Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is an English academic, a creature of reason who is content with her understanding of the world. But all that she is about to change when she buys a glass bottle from a shop while attending a conference in Istanbul. Polishing the bottle in her hotel room later than night, she accidentally summons a magical Djinn (Idris Elba).

The Djinn offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom, vowing to deliver her heart’s desire – except Alithea doesn’t believe him. She’s well versed in cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong, so the Djinn is forced to prove himself by recounting his fantastical past and his various adventures over the centuries.

With a filmography ranging from Mad Max to Babe, it’s hard to predict what George Miller will direct next – and this loquacious, Arabian Night-style fantasy seems about as unpredictable as anything else.