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SYNOPSIS
Academy Award-winner Nicolas Cage (National Treasure: Book of Secrets,
Leaving Las Vegas) stars in KNOWING, a gripping action-thriller of global
proportions about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future
and sets out to prevent them from coming true.
Rose Byrne (“Damages”, Troy), Chandler Canterbury (The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button) and Lara Robinson (“Saved”) also star in director Alex Proyas’ (I,
Robot) riveting feature about a father’s desperate battle to save his child - and the
world.
In 1959, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a
group of students is asked to draw pictures of what they think the future will look like.
Their drawings will be sealed into a time capsule and stored for 50 years. But one
mysterious girl fills her paper with rows of apparently random numbers, which she
says are being whispered to her by unseen people.
A half-century later, a new generation of students examines the capsule’s
contents and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb
Koestler (Chandler Canterbury), but it’s Caleb’s father, astrophysics professor John
Koestler (Nicolas Cage), who makes a startling discovery: the encoded message
predicts the dates and death tolls of every major disaster of the past 50 years with
pinpoint accuracy. As he further unravels the document’s secrets, John discovers
that it foretells three additional catastrophes - the last of which hints at destruction on
a global scale.
John’s efforts to alert the authorities about the impending catastrophes fall on
deaf ears and his fears intensify with the realization that Caleb is somehow
connected to the mystery. Enlisting the help of Diana Wayland (Rose Byrne) and
Abby Wayland (Lara Robinson), the daughter and granddaughter of the prophetic
message’s author, he embarks on a heart-pounding race against time to prevent the
ultimate disaster.
KNOWING is produced by Todd Black (The Great Debaters, The Pursuit Of
Happyness, The Taking Of Pelham 123), Jason Blumenthal (The Pursuit of
Happyness, The Taking Of Pelham 123, Alex & Emma), Steve Tisch (The Pursuit of
Happyness, The Taking Of Pelham 123) and Topher Dow (I, Robot). The screenplay
is by Alex Proyas, Stuart Hazeldine (“Riverworld”), Ryne Douglas Pearson (Mercury
Rising), Juliet Snowden & Stiles White (The Need, Boogeyman) and Simon Duggan
(Live Free or Die Hard) is director of photography. Richard Learoyd (I, Robot,
Fearless) is editor and Steven Jones-Evans (Ned Kelly) is production designer.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
A single father desperately trying to defend his only child and a half-century
old encoded message written by a young schoolgirl may be all that stand in the way
of impending global disaster in the captivating sci-fi thriller KNOWING. From the
moment they heard Ryne Douglas Pearson’s (Mercury Rising) idea for the
screenplay, producing partners Jason Blumenthal and Todd Black knew they had an
unforgettable story to tell.
“We spent eight years developing the script,” recalls Blumenthal. “We bought
it as an original pitch. Ryne had an idea that started with a time capsule that was
buried in the 1950s and unearthed in the present day. The capsule contains a series
of predictions that would come true. We knew immediately we had something very
special.”
For the last five years, the partners have been working with Alex Proyas, the
acclaimed director of I, Robot, to develop the idea into a feature film. “With a pitch,
you never know how the final screenplay is going to turn out,” says Blumenthal. “The
story has changed in small places, but the larger overall themes have always
remained the same. The idea of the time capsule and the predictions was such an
intriguing and unique idea that we knew we had something to build on. It’s as
exciting to us today as it was eight years ago. And seeing it come to life is amazing.”
Proyas was chosen to direct KNOWING based on the singular filmmaking
style he has honed since his 1994 breakthrough film, The Crow. “We knew we found
the right director in Alex,” says Blumenthal. “His vision for this picture far surpassed
anything that we could ever realize on the page. He brought in a whole host of
scientific, spiritual and philosophical ideas that helped bring the script together.”
For Blumenthal, real-life events of the past eight years have caused a shift in
what he sees as the most compelling aspects of the film. Initially he was intrigued by
the concept of the time capsule: “I remember hearing about them as a kid. It
sounded so sci-fi and out there, and when I realized that it was something that was
going to be opened many years from that date, I was hooked. When I’m looking at
ideas I want to develop, I look for things that have an emotional connection for me,
and that one did it for me.”
Then during the development period, Blumenthal’s life changed dramatically.
“Eight years ago I was not a father. I have two young children now. And at its core,
the movie has become a parent and child story. That central family issue is very
important to me and many other people on this film.
“KNOWING is an edge-of-the-seat psychological thriller with special effects
that are going to blow your mind,” he says. “But it’s more than that. This movie poses
the ultimate question: How far would you go to protect your child? Would you be
willing to make the ultimate sacrifice? That’s an intense idea.
“It’s an emotional rollercoaster that leaves you guessing at every turn. It’s a
story that people will want to talk about because it poses many questions that will
stay with them when they leave the theater. And for me, those are the best stories to
tell.”
For Proyas, that meant finding a balance between the over-the-top action and
visual effects of a top-flight thriller and the nuanced emotional journey of his
characters. “For me, every film is a big film,” he says. “I, Robot was a hugely
complex technical exercise, but every film has its own levels of complexity. The great
thing about KNOWING is that is it has this bedrock of emotions and human
interaction. Reality is what this story is all about what. We don’t ask you to suspend
disbelief. Everything that we’ve addressed in this could possibly happen.”
