'Project Almanac' Trailer Makes Mischief With Time Traveling Teens

If millennials are looking for their own Excellent Adventure, it may be arriving in the form of Project Almanac, a new thriller hitting theaters in January. When a group of high-school friends build a time-traveling machine, they proceed to take full advantage of their newfound power, including rigging a lottery, wooing a dream girl, and standing up to a class bully. But their lighthearted adventures may have more serious consequences then they realize.

The Michael Bay-produced sci-fi flick is directed by first-timer Dean Israelite. It appears to take cues from recent hits like Project X and Chronicle in embracing the frenetic energy and camerawork of the found footage format, and featuring an ensemble of young up-and-comers like Jonny Weston, Sofia Black D’Elia, and Sam Lerner. 

Project X and Chronicle both starred relatively unknown actors at the times of their release, and the films were crucial in helping launch the careers of stars like Miles Teller, Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan. Actually, they’re turning into super-careers, with DeHaan going on to star in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Teller and Jordan combining forces in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. (For good measure, Chronicle director Josh Trank was tapped to direct The Fantastic Four and will helm the upcoming Star Wars spinoff.) So keep your eyes on Weston, D’Elia and company. We may get a glimpse into their futures in more ways than one.

Project Almanac opens January 30, 2015.