Celestials is a 2022 American superhero film written, co-produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. Based on Jaxon Harmon's superhero team of the same name and produced by RatPac-Dune Entertainment, it is the first film in the Celestial Five Nights at Freddy's Universe (FNAFU). The ensemble cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Gustaf Skarsgård, Ray Fisher, Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Gal Gadot, Meagan Good, Sung Kang, Henry Cavill, and Liev Schreiber. It chronicles the story of Golden Freddy (Skarsgård), who has become a dangerous supervillain calling himself Black Sinister, as he plans to enslave the human race with the help his supervillain brotherhood. The Celestials, a team of superheroes, led by Shadow Freddy, known as Professor Shadow, arm themselves and prepare to foil Golden Freddy's plan. Celestials began filming on October 1st, 2016, with Sony Pictures Releasing as the distributor. Sony hired Nolan to direct, and further filming occurred just 1 year later; following its premiere in San Francisco, the film was released on February 12th, 2022. It was a box-office success, grossing $581 million worldwide, and receiving positive reviews from critics and audiences, citing its performances, story, visual effects, and the action sequences. Its critical and financial success revitalized the superhero genre, particularly around the villainous variation of Golden Freddy. A prequel entitled Celestials: The Origins was released 2 years later, while a sequel is in development.