Actor Nicolas Cage, who plays Professor John Koestler, compares the script
to an enduring American icon. “The script reminded me of one of Rod Serling’s
“Twilight Zone” teleplays, and the powerful feeling that those shows had,” he says.
“It’s a science fictionmystery-thriller, but there are also some intensely dramatic
moments.”
Rose Byrne, the actress who plays Diana, agrees that it is hard to place
KNOWING in a single genre, a quality she sees as one of the film’s strengths. “The
storyline unfolds really cleverly and the time capsule is fascinating. This is not just a
straight thriller or a straight horror or a straight science fiction film. It’s a dead-even
combination of those things.”
“It’s a movie that has the ability to change people’s minds,” says Cage. “I
remember seeing The China Syndrome as a boy and it made me very aware that
nuclear energy was a power to be respected. This calls people’s attention to issues
that we can all affect in some way.
“The end of the world is on people's minds,” he goes on. “We have the power
to do it ourselves. The question is, what do you do with that responsibility?”
Movies with apocalyptic themes are particularly resonant with audiences
because of the environmental issues the world is dealing with, says Byrne. “It’s a
constant human desire to want to understand as much as we can about how long
we're going to be around,” she says. “People have been trying to figure it out forever.
And whether it's Mayans or Muslims or Hindus, everyone has a theory on what's
going to happen.”
The filmmakers hope that KNOWING will be the kind of film that starts
conversations that continue long after audiences have left the theater. “People go to
movies to see something big, something fun, something kind of special that they
haven’t seen before,” says Blumenthal. “And we think we’re giving them that.
“I believe audiences want to be challenged to come to their own conclusions,”
he adds. “This movie has a definitive ending, but it leaves a lot open for debate. A
movie that ends when the credits roll is not as important to me as one that keeps you
talking when you get in the car. I want people to talk about this movie, and ask
themselves, ‘Would I have done that?’ This is a story that I believe people are going
to want to talk about. And that’s the kind of movie that I want to make.”
ABOUT THE CASTING
With their ideal director lined up, a finished script in hand and a studio ready
to finance the project, the filmmakers set out in search of their lead actor. “At that
point, the most important part became finding our hero,” says Blumenthal. “Who’s
the guy who will carry us through?”
Academy Award winner and international superstar Nicolas Cage brings the
air of an event to every project he tackles. His commitment and dedication have
made him one of the most sought-after actors in the world. “We always knew that Nic
Cage was the perfect person to play this part,” says Blumenthal. “Nic brings an
intensity, but at the same time an accessibility, to this character that most actors
couldn’t deliver. I also think Nic believes in many of the themes we address in this
movie.
“I also believe there’s something about the role and the story that speaks to
him emotionally because he’s the father of a young son,” continues Blumenthal. “He
has a solid understanding of what a father would have to go through and the kind of
decisions a father would have to make in this situation.
“Plus, he’s an amazing person, he's an amazing actor and he brings real
humanity to every role he takes on,” adds Blumenthal, who produced The Weather
Man, which also starred Cage. “It was also perfect because Nic was a fan of Alex’s
and Alex was a giant fan of Nic’s. Sometimes the planets align properly and
everything seems to come together. That’s what happened on this film.”
Cage and Proyas both jumped at the chance to collaborate on the project. “I
had wanted to work with Nicolas for a long time,” says the director. “It is always
exciting to finally get to work with someone you’ve always wanted to work with.”
For Cage, the combination of the unique and provocative script and Proyas in
the director’s chair made KNOWING an irresistible opportunity. “It can be a
challenge to find original stories and outlooks. Alex is an original, an artist with a
different point of view.”
The Oscar-winning actor found the role of John Koestler particularly satisfying
from an emotional standpoint. “He’s remarkably devoted to his son and he has the
added pressure of raising him alone. We don’t see the concern that fathers have for
their children often enough in movies. That’s another one of the reasons I wanted to
do this film.
“John's only priority is keeping his son safe,” says Cage. “There's a very
emotional moment in the movie when Caleb asks, ‘Am I gonna die now?’ And my
character says, ‘That will not happen. I will not let that happen to you.’ He will stop at
nothing to fulfill that promise. At that point, the film becomes largely about what John
can do to keep his promise.”
Australian actress Rose Byrne’s career has included big-budget blockbusters
such as Troy as well as acclaimed small-scale projects such as I Capture the Castle.
She was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for her role opposite Glenn Close in
the awardwinning television series “Damages.”
“Rose and I had wanted to work together for a while,” says Proyas. “She
brings such depth to everything she does on screen. That’s especially important in
this film because much of what people are thinking and feeling is not always
expressed with words.”
Long an admirer of Proyas’ work, Byrne says the chance to work with the
director was “a huge draw. I’ve really enjoyed working with Alex. He knows exactly
what he wants, and he’s very compassionate towards his actors. He’s very much
about the story and the characters.”
“Also, the fact that it’s a very intimate story between these four characters in
this larger-than-life situation makes it very attractive to me as a performer,” says the
actress. “My character, Diana, is in such a complicated position. She has a really
dark personal history and it all comes crashing down on her. She tried to run away
from this thing her whole life and it ends up right in her face. It was quite a
challenging part. It’s a big responsibility to make it as real and as powerful as
possible.”
Byrne was selected after an audition process that spanned several continents.
“There was just something about Rose,” says Blumenthal. “She has a freshness.
