Is the Ash (2025) movie based on a true story? Explained

The sci-fi thriller-horror film Ash will premiere in theaters on March 21, 2025, after premiering at the Paramount Theater in Austin for the 2025 edition of SXSW. This is the second feature film directed by Steven Ellison, better known as Flying Lotus. He is widely known for making award-winning music and has even won one of the three Grammy Award nominations he received.

This movie is a story of survival on a space station on an unknown planet called Ash. This sub-genre of sci-fi films is one of the most popular, with movies like the beloved Alien franchise.

Many may question whether or not it is based on a true story. The answer is no. The film is not based on a true story, but it draws inspiration from some of the most iconic sci-fi media.

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Flying Lotus on how video games influenced Ash

Ash follows an astronaut named Riya (Eia Gonzalez), who wakes up with no memory of her identity or her mission. She finds that her fellow crew have been brutally murdered, and her memory comes back in flashes of their past interactions.

While investigating the crew's demise, Riya encounters a man named Brion (Aaron Paul), who responds to her distress signal and claims to know her. The two work as a team to unravel the mystery of the crew's death and struggle with trusting each other.

In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, dated March 19, 2025, Flying Lotus revealed that video games served as a huge inspiration for this movie. He said:

"The one thing that people don't ask me about, which I wish they would, is video games. Because to me, that's such a huge inspiration, a super huge influence thing. There was another game that I thought of recently, Death Stranding. That game was pretty impactful."

He continued:

"The Silent Hill series, Dead Space, and Resident Evil, I threw all those games into this movie. Resident Evil all day. All day. That was it right there. I was like, 'I hope y'all get this.'"

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Flying Lotus on taking multiple responsibilities for this movie

Brion and Riya in Ash (Image via XYZ FilmsInstagram @ashmovie2025)

Flying Lotus started in the entertainment industry as a musician and has released six studio albums so far. He has also developed the original score for Eddie Alcaar's sci-fi thriller Perfect. Further, he co-wrote, directed, and developed the original score for his feature film directorial debut, Kuso.

For his upcoming movie, Flying Lotus not only took on directorial duties but also developed the score and appeared in a small role. During a discussion about the film with the Interview magazine published on March 28, 2025, he reflected on what it was like to shoulder many responsibilities. He said:

"It was a challenge. It tested me in every way possible. It tested my patience, my personal relationships. It was a lot getting to this point, but it was really cool to get the confidence along the way to see, if I have this little inkling of a thing, if it can be fleshed out and developed and brought to life."

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Ash will be in theaters from March 21, 2025.