Jonás Cuarón's 'Forsaken' Is The "De Facto Prequel To 'Gravity'"

Jonás Cuarón's last team-up with his father Alfonso Cuarón resulted in the smashingly successful Gravity. So it's no surprise that his next film Forsaken, which also involves his dad, is being billed as a "de facto prequel to Gravity." Even though, as far as we can tell, Forsaken doesn't actually have anything to do with Gravity.

But that's okay, because Forsaken sounds pretty interesting in its own right. Formerly titled Desierto, the chase thriller sends Gael García Bernal on a dangerous journey across the Mexican desert. Get more details after the jump.

Forsaken has previously been described as being "in the vein of Manhunter," but now that the Cuaróns have had one big hit in Gravity, seller IM Global is playing up that angle instead. However, the connection to Gravity isn't narrative but thematic. IM Global's Stuart Ford explains (via Variety):

Jonás and Alfonso were working on the screenplay of Forsaken, then called Desierto, when they had a very similar concept and put it in space. So Forsaken has a lot of themes similar to Gravity. It's about someone in a spectacularly peaceful but perilous environment trying to get home.

Jonás Cuarón made his feature debut in 2007 with Year of the Nail, executive produced by his father. But he's probably best known for co-writing Gravity. He also directed the short film Aningaaq, an actual companion piece to Gravity. His other upcoming projects include The Lost City, a Warner Bros. a Warner Bros. project about the mythical Atlantis.