PRODUCTION / FUNDING UK / France / Canada
Tom Berkeley and Ross White gear up for their feature debut, The End of the World as We Know It
- Jack O’Connell and Odessa A’zion will topline the StudioCanal-backed adventure flick, which is set to shoot in Canada in November
Oscar- and BAFTA-winning filmmaking duo Tom Berkeley and Ross White are preparing to make their feature debut with The End of the World as We Know It, backed by StudioCanal, Working Title Films, Parkville Pictures and Film4. Jack O’Connell and Odessa A’zion are attached to star in the film, which is scheduled to begin shooting in Canada in November. News of the project and its lead cast was first reported by Variety.
Penned and directed by Berkeley and White, the pic is billed as an unlikely adventure about truth and love. O’Connell and A’zion will play a pair of star-crossed loners who meet while embarking on an epic pilgrimage to prove that the Earth is flat.
“The End of the World as We Know It is a story we discovered hiding in the strangest of places, but one that seemed to speak profoundly to our collective search for meaning, belonging and love in an increasingly disparate world. We feel intensely lucky to have the inimitable Jack O'Connell and Odessa A'zion bringing these star-crossed loners to life, and with the backing of the wonderful teams at StudioCanal and Working Title, we can't wait to take audiences on their unique, cinematic journey,” said Berkeley and White.
The pair previously collaborated on the Northern Irish short An Irish Goodbye, starring James Martin and Seamus O’Hara as estranged brothers reunited following their mother’s death. The film won the Academy Award for Best Live-action Short Film and the BAFTA for Best British Short Film in 2023, as well as the IFTA Award for Best Short Film.
O’Connell recently appeared in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, while his upcoming credits include Boyle’s latest, Ink, John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part III and Godzilla x Kong: Supernova. A’zion, meanwhile, earned a BAFTA nomination following her turn in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme and also stars in HBO’s I Love LA.
The End of the World as We Know It is being produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner for Working Title Films (UK), and Olivier Kaempfer for Parkville Pictures (UK). Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin serve as executive producers for StudioCanal (France), with Katherine Pomfret and Thea Paulett executive-producing for Working Title and Amanda Drake of Notable Studios (Canada) also serving as an executive producer. Film4 is also involved as a co-financing and executive-producing partner.
StudioCanal will handle the project's worldwide sales and will release it theatrically across its own territories, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand.
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