Kate McKinnon and Rashida Jones Cross Time and Space in Trailer for the Sci-Fi Drama IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
Searchlight Pictures has dropped the official trailer for In the Blink of an Eye, an ambitious indie sci-fi drama that’s heading straight to Hulu later this month.
The film marks Andrew Stanton’s first live-action sci-fi feature since John Carter back in 2012, and this offers a more intimate, idea-driven science fiction story, this one is swinging big.
In the Blink of an Eye tells three interconnected stories spread across thousands of years, each reflecting on humanity’s relationship with love, survival, and connection.
The film debuted at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where reactions were mixed. The film tells a story “about where we came from, where we are, and where we're going.”
The narrative jumps between eras in a triptych structure. One storyline follows a Neanderthal family fighting to survive after being driven from their home, relying on instinct, community, and primitive tools to protect their children.
Another takes place in the present day, where Claire, played by Rashida Jones, is a driven post-graduate anthropologist studying ancient proto-human remains while forming a complicated relationship with a fellow student portrayed by Daveed Diggs.
The third storyline pushes far into the future, set aboard a spaceship traveling to a distant planet, where Kate McKinnon plays Coakley, a crew member dealing with a mysterious disease killing the ship’s oxygen-producing plants alongside a sentient AI system.
The film’s themes are laid out clearly in one of its official descriptions, which leans hard into the poetic side of science fiction:
“An elegantly interwoven triptych that contemplates the essence of humanity across 3 moments in time. A Neanderthal family, displaced from their home, struggles to survive, protect the children, and use primitive tools.
“In the present day, Claire (Rashida Jones), a driven post-grad anthropologist studying ancient proto-human remains, begins a relationship with a fellow student (Daveed Diggs). And centuries later, on a spaceship bound for a distant planet, Coakley (Kate McKinnon) and a sentient AI computer confront a disease afflicting the ship’s oxygen-producing plants.
“The artful, poetic way the film's storylines intersect creates a profound, philosophical meditation on how we experience love, loss (of parents and children), mortality and the need for connection — with each other, the natural world, and technology...”
Stanton’s fingerprints are all over this one. While he’s best known for animated classics like Finding Nemo, WALL-E, and Finding Dory, his recent work on shows like Stranger Things, For All Mankind, and 3 Body Problem clearly fed into the tone here.
The screenplay comes from Colby Day, whose previous work includes Spaceman and For All Mankind, with Jared Goldman producing.
The cast also includes Jorge Vargas and Tanaya Beatty. This isn’t the flashiest sci-fi movie of the year, but it doesn’t try to be. It’s slower, more thoughtful, and more interested in asking big questions than handing out easy answers.
Searchlight is skipping theaters entirely for this one, with In the Blink of an Eye set to premiere exclusively on Hulu on February 27, 2026.