Hot on the heels of her leading role in “A Family Affair” alongside Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman, Joey King is set to take centre stage in yet another production.
The 25-year-old Hollywood actress will star in the new Netflix movie “Uglies”, which will be released on Netflix next month.
Directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol, who is known professionally as McG, the science fiction action flick is based on Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 novel of the same name.
The rest of the star-studded cast includes Keith Powers, who featured in “Straight Outta Compton”, “Stranger Things” star Chase Stokes, Brianne Tju from “Light as a Feather” and Jan Luis Castellanos, who appeared on “13 Reasons Why”.
They will be joined by Charmin Lee from “The 5th Wave” and “Orange Is the New Black” star Laverne Cox.
According to reports, the movie is set in a futuristic society where cosmetic surgery is considered a right of passage for those as young as 16.
This compulsory procedure aims to rid people of physical differences by applying an ideal standard of beauty to all faces.
Netflix added that King will play Tally Youngblood, who is eager for her turn to join the rest of society where everyone is determined to perfect their physical appearance.
But when her friend runs away, she embarks on a journey to save her that upends everything she thought she wanted.
The actress, who also executive produced “Uglies”, told “Tudum”, the streaming service’s official companion website, that she had been preparing for this role for more than a decade.
“What’s crazy is that my excitement for the story has been at the same level since I was 11-years-old,” she said.
She explained that her love for the story began when she was homesick at school and her older sister encouraged her to read the book.
She then fell in love with the world of the “Uglies”.
“I was like, ‘I wanna play Tally Youngblood someday,’ ” King said.
“Uglies”, the first book in Westerfeld’s quartet series, which includes “Pretties”, “Specials” and “Extras”, was first published in 2005, but King believes its power has only grown over the years.
“I think it is super relevant that we’re making this now,” she said.
Meanwhile, McG told “Tudum” that in the movie’s dystopian world, appearance is everything. “Basically what happens is, you’re afforded a surgery when you turn 16 so you can look any way you want to look.”
He added: “It’s the belief of the society that if we all look the way we want, you can eradicate conflict.”
Watch the trailer here:
∎ “Uglies” will premiere on Netflix on September 13.