Brandon Cronenberg's ANTIVIRAL Casts Up, Launches Principal Photography

At the end of September ScreenAnarchy brought word that Brandon Cronenberg - son of David - was preparing to launch production on his debut feature, Antiviral. And now word has arrived that the film has launched production with strong young stars and one very familiar face in the cast.

(November 3, 2011 - Toronto) Producer Niv Fichman of Rhombus Media today announced the commencement of principal photography on ANTIVIRAL. Starring Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class), Sarah Gadon (A Dangerous Method) and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) ANTIVIRAL is Brandon Cronenberg's debut feature film. The film will be shot in Hamilton and Toronto November 7 to December 11, 2011.

Written by Cronenberg, the film follows Syd March, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion - for a price.  Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate. 

Also starring in ANTIVIRAL are Douglas Smith (Big Love), Matt Watts (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and James Cade (Lost Girl).

"ANTIVIRAL is a fascinating mystery which revolves around society's primal hunger to own its idols. It's smart, engaging and scary, " says Niv Fichman. "Brandon's film is the third first-time feature we've produced in two years. Rhombus Media is committed to working with young writers and directors to bring new visions to the screen." This year, Rhombus Media produced the cult hit Hobo With a Shotgun directed by Jason Eisener and starring Rutger Hauer, as well as Analeine Cal y Mayor's The Boy Who Smells Like Fish starring Douglas Smith and Zoë Kravitz, now in post-production.

The creative team includes director of photography Karim Hussain (Hobo with a Shotgun), production designer Arvinder Greywal (Resident Evil: Afterlife) and art director Mark Steel (Alphas).

ANTIVIRAL is produced by Rhombus Media with the participation of Telefilm Canada and the OMDC. The film will be distributed by Alliance Films in Canada and in the UK by its subsidiary Momentum Pictures.

Caleb Landry Jones is an intriguing choice in the lead role, the young star coming on strong since his charismatic performance in The Last Exorcism. Sarah Gadon is on a definite upswing as well with recent roles in The Moth Diaries, A Dangerous Method, Dream House, and David Cronenberg's upcoming Cosmopolis. Clearly she is a favorite of the family. And you always know what you're getting with McDowell.