Ross Marquand Unlocks Alien Abilities in Descendent, Arriving This August

A school guard’s abduction unlocks terrifying visions in Peter Cilella’s Descendent.

Peter Cilella’s Descendent Lands This August with a Haunting New Trailer

The sci-fi genre is heating up this summer, and Descendent—the new alien abduction thriller from Peter Cilella—is one to keep firmly on your radar. RLJE Films just dropped a mesmerizing trailer for the film, teasing an eerie, grounded take on trauma, memory, and otherworldly power.

Starring The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand and Sarah Bolger (Emelie, The Lazarus Effect), Descendent follows Sean Bruner, a Los Angeles school security guard grappling with childhood trauma while preparing to become a father. During a late-night shift, a mysterious beam of light appears in the sky—and Sean wakes up in the hospital days later with strange, unsettling visions and a new ability: vivid sketches of desert landscapes and alien figures he’s never seen before.

As Sean’s dreams begin to bleed into waking life, and his mental state unravels, Descendent takes viewers on a psychologically rich, slow-burn descent into cosmic paranoia and family legacy.

The trailer hints at an emotionally-driven take on abduction horror—a mix of Fire in the Sky, Take Shelter, and Midnight Special. Cilella’s directorial voice is moody and nuanced, and if the film delivers on the promise of its tone, this could be one of the year’s quiet sci-fi standouts.

Descendent hits limited theaters August 8, with a wider nationwide release on August 15 via RLJE Films. Watch the trailer now and let us know your thoughts in the comments. Stay tuned to HMU for more coverage as we get closer to release.