Replicas 2019

William Foster, portrayed by Keanu Reeves, is a brilliant scientist specializing in synthetic biology and the intricate mapping of neural pathways into alternative host bodies. Alongside his team members, Ed Whittle, played by Thomas Middleditch, and Scott, portrayed by Nyasha Hatendi, he works under the supervision of his boss, Jones, played by John Ortiz. William’s groundbreaking research allows him to imprint minds into new synthetic bodies; however, his trials face significant challenges as the subjects often reject their new forms.

Tragedy strikes when William’s family—his wife, Mona, played by Alice Eve, and their children, Matt, portrayed by Emjay Anthony, Sophie, played by Emily Alyn Lind, and Zoe, portrayed by Aria Leabu—are killed in a tragic car accident. Grief-stricken and desperate to bring them back, William employs his unique expertise to create biological clones of his family. With the reluctant assistance of Ed, he maps their brains and designs the clones to ensure their minds can successfully merge with their new biological bodies. Facing limitations with only three cloning pods available from Biodyne’s lab, William must make a heart-wrenching decision about which family member to exclude, ultimately choosing to omit Zoe and erasing her memory from the others.

As he successfully resurrects his family, William opts not to reveal their true nature or the circumstances of their revival. After 17 days, the clones are ready, and he manages to transfer their memories into their new bodies. However, the pressure mounts as William fabricates a web of lies to evade suspicion from his boss and neighbors, all the while grappling with his duties at work that demand he imprint another mind into a synthetic body. Understanding that the cloning process involves acceptance of a biological form, he takes a significant risk by deciding to imprint his own consciousness into a synthetic host, creating an algorithm designed to trick the mind into accepting the artificial body.

Conflict arises when Mona senses something amiss and confronts William about the situation. In a moment of vulnerability, he reveals the truth about their deaths and the cloning. However, he withholds the information regarding Zoe, even though remnants of her existence linger throughout their home. This concealed truth fuels tension with the corporate entities, as Jones threatens to claim the cloned family as property belonging to Biodyne.

In a dramatic turn of events, Jones takes action against William, leading to Mona, Sophie, and Matt being kidnapped. Under pressure, William learns that Ed was the informant who caused this betrayal. In a desperate strategy, Jones assaults Ed to manipulate William into surrendering the algorithm. Unbeknownst to them, William transfers his stored memories into the synthetic host, creating a robot version of himself.

As Robot William and human William unite, they prepare to battle for the freedom of their cloned family. A confrontation ensues that culminates in Robot William eliminating Jones and his accomplices, albeit at the cost of Ed’s life. Following this chaos, William seizes the opportunity to imprint against Jones’s mind, reshaping his new reality. Seventeen days later, as William welcomes a new clone of Zoe, he finds that Jones now operates under his command, assisting affluent individuals seeking a second chance at life, thus completing a full circle of ambition and redemption.