From day one, Alex was sure she was the right choice. As he says, she has a real
humanity. You can feel the pain and emotion that she's going through as she is
discovering that these predictions that have set this story in motion started with her
mother years ago.”
Working with Cage, Byrne says, always carried the promise of the
unexpected. “It was a blast. Nic is incredibly passionate about what he’s doing. You
don’t really know what to expect. He really threw a curveball at me in our first scene.
We rehearsed it and discussed it, and then he came at it another way, which was
really thrilling to figure out. It turned the scene from being quite gentle and subtle into
something that was really his character losing it a little bit. It’s exciting to work with
Nic because his mind is always one step ahead.”
For his part, Cage was impressed by his leading lady’s onscreen authenticity.
“Rose is tremendously real,” says the actor. “She has the emotions required to make
the situations in the film so palpable that people in the audience have to go with it.
Rose has that ability to draw it as though it’s actually happening.”
Two very young actors, Chandler Canterbury and Lara Robinson, shouldered
critical roles in KNOWING.
The filmmakers went on a major talent hunt for the young actor who would
play Caleb Koestler. Chandler Canterbury was nine years old when he shot
KNOWING. He had already won a Young Artist Award for his appearance on the
television drama “Criminal Minds” and worked with Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button and Jude Law in Repossession Mambo. “I did my first audition on
videotape and my mom sent it on the Internet like every other actor,” he says. “Then
they asked me to read the whole script so I could learn more about my character. He
is very sad because his mom is dead. He can't see eye-to-eye with his dad, but he
really loves him. He's smart and he's obsessed with animals.”
The challenge, says producer Blumenthal, was finding a child actor who didn’t
come off on screen like a child actor. “He had to be real. There was just something
special about Chandler. It was something that we hadn’t seen before. It’s not that
precociousness that you get with a lot of kid actors in Hollywood. Chandler lives in
Texas and there's something about not growing up in Hollywood that translates to
who he is as an actor.”
Ten-year-old Lara Robinson took on two challenging roles in KNOWING. She
plays both Lucinda, the little girl who starts everything, as well as Abby, who is
Lucinda’s granddaughter and one of the keys to the mystery. “I liked playing two
characters in the movie,” the Aussie youngster says. “They were totally different.
Lucinda was fun because she’s scary and sad and weird. And Abby’s fun because
she’s normal.”
About her co-star, she says, “I would describe Chandler as a good actor. But
he’s definitely a boy. He would ask me things like, would I shave my head for a
movie? Or would I want to take my eyebrows off for a movie? Would I want to get rid
of an eye for a movie? And I would say no to all those questions.”
“Lara and Chandler both were amazing in the way they understood what it
takes to make a movie,” says Blumenthal. “They’re great because they’re real kids.
The minute we yell cut, they’re back to just being kids. They’re playing and having a
good time and they enjoy it. And there's something so exciting about watching these
kids enjoy what they do.”
MAKING KNOWING - STEP BY STEP
The Australian city of Melbourne, which stands in for the Koestlers’ hometown
of Boston, provided the KNOWING filmmakers with first-rate production
professionals and facilities.
“It was my first time working in Australia, and the crew was excellent,” says
Blumenthal. “Top to bottom, the technical know-how was equal to anywhere we’ve
ever shot a movie. And these are people who have worked together before, so they
have a shorthand. There’s a lot of moving parts on a film set and if they aren’t
synchronized it can cause problems.”
For Proyas, who has worked often in Sydney, Melbourne was a treat. “It was
exciting to be somewhere where I could see some new stuff and work in some new
places,” he says. “It’s actually a bit easier to work here than Sydney where’s there’s
so much traffic and everything gets a little crazy. It’s a very amenable city for
filmmaking right now.”
Production designer Steven Jones-Evans was charged with the task of
transforming Melbourne into Boston. “Melbourne has been in a drought for the last
five years, so the grass was totally brown,” he remembers. “It was very hard finding
anything when we needed gardens or anything like that. We used Melbourne
University for MIT, and the lawn there was totally parched, so the week before, we
went there and sprayed the whole lawn green.
“Luckily, a lot of the film was set in autumn and the shoot coincided with that
season in Melbourne. It’s not the autumn that you get around the Boston area, which
is a lot more colorful, so we were constantly lugging around these huge bags of
colored leaves that we’d spread out everywhere.”
For the Koestler home, Jones-Evans wanted an archetypal New England
house. “The idea was that he and his wife bought it in a slightly dilapidated state,
planning to bring up a family in it, to renovate it, and return it to its former glory.
There were a lot of personal things that we built into the house, like Caleb’s room.
We decided to make it an attic room with one circular window right in the front, which
is a motif that Alex has used often.”
The production designer also included lots of items related to nature, like toy
animals or images of landscapes. “The idea was that Caleb was interested in things
that connected him to the Earth.”
Jones-Evans also was responsible for creating the item at the center of the
film’s mystery: the time capsule. The idea goes back to the 1939 World’s Fair, whose
organizers hit upon the idea of burying a sort of message in a bottle for future
generations. The metal container, which was buried on the fairgrounds as part of the
Westinghouse Company’s exhibit, contained such staples of contemporary life as a
needle and a spool of thread, a newsreel and microfilm copies of both a dictionary
and the latest Sears Roebuck catalog. It was meant to be unearthed in the year
6939.
