"When's the new movie coming out?"
- simon-alphastar
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
"When's the new movie coming out?"
It's the question I get asked at least three times a day. And if you've been following the journey of Of Infinite Worlds, you're probably thinking the same thing.
So here's the honest answer — the kind you won't get from a polished press release.
Where We Are Right Now
The special effects are nearly finished. After years of work, I have just one scene left to complete.
The bad news? It's an absolute monster.
Explosions. Earthquakes. Fire. Spaceships. It's the most ambitious sequence in the film - and it was always going to be the hardest to get right. My original plan was to have it finished by the end of July. Realistically, we're now looking at the end of October. If I can get a solid run at it in August, I should be able to move into a detailed fine cut in September - but I won't lock the film off until that final scene is everything it needs to be.
Because here's the thing: they say movies are made in the cutting room. And after everything that has gone into this - the years, the crowdfunding campaigns, the extraordinary support from hundreds of people who believed in something that didn't exist yet - I'm not going to rush it across the finish line just to say it's done.
Considering the total budget will be around £160,000, what we're making is an exceptional piece of independent sci-fi. I want to feel 200% confident it's the best it can possibly be before I call it finished.
It will be worth the wait. I promise you that.
Invasion Planet Earth Is Getting a Second Life
While Of Infinite Worlds inches toward completion, something else has been quietly happening in the background.
My previous feature, Invasion Planet Earth, is being reborn.
When a US sales agent took the film into world territories, they did some genuinely terrible deals — selling it for peanuts, tying it up for years, and in many cases never paying us properly. It caused real damage in key markets, particularly across the Far East and Germany. It was one of those hard lessons that independent filmmakers rarely talk about publicly, but probably should.
So I've taken the film back.
I've already re-cut it, addressing many of the issues audiences raised. And now, work has begun on something I'm genuinely excited about: a completely reimagined soundtrack, possibly released under the film's original title - Kaleidoscope Man.
The composer behind this transformation is Alan Snelling - a man who helped record the original scores for Star Wars, Alien, and Superman: The Movie. What he's creating is emotionally powerful and completely original. It plays to the film's strengths in a way the original release never quite managed.
With Of Infinite Worlds on the horizon, the timing feels right. Two films. One filmmaker.
One big push — and this time, entirely on our own terms.
Fancy a Signed DVD?
When my UK distribution deal came to an end, I was sent 600 original Invasion Planet Earth DVDs. They're currently stacked on shelves in my office, and I'd much rather they were in the hands of people who'll actually watch them.
I'm selling signed copies for £7.99 + P&P — and I'll be taking them on the road when I tour Of Infinite Worlds early next year. If you'd like one, or know someone who would, just click on the DVD image above and I'll sort it out personally.
Distribution For 'Of Infinite Worlds'
After navigating the highs and lows of the traditional system - and seeing how easily an indie film can get lost in the shuffle of big catalogues - I’ve decided to take a different path for the launch of Of Infinite Worlds.
Instead, the people who made this film possible get first access. My backers. My mailing list. My tribe. Before cinemas. Before streaming. Before anyone else sees a single frame. The film will be screened privately and rented exclusively to this community first - so the people who believed in it from the beginning are the ones who get to experience it first, and help us recoup the budget in the process.
It's called Tribe Only Distribution. And I genuinely believe it's where independent filmmaking is heading.
If you would like to be part of this journey, you can sign up on my website.
Want to Understand the Full Picture?
I've written a free guide - the Indie Sci-Fi Blueprint - that covers the full journey: from the early days of AlphaStar Productions, through seven crowdfunding campaigns raising £45,000, to building a direct audience and taking back control of my own work.
If you're a filmmaker, a film fan, or just someone curious about how independent cinema actually works behind the scenes, it's an honest and practical read.
Simon Cox is a British writer, director and editor with over 30 years of professional experience in film and television. His latest feature, Of Infinite Worlds, is currently in post-production.
Comments