Delta Star Pictures has officially announced the development of “AETERNUM,” the highly anticipated new feature film written and directed by Jordan River. The project, currently in development and pre-production, will launch main production in 2027, bringing together an international team.
Set in the near future, AETERNUM explores a society in which an advanced artificial intelligence system attempts to control and modulate human emotions, redefining the boundaries of free will and individual sensibility. At the heart of the story is an unexpected element: an ancient manuscript that holds secrets hidden for centuries, one that echoes the metaphysical dimension of Saint Augustine’s The City of God as well as the tradition of Shambhala, the legendary “city of light” of Eastern cosmologies, a symbol of knowledge and universal harmony. Its discovery becomes the key to a journey that opens up universal questions.
A gripping narrative structure and an international cast
The film is structured around the Days of Creation, told in reverse, revealing a hidden design that weaves together cosmology, spirituality, and human destiny.
The cast, currently being finalized, reflects the strongly global vocation of the project and will include both Italian and international performers. Casting will continue through the fall, with additional international names expected to be announced.
Breathtaking locations and new technologies
In recent days, the director and production team have carried out the first location scouting trips to identify the most significant filming locations in Italy, in keeping with the thematic depth of the work. Filming will take place across numerous territories and regions, including Abruzzo, Lazio, Calabria, and Trentino, along with other areas still under consideration.
The film will be shot using both live action and advanced Virtual Production techniques, captured in 17K IMAX format, and will incorporate the ThetaWave Cinematic Modulation System, a neuroacoustic modulation technology applied to cinematic sound design, previously tested successfully in theaters for the first time by the same director in his earlier film.
A cinema that questions
AETERNUM represents a new and significant step in Jordan River’s artistic journey — a film that combines narrative tension, eschatological reflection, and visual imagination to tell the future through humanity’s oldest questions: a cinema called to question, reveal, and transform.
“An invitation to pause, listen, and recognize the eternal spark that dwells within every human being.”