“We looked at other time capsules,” says Jones-Evans. “There were so many
different designs. The Westinghouse capsule was a missile-shaped thing, which we
decided was too militaristic for our use.’
The designer went back to 1958 for his inspiration. “The design is informed by
that era, but it is not a pure vintage thing. It’s a little more classically shaped and
made of stainless steel. It has a lid on it that screws down with two wing nuts. We
kept it simple because it was more about what was going inside the capsule, rather
than the capsule itself.”
Working in 1950s design vernacular for the first part of the film was a pleasure
for the designer. “It was an interesting time. There was a lot more hope and a lot less
cynicism in the world. Pollution and other environmental problems were only just
becoming issues. So it was a much more pure, hopeful age. We went for a slightly
brighter color palette in those scenes to make that feel a little bit more cheerful and
hopeful.”
One of the film’s most challenging sequences, the airplane crash, required
both Jones-Evans’ design skill and some help from the visual effects team. “Alex
wanted to do it as a single shot. He wanted to bring the plane in, fly it through a
telephone pole and hit a car with its wing. The car flips up and it crashes into a field
and breaks into pieces. We built the actual wreckage of the plane, but it wouldn’t
have been possible to get everything in one shot without a lot of help from the effects
department.
“I enjoy working with visual effects in order to complete or augment something
we’ve done,” he adds. “The visual effects supervisor was on from the early stages of
preproduction, so there’s been quite a bit of information and dialogue and chatting
about how to solve certain sequences or problems that we have.”
KNOWING is one the first feature films to be shot with the Red One Camera,
the latest in lightweight high resolution digital technology. Simon Duggan, the film’s
director of photography, says the Red One Camera has filmmakers looking at digital
cameras in a new light. “The skin tones are soft and look fantastic. There’s hardly
any noise or grain in the images. We were looking for a very immediate quality for
our picture and this is virtually identical to film.”
Proyas and Duggan conducted extensive tests before deciding to go with the
digital format. “They were both excited about the potential of using the camera,” says
Blumenthal. “It made things move very quickly. We were able to do so much more on
set than when we used to have to wait to do it in post, like tweaking color.”
“Alex hates for anything to look lit,” notes Duggan. “With the Red One
Camera, we didn’t have to wait overnight just to see if a lighting scheme worked out.
It’s all immediate, and we ended up having more confidence in pushing the limits of
what we were doing.”
As a producer, Blumenthal had to balance the excitement of being a digital
pioneer and the anxiety of feeling like a digital guinea pig, he says. “But we try to be
as forward thinking as possible, and this was a real learning experience. This
technique provided us with an opportunity to present our story with a unique new
look. With the way technology is advancing, what used to be science fiction is now
science fact, and we used it because it could give us the best quality product.”
WHAT WOULD YOU PUT IN A TIME CAPSULE?
Like most people, the cast and crew of KNOWING have never had the
opportunity to put anything in a time capsule, but all of them had unique suggestions.
Lara Robinson: Well, I’ve never seen a time capsule, but I have heard about
them. I’d put in my favorite songs. I’d probably put in some classical music and some
jazz things and some sort of modern music. I would put in photos of what our
computers and electronic things look like to see if they’ve changed. I would put a
journal of a year of my life and photos of landmarks in Australia. And I’d put a globe
in, just in case things change. Finally, I would put in a book about Australia. I’d
probably put a time capsule in for a hundred years and see what the difference is
then.
Rose Byrne: I’d like to put in a diary, something a bit racy, with good secrets,
so it would be entertaining for the person who found it.
Chandler Canterbury: I would put in a picture of my family to show what fun
we've had together. And maybe Legos.
Steven Jones-Evans: I’d like to put myself into a time capsule. That would be
the greatest thing, if I could preserve myself and put myself into a time capsule and
come out and see what the future is going to be like. Maybe just my brain or
something like that.
Nicolas Cage: It would be interesting to put this movie into a time capsule,
because then it would become very cubist. I'll leave it at that.
ABOUT THE CAST
NICOLAS CAGE (John Koestler), one of the most versatile actors of all time,
is known to audiences around the world for his nuanced dramatic and comedic
portrayals and as one of Hollywood’s top action stars. The Academy Award winner’s
last film, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, represented his fifth collaboration with
producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Previously, they worked together on a string of hits: The
Rock, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds and National Treasure. Their latest outing was
also a massive success as National Treasure: Book of Secrets held the No. 1 spot at
the US. box office for three consecutive weeks.
His memorable performance as an alcoholic drinking himself to death in the
drama Leaving Las Vegas, directed by Mike Figgis, earned Cage the 1995 Academy
Award for Best Actor. He also received a Golden Globe and Best Actor awards from
the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the
Chicago Film Critics and the National Board of Review. Cage further solidified his
leading man status when he received Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen
Actors Guild and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations
for his dual role as twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman in Spike Jonze’s
quirky comedy Adaptation, which co-starred Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper.
Cage recently portrayed Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider, based on the Marvel
Comics character. Written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, the film
immediately set a new record as the highest-grossing film opening on Presidents
Day weekend. Cage also appeared in the Pang brothers’ recent action drama,
Bangkok Dangerous. Previous starring roles include Neil LaBute’s The Wicker Man,
Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, Gore Verbinski’s The Weather Man, Lee
Tamahori’s sci-fi thriller Next and Andrew Niccol’s Lord of War. Cage was also heard
as the voice of Zoc in the animated film The Ant Bully.
