Sci-Fi Mystery Thriller DESCENDENT Gets Official Trailer, Theatrical Release Date

RLJE Films has unveiled the official trailer for their upcoming sci-fi mystery thriller DESCENDENT, which world premiered at this year’s SXSW Festival and will launch in US theaters on August 8th, 2025.

Descendent is written and directed by Peter Cilella, and produced by filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. It stars Ross Marquand, Sarah Bolger, Susan Wilder, Charlene Amoia, Dan O'Brien, Brandon Scott, Alexandra Barreto, Alex Ruiz, Clare Cooney, and Emily Pendergast.

Set in present-day Los Angeles, Sean Bruner, a school security guard who is haunted by childhood trauma while preparing for the birth of his first child with his wife, Andrea. After a beam of light appears in the sky during a late-night shift, Sean wakes up in the hospital with an inexplicable talent for vivid, unsettling drawings of extraterrestrials and desert landscapes.

The film is set to open opposite Zach Creggar’s highly anticipated horror thriller WEAPONS, Disney’s sequel FREAKIER FRIDAY, and Kristen Scott Thomas’ directorial debut MY MOTHER’S WEDDING.

We’ve added the release date to our In Theaters calendar. Check out the film’s official trailer and poster below.