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Null3x is a 2028 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Olivia Wilde with a screenplay written by Anna Boden. The film stars Jack Dylan Grazer and Abby Ryder Fortson in lead roles, along with Robert Downey Jr., Colin Farrell, Tessa Thompson, J.K. Simmons, and Jennifer Garner in supporting roles. Set in 2014, the plot revolves around a ex-coder who tracks and protects a high school junior after uncovering a network of manufactured connections.
The film was released on November 24, 2028, by Netflix. It received generally mixed reviews from critics with praising towards Wilde's direction, cast performances, atmosphere, cinematography, musical score, visual style, and sense of nostalgia, but was criticized for its writing and focus on character of Chloe.
Synopsis[]
"Set in 2014 - when smartphones were smart enough to manipulate but still dumb enough to trust - a burned-out ex-coder, now lurking behind a techwear mask and cryptic online handles, roams the backstreets of Minnesota after his partner was killed during a botched breach involving a secretive tech company."
"When a high school junior’s phone is “triggered” - activating a dormant connection protocol across her social media footprint, he sees echoes of the same tech that got his partner killed. He inserts himself into her life, initially tracking her for answers, but ends up awkwardly trying to protect her as she obsessively focuses on a singular mission: asking her crush to prom before the end of the week."
"As the coder digs deeper, he uncovers a network of artificially manufactured relationships - not just between people, but between apps, platforms, and devices - designed to drive human behavior and data collection at scale. Every like, ping, emoji, and text is being manipulated."
"Meanwhile, the girl is just trying to survive high school humiliation."
- Netflix.
Plot[]
TBA.
Cast[]
- Abby Ryder Fortson as Chloe Penrose, a high school junior who gets entangled into a conspiracy.
- Jack Dylan Grazer as Ashton Virek/"Null3x", a former coder who uncovers a network while protecting Chloe.
- Robert Downey Jr. as Dorian Cross, the CEO and founder of Vantix.
- Colin Farrell as Simon Grey, a tech-assessor whom Ashton previously had contacts.
- Tessa Thompson as Mara Voss, the head of security for Vantix.
- J.K. Simmons as Chief Harold Becker, the police chief of Minnesota who views Ashton as a threat.
- Jennifer Garner as Karen Penrose, Chloe's overprotective mother.
- Jay Duplass as Mark Penrose, Karen's husband and Chloe's supportive father.
- Penelope Recupero as Emmy Penrose, Chloe's younger sister.
- Ruth Negga as Elena Kross, an executive of Vantix.
- Lakeith Stanfield as Detective Lucas Grant, a top detective and Becker's assistant.
- Caleb Landry Jones as Eli Mercer/"En1ity", a talented hacker and Ashton's partner before he was killed in the hands of Voss.
- Jahzir Bruno as Ethan Carter, Chloe's awkward yet charming classmate and love interest.
- Kaitlyn Maher as Maddie, a young Vine celebrity and Chloe's best friend.
- Olivia Scott Welch as Zoe, a emo girl and Chloe's other best friend.
- Francesca Reale as Brittany, the popular girl who usually bullies Chloe.
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Caleb Virek, a tech analyst and Ashton's estranged brother.
- Beth Grant as Principal Griggs
- Joshua Paddon as Benji
Former Vine celebrity Andrew Bachelor makes an uncredited role as Bl1tz, a tech-masked career criminal who was hired by Dorian to activate the network.
Production[]
Development[]
In December 2026, Netflix greenlights a genre-bending teen techno-thriller pitched by Jessica Rhoades in collaboration with Shawn Levy after several TikTok posts involving Gen-Z nostalgia were posted. The following month, screenwriter Anna Boden was brought to the production to write the screenplay with a mix of grounded coming-of-age emotion and cyber-intrigue while Olivia Wilde joins as director, drawn by the script's blend of emotional drama and stylized mystery. Wilde is also involved in visual planning and character development early on. The Duffer brothers served as executive producers.
Casting[]
Following the greenlight, Robert Downey Jr. was the first choice to join the cast as he is reluctant at first, but later accepted the role after several fans are encouraging him at his Twitter account. In April 2027, Jacob Tremblay was approached to portray the title role, but was dropped out due to "creative differences", with Jack Dylan Grazer replacing him afterwards, while Jennifer Garner and J.K. Simmons signed for their roles in the same month, respectively. Timothy Olyphant was originally approached to portray the role of Simon Grey, but he declined the offer, to which Colin Farrell later replacing him. In June 2027, Tessa Thompson and Jay Duplass joined their roles. Emma Myers was offered the role to portray a female lead, but couldn't accept due to scheduling conflicts, with Abby Ryder Fortson replacing her as a lead. Lakeith Stanfield joined the cast as well as Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the same month.
In July 2027, Caleb Landry Jones was announced to portray one of the supporting roles while Ruth Nugga signed to portray her character role. Vine celebrity Andrew Bachelor was approached to portray an uncredited role of Bl1tz, to which he accepted as he felt nostalgic about his old days involving Vine.
Filming[]
Principal photography began on August 2027, in Winnipeg, Manitoba for its visual and atmospheric similarity to Minnesota as capturing both urban tension and suburban high school scenes, while the lakeside scenes were filmed at Kawartha Lakes under Wilde's direction. Principal photography wrapped on October.
Soundtrack[]
Marco Beltrami was originally hired to compose the soundtrack as he was offered by the producers. However, Beltrami left the production due to "scheduling conflicts". Ryan Hemsworth eventually replaced him to compose for the film as he blends a mix of ambient, chopped vocal samples, and early 2010s nostalgia.
Release[]
Null3x was released globally on Netflix on November 24, 2028, with a limited theatrical release in select cities.
Reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 72% based on 190 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Null3x is a stylish fusion of teen angst and techno paranoia, with a standout visual style and strong performances. While its high school drama occasionally overshadows its deeper cyber-thriller core, the film offers a timely exploration of connection, surveillance, and identity." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 63 out of 100 based on 35 critic reviews, indicating "generally mixed or average reviews".