Cage was raised in Long Beach, CA and lived there until his family moved to
San Francisco when he was 12. Cage began acting at age 15 when he enrolled in
San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre, appearing in the school’s
production of “Golden Boy.” He later moved to Los Angeles and, while still a high
school student, landed a role in the television film “The Best of Times.” He made his
feature film debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
It was Cage’s portrayal of a tormented Vietnam vet in Birdy that first
established him as a serious actor. Directed by Alan Parker, the drama won the Jury
Prize at Cannes.
Cage then received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor for his role as
Cher’s lover in Moonstruck. David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, starring Cage and Laura
Dern, won the Golden Palm at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.
Some of Cage’s other honors include a Golden Globe nomination for his role
in Honeymoon in Vegas, the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the
Montreal World Film Festival, and the first ever Distinguished Decade in Film Award
at ShoWest.
In 2002, Cage released his feature film directorial debut, Sonny. He cast an
impressive group of actors, including Golden Globe winner James Franco, Mena
Suvari, Brenda Blethyn and Harry Dean Stanton. The film was accepted into the
2002 Deauville Film Festival. Cage’s production company, Saturn Films, also
produced the critically acclaimed Shadow of the Vampire and The Life of David Gale.
Other film credits include Matchstick Men, Windtalkers, Captain Corelli’s
Mandolin, The Family Man, Bringing Out the Dead, 8MM, Snake Eyes, City of
Angels, Face/Off, Guarding Tess, Red Rock West, It Could Happen to You, Kiss of
Death, Honeymoon in Vegas, Valley Girl, The Cotton Club, Racing with the Moon,
Peggy Sue Got Married, Rumble Fish, Raising Arizona and Vampire’s Kiss.
ROSE BYRNE (Diana Wayland) is one of Australia’s leading young film stars,
winning acclaim both locally and internationally. She stars in the award-winning FX
series “Damages,” alongside Glenn Close and Ted Danson. Her portrayal of Ellen
Parsons, the protégé of a high stakes litigator, earned her a Golden Globe Award
nomination in 2008.
Byrne stars in Jonathan Ogilvie’s forthcoming The Tender Hook, with Hugo
Weaving and Matthew Le Nevez. Byrne stars as Iris, the woman at the center of a
love triangle involving a crime boss and a young boxer. Also due for release is
Adam, a romantic dramedy starring Hugh Dancy as a man with Asperger's
Syndrome. The film focuses on his efforts to form a relationship with a woman
(Byrne) who lives in the same apartment building.
In 2007, Byrne’s films included Danny Boyle’s sci-fi action drama, Sunshine,
opposite Cillian Murphy; Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s 28 Weeks Later, co-starring
Robert Carlyle; and the black comedy Just Buried, with Jay Baruchel, which
premiered at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival.
Byrne also appeared as the Duchesse de Polignac in Sofia Coppola’s Marie
Antoinette, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 and screened at the
New York Film Festival. Also in 2006, Byrne co-starred in Karen Moncrieff’s
ensemble indie drama The Dead Girl, which garnered an Independent Spirit Award
nomination for Best Film.
Byrne’s other film credits include Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,
Paul McGuigan’s thriller Wicker Park with Josh Hartnett, the acclaimed I Capture the
Castle and Danny Green’s The Tenants, with Dylan McDermott. Byrne also starred
in Wolfgang Petersen’s epic Troy, alongside Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Peter
O’Toole. She was reunited with O’Toole in the BBC drama “Casanova.”
Byrne’s film career began in Australia with her standout role in the gritty crime
drama Two Hands, opposite Heath Ledger. Byrne went on to star in Clara Law’s The
Goddess of 1967, for which she was awarded Best Actress at the Venice Film
Festival.
A well-respected theatre actress, Byrne has appeared in leading roles for the
prestigious Sydney Theatre Company in their productions of “La Dispute” and “The
Three Sisters.”
CHANDLER CANTERBURY (Caleb Koestler) is emerging as one of
Hollywood's most exciting young actors due to his subtle approach, vivid imagination
and incredible emotional range. Canterbury will next be seen in The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button for director David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en), alongside Brad Pitt
and Cate Blanchett. This Paramount and Warner Bros. co-production is based on
the short story by author F Scott Fitzgerald about an 80-year-old man (Pitt) who is
aging backwards, causing complications when he falls in love with a 30-year-old
woman (Blanchett). Canterbury plays Benjamin Button at the age of eight.
The actor, now nine years old, recently completed production on
Repossession Mambo, opposite Jude Law and Forest Whitaker. Canterbury also
appears in Timothy Linh Bui's Powder Blue, opposite Whitaker, Jessica Biel and Ray
Liotta. He won a 2008 Young Artist Award for his spine-tingling guest performance
on the hit series “Criminal Minds.”
Born in Houston, Canterbury broke into the entertainment industry by booking
a role in the feature film Balls Out: The Gary Houseman Story, starring Seann
William Scott and Randy Quaid, for director Danny Leiner (Harold & Kumar Go to
White Castle).
