heretic stars Hugh Grant as Mr. Reed, an obsessive religious scholar who lures two young Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) into a trap and attempts to convert them to his radical beliefs. Throughout its 110-minute runtime, the film grapples with everything from the origins of monotheism to whether future archeologists will think we prayed to Jar Jar Binks as a god.
