Once again, the world is under attack by an aggressive alien species looking to take over the globe for nefarious purposes — but this time, it’s Prime Video hosting the invasion with its latest sci-fi thriller.
The streaming service offers a “bold imagining” of the classic sci-fi tale of an alien attack with Ice Cube in the lead, along with Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, and Andrea Savage. Set for release on July 30, 2025, the revival of H.G. Wells’ story takes modern media into consideration as it offers a new vision of the timeless horror tale.
“It’ll be exciting for audiences to watch the movie and ask themselves: if aliens invaded today, how would we experience it? Most likely, we’d be watching it on our phones,” says producer Timur Bekmambetov. “In that way, it’s kind of a modern spin on Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds. Back then, he used radio, the most popular technology of the time, to make people believe the invasion was real. Today, that medium is the screen of our devices.”
Here is everything we know about the revival, including the plot, the full cast, and where and when to watch it.
When and where will War of the Worlds premiere?
War of the Worlds will premiere globally on Prime Video on July 30, 2025.
Who is starring in War of the Worlds?
The cast is led by Ice Cube, who plays lead Will Radford, a cyber-security analyst for Homeland Security who is on the job when a strange entity begins its attack on the Earth. He is joined on the project by Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Andrea Savage, Henry Hunter Hall, Iman Benson, Devon Bostick, and Michael O’Neill.
What is War of the Worlds about?
The official logline for the project reads: “This modern-day adaptation follows Will Radford (Ice Cube), a top cyber-security analyst for Homeland Security, who spends his days tracking potential threats to national security through a mass surveillance program, until an attack by an unknown entity leads him to question whether the government is hiding something from him… and the rest of the world.”
“Set against a backdrop of surveillance, mass data collection, and government-tech collusion, the film explores urgent themes of privacy vs. security, family vs. work, and humanity vs. control. With nods to Orwell’s 1984 and powered by a screenlife-style format, this refresh of H.G. Wells’ classic novel resonates with today’s digital anxieties.”
“The idea was organic,” says producer Patrick Aiello. “When catastrophes happen today, we experience them through our devices. That insight shaped the storytelling and tech used to create this immersive thriller.” Additionally, “For the first time ever, a studio-scale sci-fi epic has been produced using a format that places audiences inside the action through the lenses of phones, computers, and tablets. It’s a visceral, first-person experience designed for big screens in a language and format that is now natural within our daily lives.”
Who are the masterminds behind War of the Worlds?
The project is directed by Rich Lee from the script written by Kenneth Golde and Marc Hyman. The film is produced by Aiello and Bekmambetov, and executive produced by Adam Sidman.
What is War of the Worlds based on?
The story is based on the 1898 science fiction novel by H.G. Wells, widely regarded as one of the earliest and most influential works in the genre, War of the Worlds has been adapted more than a dozen times across various mediums. The most famous versions include Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast, which caused panic among listeners; the 1953 film directed by Byron Haskin; Steven Spielberg’s 2005 blockbuster starring Tom Cruise; and the 2019 BBC miniseries set in Edwardian England, which is considered one of the most faithful adaptations.
War of the Worlds, Premiere, Wednesday, July 30, Prime Video