LARA ROBINSON (Lucinda Embry, Abby Wayland) has, at just 10 years of
age, amassed an impressive list of credits while emerging as one of Australia's most
promising young actors. Robinson recently worked on a remake of the 1978 classic
Australian thriller Long Weekend that was directed by Jamie Blanks and starred
Claudia Karvan. Her television work to date has included a guest role in the Seven
Network's police drama, “City Homicide” and a lead guest role in JM. Shiff's
children's series “The Elephant Princess.” She also has several television
commercials to her name and the VCA short Work in Progress.
Balancing her film and television work with theatre engagements, Robinson
has worked with the Tivoli Theatre in Malvern. In 2007 and 2008, she appeared in
“Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and “The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.”
Robinson is a sensitive, intelligent and focused performer with a maturity
beyond her years. She is also a talented young musician with advanced skills in both
piano and clarinet, as well as training in jazz, ballet and tap.
BEN MENDELSOHN (Phil Beckman) is widely recognized as one of
Australia’s most outstanding actors, with more than 20 feature film roles to his credit.
He recently completed work on Baz Luhrmann’s new feature, Australia, starring
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The actor is currently in production on a number
of features including Rachel Ward’s Beautiful Kate, with Rachel Griffiths, and Prime
Mover, directed by David Caesar.
Mendelsohn’s work has been extensively acknowledged by his peers with
multiple AFI and FCCA nominations. He was awarded the 2001 St Tropez Best Actor
prize for his lead role in Mullet, the 1995 FCCA Best Supporting Actor award for
Metal Skin and the 1987 AFI Best Supporting Actor award for The Year My Voice
Broke.
Mendelsohn starred in Terrence Malick’s The New World. His other lead roles
include Vertical Limit, Black and White, Cosi, Idiot Box, Spotswood and The Big
Steal. He also starred as Rupert Kathner in the AFI Award-winning docudrama Hunt
Angels. He provided voice acting for the animated feature film $9.99.
The actor has received multiple award nominations for his role as Lewis on
“Love My Way,” including a Logie nomination for Most Outstanding Actor and an AFI
nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama. He has also been seen as a
guest lead in some of Australia’s most acclaimed television productions, including
“Halifax FP,” “GP,” “Police Rescue” and “The Secret Life of Us.”
Mendelsohn has devoted a substantial amount of time to theatre work,
including the roles of Mark Antony in “Julius Caesar” and Tom in “The Glass
Menagerie.” His other theatre credits include Paul Peplow in “My Zinc Bed,” Lewis in
“Cosi” for Belvoir Street Theatre and Andy Pettigrew in “The Selection.”
NADIA TOWNSEND (Grace Koestler) is one of Australia’s emerging young
actresses. She started her career with Rose Byrne when they were 14 years old,
attending drama classes together at Hunters Hill High and Australian Theatre for
Young People. They left school to travel together to New York and study at David
Mamet’s Atlantic Theatre Company. They lived side by side in a tiny room in
Greenwich Village, spending their days in class and their nights in the theatre.
Townsend next stars in the Australian thriller Vanished, based on director Ray
Murray’s adaptation of the Fred and Rosemary West “house of horrors” story. Her
mostrecent film, Puppy, made its way through the international film circuit to much
acclaim. The actress has worked extensively in Australian television over the past
decade and is best known for her beloved portrayal of a hard-hearted firefighter on
ABC’s “Fireflies.” Townsend has also appeared on the series “Sea Patrol,” “Chandon
Pictures,” “Headland,” “Farscape” and “Head Start.”
Townsend recently worked side-by-side with director George Miller on Justice
League as Assistant Dramaturge. She is graduating from the Victorian College of the
Arts with a postgraduate diploma in Theatre Direction.
ALAN HOPGOOD (Rev. Koestler) has been an actor and playwright for over
40 years. In January 2005, Hopgood was made a Member of the Order of Australia
for service to the performing arts as an actor, playwright and producer, as well as for
his contributions to the community by raising awareness of men’s health issues. He
has appeared in numerous television and film projects in his native Australia.
DANIELLE CARTER (Miss Taylor 1959) graduated from NIDA in 1993 and
has worked steadily in the industry ever since. Her theatre credits are extensive and
varied. They include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for Theatre Works, “Europe” for
VCA Directors Season, “Still” for Malthouse/La Mama, “Face to Face” for Ensemble
Theatre, “The Quartet from Rigoletto” for Cue Theatre and Ensemble Theatre, “All
Things Considered” for Marian Street Theatre, “Property of the Clan” for Theatre
20/20, “Away” and “Hypothalamania” for Sydney Theatre Company as well as the
national tour of “Dags.”
Carter’s television credits include series regular roles on “Something in The
Air,” “Medivac” and “Richmond Hill.” Her guest starring roles in Australia include work
on the hit series “Underbelly,” “All Saints,” “The Elephant Princess,” “City Homicide,”
“Stingers” and “Secret Life of Us.” Her US. series appearances include “The Lost
World” and “BeastMaster.”
Film credits include Eustice Solves a Problem, for director Stephen Lance,
and The Blue Lady, for director Nicholas Verso.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
ALEX PROYAS (writer, director, producer) was born in Egypt to GreekEgyptian parents, and moved to Australia at age two. An only child, he grew up in
the low-rent government housing tenements of inner-city Sydney. Showing a passion
for art and film from an early age, he was given his first Super-8 camera for his 10th
birthday. He was accepted into film school in Sydney at the unprecedented age of
17.
During his three year graduate course, his student short, Groping, received
international acclaim, including the award for Most Outstanding Short Film at London
International Film Festival, 1982.
