Three years in the making since the online release of the winning sci-fi short, Code 8 is now a feature film reality with a late 2019 day-and-date release in tow from Vertical Entertainment. The project is a culmination of efforts by director Jeff Chan who helmed the short that launched the successful Indiegogo campaign in 2016 fronted by cousins, lead actor Robbie Amell and co-star Stephen Amell.
Code 8 takes place in a world where superhumans comprise 4% of the human population and are heavily policed and forced into poverty. For an “electric” named Connor Reed (Robbie Amell) things are no different now that he’s on the run after committing a petty crime.
To make matters worse, paying for his ailing mother’s treatment hasn’t gotten easier. He soon aligns himself with a lucrative criminal network led by Garrett (Stephen Amell) who teaches him to use his powers to pull off a spate of increasingly dangerous crimes.
“We took a grassroots approach to getting this film off the ground and we’re beyond thrilled to unveil it alongside our partners at Vertical,” said the Amells and Chan. “This has been a labor of love for us and the tens of thousands of supporters who have been there since the start of this journey.”
“Code 8 is a visually immersive and action-packed film that introduces powerful real-world implications to a story revolving around individuals with the super-powered abilities,” said Vertical’s Rich Goldberg. “Like the best science fiction, it manages to entertain while challenging us to ask questions about the world around us and we can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”
Code 8 definitely falls in line as one of many ambitious crowdfunds for features that have made the rounds. One of the more prolific titles that come to mind is Laser Unicorn’s Kung Fury which drew immense backing for the fantasy action short a few years ago. Of course, that one has industry backing for a feature now pending and also has Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Fassbender on board, but still a worth while mention on the matter of film concepts born from crowdfunding.
Not all crowdfunders are the same though. Sadly, many fall short as their creators and crew still manage and choose to press on to complete their rerespective projects and achieve the vision intended. It’s not easy either, as very few will get to top a six-figure goal by ten times. Code 8 managed to accrue 2.4 million dollars well over its $200k mark a few years ago.
Code 8 hails from Colony Pictures and Telefilm Canada, in association with Lane E Productions, the Fyzz Facility and Ontario Creates. Vertical’s rights are worldwide, sans Canada, Germany, the Middle East, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, S. Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Russia. (DEADLINE)