The events of dystopian tale 'Hotel Artemis' could 'definitely happen' to Los Angeles according to its stars

Hotel Artemis, a new science-fiction action thriller that is thankfully not based on a comic book or previous movie, but rather a completely original idea from the mind of director and writer Drew Pearce, is set in Los Angeles in 2028. In this dystopian tale, Southern California is experiencing a devastating drought and realizing income equality so punishing that it has pushed its denizens to riot. It's a story that rings true, because, well, it isn't far from our reality. The Sunshine State recently suffered a five-year drought as recently as 2017 and the distribution of wealth is getting worse, in Los Angeles and the world abroad. When Hotel Artemis stars Sterling K. Brown and Brian Tyree Henry stopped by Yahoo Entertainment's Los Angeles studios, we asked them if they felt their movie was a "darkest timeline" future for our country. "It's in the not-too-distance, it's only 2028. And L.A. has been going through a bit of a drought for a while. To see the divide in wealth and stature here, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer...it does seem like something that could definitely happen. I think that's why [director Drew Pearce] made it that way, to put in a dystopian future that could possibly be what's going to happen." While Hotel Artemis does feature a city falling apart, Brown pointed to one positive aspect the movie predicts about our future: diversity. Joining Brown and Henry in prominent roles for people of color were Guardians of the Galaxy tough man Dave Bautista and Star Trek: Beyond heroine Sofia Boutella. "...We were cast in the roles that we got points to the natural diversity that is Los Angeles," Brown noted. "20 years ago everybody in this flick would have more than likely been white, so it's cool to have faces on the poster." "I just remember in my youth, I would always [hope for characters like Brown's character in Hotel Artemis]," added Henry. "We hunger for those images," agreed Brown. "You see the Supermans and the Batmans, and [think], Wouldn't it be cool if there's a brother doing that type of thing?'"