Channing Tatum leads Zoë Kravitz's thriller

Nothing is as it seems on elite private islands.

In Zoë Kravitz's feature debut, “Blink Twice,” that duality could be the difference between life and death. Blink Twice follows tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), who invites cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) to spend her dream vacation on his private island. However, during the trip, strange things begin to happen and Frida begins to question her reality.

Christian Slater, Simone Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis and Alia Shawkat star in the film, which Kravitz co-wrote with her “High Fidelity” writer ET Feigenbaum.

The official synopsis reads: “When tech billionaire Slater King (Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frieda (Aki) at a fundraiser, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It's paradise. Wild nights blend with sunny days and… Everyone has a good time. No one wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. Something is wrong with this place. She will have to uncover the truth if she wants to get out of this party alive.

Originally titled “Pussy Island,” the film was described as a horror drama. Kravitz previously said Wall Street Journal She was firm on not changing the name of the feature after writing it in 2017 and later updated the script “a million times” as the #MeToo movement made her rethink the premise. According to Kravitz, the name “Pussy Island” was “the seed of the story,” telling WSJ that it “represents this time where it would be acceptable for a group of guys to name a place that place, and the illusion that we're out of that time now.”

“Blink Twice” is produced by writer/director Kravitz and stars Tatum, Bruce Cohen, Tiffany Persons and Garrett Levitz. Stacey Persky, Jordan Harkins and Vanya Schlogel serve as executive producers for the Amazon MGM Studios release.

“Blink Twice” will premiere in theaters on August 23. Check out the trailer below.