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Sam Esmail’s next feature project, Tesseract, is taking shape as an original science-fiction film set up at Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists, with Glen Powell in negotiations to star. Powell is also producing through Barnstorm, his company with Dan Cohen, while Esmail is producing through Esmail Corp alongside Chad Hamilton. Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt are also on board as producers.
Hungary enters the picture as part of the project’s reported production footprint. The current plan lists London and Hungary as shoot locations, with a summer 2026 start in view; the listing surfaced in the trade calendar points specifically to a July 2026 window and names Hungary directly alongside London. It also identifies Tod Campbell as cinematographer and Kasia Malipan as line producer.
A Concrete Hungary Link on an Otherwise Closely Held Project
Like many Esmail projects, Tesseract is being kept largely under wraps. Plot details have not been disclosed, although the project is said to include two additional lead roles, both female. It has not yet been greenlit, which makes the location information more interesting from an industry standpoint: even before the film is fully out in the open, Hungary is already part of the working production plan.
That is the most relevant takeaway for the local market. There is not yet any identified Hungarian service company or studio partner in the material currently available, and nothing public yet clarifies whether Hungary will be used for studio work, locations, or as part of a larger regional base. Still, when a project at this level names Hungary this early, it usually suggests the country is being considered for a meaningful production function rather than as a placeholder.
Why This One Carries Weight
The significance here is less about mystery than about scale and positioning. Esmail is still best known in television for Mr. Robot, but his recent feature work has moved decisively into studio-backed territory. He wrote and directed Leave the World Behind, the Netflix thriller starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and Kevin Bacon, and is currently in post-production on Panic Carefully, a Warner Bros. thriller with Roberts, Elizabeth Olsen, Eddie Redmayne and Joe Alwyn.
Powell, meanwhile, remains one of the more commercially visible actors in the current market. He is currently shooting the second season of Hulu’s Chad Powers, and most recently starred in The Running Man, Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel.
Against that backdrop, Tesseract stands out as a legitimate Hungary-related development, even at an early stage. The film is not fully disclosed, not yet greenlit, and still light on public specifics. But the production plan already places Hungary inside the conversation, which is enough to make it worth tracking from a Budapest industry perspective.