Proyas wrote, co-produced and directed his first feature film, Spirits, in 1989.
The film won awards at festivals around the world and received critical and art-house
success. In 1994, he wrote and directed the short film Welcome to Crateland,
whichscreened in competition at Cannes '94. That same year he completed work on
The Crow, starring Brandon Lee. The film was a major critical and commercial
success. Soon after, he established his production company, Mystery Clock Cinema
to develop and produce feature films.
In 1998 he completed work on his third feature film as writer/director/producer
–Dark City for New Line Cinema. Starring Rufus Sewell, Keifer Sutherland, Richard
O’Brien, Jennifer Connelly, Ian Richardson and William Hurt, the film has since
earned its place as a long-standing cult-classic.
In 2002 he completed Garage Days starring Kick Gurry, Pia Miranda and
Maya Stange for Fox Searchlight. The film was invited to premiere at the Sundance
Film Festival January 2003.
2004 saw the completion of I, Robot starring Will Smith which became Proyas’
greatest commercial success to date with a world-wide box office hit earning nearly
400 million dollars.
Proyas lives and works in Sydney, Australia.
TODD BLACK (Producer) counts among his recent feature film credits The
Pursuit of Happiness, starring Will Smith, and The Great Debaters, starring Denzel
Washington and Forrest Whitaker. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best
Picture (Drama) for The Great Debaters. In addition, Black was honored with the
Producers Guild’s Stanley Kramer Award for The Great Debaters and for his 2002
film Antwone Fisher.
Born in Dallas and raised in Los Angeles, Black attended the theatre program
at the University of Southern California. He began his entertainment career as a
casting associate.
In 1995, Black became President of Motion Picture Production at Sony’s
Mandalay Entertainment and managed such films as Donnie Brasco, Seven Years in
Tibet, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Les Miserables and Wild Things.
In January 2000, Black, along with his partner Jason Blumenthal, merged with
the Steve Tisch Company to form Escape Artists, an independently financed
company housed at Sony Pictures. Their first produced movie was A Knight’s Tale,
starring Heath Ledger.
Black’s acclaimed drama Antwone Fisher was a decade-long labor of love
that marked Academy Award winner Denzel Washington’s directorial debut and
launched the career of screenwriter Antwone Fisher. In 2005, The Weather Man
marked Black’s second collaboration with writer Steve Conrad. The pair met when
Black discovered Conrad’s first screenplay, Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, which he
produced for director Randa Haines.
Black and Escape Artists recently completed production on Seven Pounds,
starring Will Smith and directed by Gabriele Muccino, for Columbia Pictures. Another
forthcoming Columbia release, The Taking of Pelham 123, stars Denzel Washington
and John Travolta with Tony Scott directing.
JASON BLUMENTHAL (Producer) was born and raised in Los Angeles and
attended Syracuse University’s SI Newhouse School of Public Communications.
After graduation, he joined Wizan/Black Films in 1990. There, Blumenthal was
involved with the development and production of Iron Eagle II and Split Decisions, a
family drama about three generations of prizefighters that starred Gene Hackman.
He also worked on The Guardian, directed by William Friedkin; Short Time, with
Dabney Coleman and Teri Garr; and Class Act, starring Kid N’ Play. Blumenthal
executive produced Becoming Colette, written by Ruth Graham Black, and Fire in
the Sky.
Other credits include Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, directed by Randa Haines
and starring Robert Duvall, Richard Harris and Shirley MacLaine; Dunston Checks
In, starring Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway and Rupert Everett; A Family Thing,
starring James Earl Jones and Robert Duvall; and Bio-Dome, starring Pauly Shore
and Stephen Baldwin.
Blumenthal was Senior Vice President of feature production at Mandalay
Entertainment, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, from the company’s
inception in 1995 through March of 1998. During his tenure, Blumenthal managed
Mandalay’s production slate and films such as The Fan, starring Robert De Niro and
Wesley Snipes; Donnie Brasco, starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp; Seven Years in
Tibet, starring Brad Pitt; I Know What You Did Last Summer, No. 1 at the box office
for three weeks while grossing $130 million worldwide; I Still Know What You Did
Last Summer; Les Miserables, starring Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman; Wild
Things, starring Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon and Matt Dillon; Gloria, starring
Sharon Stone; and Deep End of the Ocean, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
In April 1998, Blumenthal and his partner Todd Black formed Black & Blu
Entertainment, entering into a first-look production deal at Sony Pictures
Entertainment. In 2001, Black & Blu merged with the Steve Tisch Co. (Forrest
Gump) to become Escape Artists, while still maintaining their first-look deal at Sony
Pictures. Escape Artists has since produced A Knight’s Tale, starring Heath Ledger;
Antwone Fisher, directed by and starring Denzel Washington; The Pursuit of
Happyness, starring Will Smith; and The Weather Man, starring Nicolas Cage and
Michael Caine.
Forthcoming Escape Artists films include Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith,
and Tony Scott’s remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, starring Denzel Washington
and JohnTravolta.
STEVE TISCH (Producer) launched Tom Cruise’s career with the 1983
sleeper hit Risky Business and produced 1994’s Academy Award-winning Best
Picture Forrest Gump. He also served as executive producer of Lock, Stock and Two
Smoking Barrels, Snatch and the critically acclaimed American History X
In 2005, Tisch was named Chairman and Executive Vice President of the
New York Giants. In 2008, the Giants were crowned Super Bowl champions for the
third time in NFL history.
