The Last Days on Mars has been officially acquired for U.S. distribution by The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, a genre arm of Magnolia Pictures. The sci-fi thriller stars Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Romola Garai, Olivia Williams and Tom Cullen from Focus Features International.
The plot for the film is as follows:
On the last day of the first manned mission to Mars, a crew member of Tantalus Base believes he has made an astounding discovery – fossilized evidence of bacterial life. Unwilling to let the relief crew claim all the glory, he disobeys orders to pack up and goes out on an unauthorized expedition to collect further samples. But a routine excavation turns to disaster when the porous ground collapses, and he falls into a deep crevice and near certain death. His devastated colleagues attempt to recover his body. However, when another vanishes they start to suspect that the life-form they have discovered is not yet dead. As the group begins to fall apart it seems their only hope is the imminent arrival of the relief ship Aurora.
The Last Days on Mars was produced by Michael Kuhn and Andrea Cornwell. It was the feature film debut for Ruairi Robinson, an Academy Award-nominated director of several celebrated sci-fi short films and animations. Focus Features International was on point for worldwide sales on the film, which bowed in this year’s Director’s Fortnight selection at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles, said,
“With a terrific ensemble cast and top-notch production values, ‘The Last Days on Mars’ is an exceedingly well-made and frightening science fiction film that will be a real pleasure for fans of the genre. Ruairi Robinson is a talented director to watch—we’re very excited to be working with him on this film.”
Alison Thompson, Co-President of Focus Features International added,
“After a successful Cannes premiere, we’re delighted to have Magnet on board. They are a perfect fit for the film and we have no doubt they will do an excellent job of ensuring that US audiences embrace this exciting new filmmaker.”
The Last Days on Mars is projected for a release through Magnet’s Ultra VOD program later this year.
