Main Cast: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Michael Dorman, Claudia Karvan, Sam Neill
Release Year: 2010
Country: US/AU
Run Time: 98 minutes
Plot
Fresh off the success of their inventive take on the zombie genre, Undead masterminds Michael and Peter Spierig direct Ethan Hawke in an ambitious tale of a futuristic Earth populated entirely by vampires, and the efforts made by the creatures to ensure that their food supply doesn't run out as humankind is faced with extinction. The year is 2017, and a vampire plague has turned most of the planet's human population into bloodsucking ghouls. As the population of mortals fast begins to dwindle, a resourceful team of vampires sets out to capture and farm every remaining human while simultaneously researching a consumable blood substitute. Just when all hope seems lost, a secret is discovered that may provide the key o saving the human race. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Isabel Lucas - Alison Bromley; Vince Colosimo - Christopher Caruso; Paul Sonkkila - General Williams
Credit
Bill Booth - Art Director, Nikki Barrett - Casting, Todd Fellman - Co-producer, George Liddle - Costume Designer, Michael Spierig - Director, Peter Spierig - Director, Matt Villa - Editor, Peter Block - Executive Producer, Jason Constantine - Executive Producer, Todd Fellman - Executive Producer, Christopher Gordon - Composer (Music Score), George Liddle - Production Designer, Ben Nott - Cinematographer, Chris Brown - Producer, Sean Furst - Producer, Bryan Furst - Producer, Michael Spierig - Screenwriter, Peter Spierig - Screenwriter, Weta Workshop Ltd. - Creature Effects
Toronto International Film Festival
September 11, 2009 (2009-09-11) United Kingdom
January 6, 2010 Canada, United States
January 8, 2010 Australia
January 21, 2010
Daybreakers is an upcoming 2010vampire film written and directed by Peter and Michael Spierig. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Filming took place in Australia from July to September 2007. Daybreakers is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2010 and in North America on January 8, 2010.[1]
In 2019, a plague transforms a majority of the world's population into vampires. With only a handful of humans left to provide blood, starvation is a very real risk for their new species. In response, the vampires seek to farm the remaining humans for their blood and to find a way to continue their existence.[2] A secret team of vampires uncovers a way that would rescue the human race.[3] At the same time, a group of surviving humans wishes to repopulate the species and survive.
Cast
Ethan Hawke as Edward Dalton, a vampire researcher who tries to save humanity from extinction and the vampires from starvation.[4]
Willem Dafoe as Elvis, a "cured" vampire who duels with Hawke's character.[5]
Sam Neill as Charles Bromley, a vampire in charge of a powerful corporation.[6]
In November 2004, Lionsgate acquired the script to Daybreakers, written by Peter and Michael Spierig. The brothers, who directed Undead (2003), were attached to direct Daybreakers.[10] In September 2006, the brothers received financing from Film Finance Corporation Australia, with production set to take place in Queensland.[11] In May 2007, actor Ethan Hawke was cast into the lead role.[3] Later in the month, Sam Neill joined the cast. Daybreakers began filming in Gold Coast, Queensland at Warner Bros. Movie World studios on July 16, 2007.[12]Weta Workshop will create the creature effects.[3] The production budget is $21 million, with the State Government contributing $1 million to the filmmakers.[13] Principal photography was completed on schedule in September 2007, with reshoots following to extend key sequences.[14]
Hawke described the film as an allegory of man's pacing with natural resources, "We're eating our own resources so people are trying to come up with blood substitutes, trying to get us off of foreign humans."[15] The actor also said that despite the allegory, the film was "low art" and "completely unpretentious and silly".[16]
Release
Daybreakers premiered on September 11, 2009 at the 34th Annual Toronto International Film Festival. The film is scheduled to be released on January 6, 2010 in the UK, on January 8, 2010[17] in North America and on January 21, 2010 in Australia.[18]