Tisch is a partner in Escape Artists, a production company formed in 2001,
based at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Escape Artists released The Pursuit of
Happyness, starring Will Smith and Thandie Newton, in 2006 and The Weather Man,
starring Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine, in 2005. Upcoming projects include Seven
Pounds, starring Will Smith, and The Taking of Pelham 123, starring Denzel
Washington and John Travolta.
Tisch contributes his time and financial resources to such organizations as the
ERAS Center, Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Women’s Cancer Research
Foundation. Tisch is a member of the following organizations: the Board of Advisors
at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, the Board of Trustees of The
Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles, The Sundance Institute, the Museum of
Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Board of Trustees of the Preston Robert
Tisch Brain Cancer Center at Duke University.
STEPHEN JONES (Executive Producer) served as executive producer of
Nim’s Island and his credits as co-producer include Fool’s Gold, Superman Returns,
Son of the Mask and director PJ Hogan’s recent adaptation of Peter Pan. As
associate producer, Jones’ credits include Ghost Ship, Scooby-Doo and Red Planet.
He worked as the line producer on the feature films The Well, The Offspring and
Fatal Past.
Jones was the production supervisor on George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode II
- Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. His unit
production manager credits include Peter Pan, Ghost Ship, Scooby-Doo, Red
Planet, Fatal Past, Quigley Down Under, The First Kangaroos and The Time
Guardian.
For television, Jones has served in numerous capacities, including as
producer of the telefilm “Noah’s Ark,” co-producer of the series “Water Rats” and
“Naked,” line producer of the series “Big Sky” and production supervisor of the
telefilm “Dadah is Death.”
TOPHER DOW (Executive Producer) grew up in Boston and studied Fine Arts
at Harvard College. Upon graduating he moved to New York where he worked
variously as a Production Manager, Assistant Director, and Property Master. In 1992
Dow migrated to Australia and has been Alex Proyas' frequent producing partner
since 1999. In addition to producing I, Robot and Garage Days, he has produced
numerous short films and commercials for Proyas and was second unit director on
Dark City.
SIMON DUGGAN (Director of Photography) brings his masterful
cinematography to every film he shoots, from psychological dramas to heartpounding scifi thrillers. An award-winning member of the Australian
Cinematographers Society (ACS), Duggan’s feature debut in America was none
other than the box office smash I, Robot.
This was his second feature with director Alex Proyas, having previously
lensed the surprise indie hit Garage Days in Australia.
Duggan’s recent feature credits include The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon
Emperor, directed by Rob Cohen, Live Free or Die Hard, Underworld: Evolution, The
Interview, Risk and Guests.
A master storyteller with the camera, Duggan’s fluid style and renowned skills
with lighting create tension and powerful emotion, whether for a television
commercial or an epic movie. American Cinematographer magazine described his
work as having a “vibrant, whimsical” style, while Variety hailed his talent as “visually
inventive.”
To date, Duggan has earned more than 30 Best Cinematography awards and
commendations from organizations including the Film Critics Circle of Australia, the
International Mobius Advertising Awards, the Australian Television Awards, the
Melbourne Art Directors Club, the Federation of Australian Commercial Television,
the Australian Writers and Art Directors Clubs and the Australian Cinematographers
Society.
RICHARD LEAROYD (Editor) has worked with director Alex Proyas on the
feature films I, Robot and Garage Days. Learoyd is also a highly respected
commercial editor who divides his time between Sydney and London.
In 1996, he worked as associate editor on Dark City and edited the film’s
trailer for New Line Cinema. He worked extensively on Proyas’ Mystery Clock
website and recently edited two short films for Proyas, Frank’s Dream and Fashion.
STEVEN JONES-EVANS (Production Designer) has been instrumental in
creating the ambience and feel of numerous films across Australia and the world,
including Ned Kelly, starring Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom and Naomi Watts; Buffalo
Soldiers, with Joaquin Phoenix; and most recently, The Children of Huang Shi and
The Madman’s Tale.
MARCO BELTRAMI (Composer) is a protégé of the late Jerry Goldsmith, one
of the industry’s most acclaimed composers. A former Academy Award nominee, he
got his big break scoring Wes Craven’s Scream. In his approach, Beltrami threw
away conventional horror music clichés. Instead, he likened the film to a Western
and, calling upon the influences of his idol Ennio Morricone, wrote one of the most
unexpected and imaginative scores in recent memory. The film’s music would garner
much attention for the young composer. Craven remarked in the soundtrack’s liner
notes, “Without Marco’s genius, Scream would have been little more than a whisper.”
Beltrami scored blockbusters like Live Free or Die Hard, I, Robot and
Terminator 3 before finding his way back to Western compositions when Tommy Lee
Jones hired him to score The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. The film won the
Best Director and Best Screenplay awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
Walk the Line director James Mangold was a fan of Beltrami’s suspenseful
and beautiful Western score and hired the composer to write the music for 3:10 to
Yuma.
Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “The impressive work
extends behind the scenes to...Marco Beltrami's percolating score, which subtly yet
effectively signals Yuma's status as a thinking person's Western.”
Next, Beltrami will re-team with Tommy Lee Jones on In the Electric Mist,
directed by renowned filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier.c