OCCUPATION: Luke Sparke’s Alien Invasion Sci-Fi Saga Lines Up Five More For ‘RAINFALL’ Trilogy
Director Luke Sparke is setting in motion the next installment of his Occupation alien invasion saga with Occupation: Rainfall Chapter 2, and is casting Jeremy Piven (Rock n Rolla, Entourage), Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Van Helsing, Bombshell, upcoming Step Up: High Water), Liam McIntyre (Spartacus) and Danny Trejo (Machete) in the new outing.
The quintet will join the returning ensemble of actors from the previous films including the voice of Jason Isaacs, Jet Tranter, Dan Ewing, Zac Garred, Charles Mesure, and Dena Kaplan. Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment is handling worldwide sales rights at the Cannes market with the new movie segueing immediately into pre-production afterward, and with an additional fourth film tying-in as Occupation: Rainfall Chapter Three also in development.
Occupation: Rainfall Chapter Two sees Earth’s resistance thrown into chaos as an ominous new threat ruthlessly hunts down the humans that are left, and any aliens who have joined them. With no clear leader and struggling to find common ground, the resistance finds itself on the brink of destruction. Aboard the Mothership, a group of survivors, plan to strike at the heart of the Alien threat – the Rainfall weapon – as the fate of all life hangs in the balance.
Producers are Carly Sparke and Carmel Imrie, Alex Becconsall, Zac Garred, and McIntyre co-producing. Exec producers are Epstein and Sparke along with Geoff Imrie.
“We’re thrilled to be introducing to this highly commercially viable, genre-raising film franchise to the marketplace in Cannes and the multi-project distribution deal between Film Mode and Sparke Films to the world at large. Luke’s ability to execute large scale productions with stellar casts, gripping storylines and top-of-the-line special f/x truly sets Rainfall apart from others,” said Epstein.
“It’s been a genuine thrill to see OCCUPATION RAINFALL find its audience as it rolled out around the world. Every day, it finds new fans and the feedback from them has been amazingly supportive. I’m so happy that I can bring my vision for the ‘Rainfall Trilogy’ to the screens very, very soon. They are bigger, better and bombastic but also uniquely grounded in humanity and what it means to be a member of this planet. Filming these stories back-to-back later this year will be a huge challenge but one I’m excited to deep dive into with the amazing cast and crew we are gathering. It’s a celebration of sci/fi!” said Sparke.
“We are thrilled to be continuing the Rainfall saga and introducing the fans to some more memorable and unique characters and landscapes in this next chapter. This film is going to show the world that Sparke Films has taken this whole story to a new level of mind blowing and epic sci fi action and that is just the beginning,” said producers Carly Sparke and Carmel Imrie.
The film will shoot in Australia this Fall, with both chapters Two and Three being filmed back-to-back in a custom-built LED volume stage.
Piven is repped by Wonder Street, APA & Felker Toczek; Van Dien by Jeff Goldberg of Jeff Goldberg Management, and by Todd Maginn of Global Artists Agency; Helfer by Gilbertson Entertainment and ICM Partners; Isaacs by Silver Lining Entertainment, Gersh and Independent Talent in UK; McIntyre by Independent Management Company (IMC), The Gersh Agency and B & B Management; Trejo by Gloria Hinojosa at Amsel, Eisenstadt, Frazier & Hinojosa Inc.; and Mesure by Gwenn Pepper at Defining Artists.
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