Upcoming AI horror thriller movie signs Pulp Fiction star John Travolta

John Travolta is returning to horror with Ed, a new sci-fi thriller about a chauffeur bot that takes road rage to murderous extremes.

He is joined by Crystal Reed and Chet Hanks who’ve also signed on to star in the project, which is now in production at Pangaea Studios in Atlanta. The film is directed by Christopher J. Scott and written by David Kukoff. Producers have positioned it as the first of several high-concept, genre-driven films on their slate.

Ed, a sci-fi horror about a chauffeur bot gone rogue

The story revolves around an AI chauffeur called Ed who breaks out of the lab and starts “punishing” reckless drivers in the name of public safety. What begins as a tech experiment quickly spirals into carnage. That leaves the AI’s creator scrambling to stop the machine.

Travolta hasn’t dipped into straight horror since playing Billy Nolan in Brian De Palma’s 1976 take on Carrie. Since then, he has explored thrillers like Blow Out and The Fanatic, but Ed marks his first full-circle return to the genre that gave him one of his earliest roles. Reed, best known from Swamp Thing and Teen Wolf: The Movie, will take the lead role, while Hanks, son of Tom Hanks, rounds out the cast.

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The premise puts Ed in a long line of stories where vehicles turn alive and get up to no good – from Indian film Taarzan: The Wonder Car to Stephen King’s Christine. But what sets Ed apart is its focus on AI and automation. These are themes that are particularly trending in 2025 where AI chatbots are being used everywhere and self-driving is no longer just a sci-fi concept.

As of writing, Ed doesn’t have a release date. But with Travolta back in horror and the unique story, it’s already generating buzz.