Think running an ultramarathon sounds terrifying? Filmmaker and runner Victoria Negri is turning that fear into a psychological thriller, Ultra, set around Badwater 135, now starring Divergent‘s Shailene Woodley.
Writer and director Negri took to Instagram on Tuesday to announce the casting. “Beyond thrilled to announce Shailene Woodley will be our star for Ultra. Cannot wait to go on this journey with you, Shai! We’re going to make a stunning film!”
Woodley, 33, is best known for playing Beatrice (“Tris”) Prior in the Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant films. In Ultra, she will portray Eve, an athlete grieving the death of her twin sister, who takes on the Badwater 135m, a 135-mile (215-km) ultramarathon through California’s Death Valley, known as one of the most extreme endurance races in the world.
The plot
According to Variety, the thriller follows Eve as she battles both the scorching conditions and her own mind throughout the race. The synopsis reads: “As Eve takes on the unforgiving elements and intense physical and psychological strain of the race, she finds herself pursued by an unknown runner in white, consistently closing the gap between them as they surge through the desert. Trying to outrun the ominous presence, Eve will face the darkest parts of herself and uncover what she is made of.”
In the actual Badwater 135, most runners wear white or light-coloured full-coverage gear to reflect the intense heat of Death Valley, where temperatures can reach 54 C. The route begins at 86 metres below sea level and climbs to 2,550m.
Based on life experiences
From New Haven, Conn., Negri, an ultrarunner herself, has completed four 50-mile races and two 100-mile races. She also directed the ultramarathon documentary short Personal Best (2024) which follows fashion model Lucie Beatrix as she turns to ultrarunning to cope with addiction and grief. The 38-year-old filmmaker is also known for Gold Star (2017) and Mermaid, Bitch (2025); Ultra is her second feature film.
Negri says Ultra is based on her own experiences, which, while tragic, were also transformative. “My father was a distance runner, left paralyzed by a stroke,” she told Variety. “Running, the thing that gave him life, was taken from him.”
Negri has since found meaning in the endurance sport herself, racing events such as the Badwater 51-miler in March and last week’s Javelina Jundred 100-miler in Arizona, which she completed in 25:35:36. She said she created Ultra using running to explore how people process grief. “It’s through testing my limits in each of these epic races that I process loss–physical pain being the greatest metaphor for the emotional,” Negri said. “Although my grief is always with me, I’ve learned I’m strong enough to handle it, to handle anything.”
In her Instagram announcement, Negri also thanked Badwater race director Chris Kostman, writing: “You will never know the extent to which inviting me out to Badwater so many years ago has truly changed my life. I am a better person because of ultras. Forever thank you.”
