Production has begun on The Dark Is Rising, an action-adventure fantasy to be released September 28, 2007 by Fox-Walden, a new joint venture between Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media.
The film’s impressive international ensemble includes Golden Globe® Award winners Ian McShane (“Deadwood”) as Merriman, and Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”) as Mrs. Greythorne. Christopher Eccleston (“Heroes,” 28 Days Later, Gone in 60 Seconds) has been cast as The Rider, and newcomer Alexander Ludwig will portray the story’s hero, Will Stanton.
Also joining the cast are Jonathan Jackson (Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Insomnia) as The Walker, Amelia Warner (Aeon Flux, Quills) as Maggie, Gregory Smith (Nearing Grace, “Everwood”) as Max Stanton, Emma Lockhart (Batman Begins, “Malcolm in the Middle”) as Gwen Stanton, identical twins Gary Entin and Edmond Entin as the Stanton twins, and John Benjamin Hickey (Freedom Writers, Flags of Our Fathers) as Professor Stanton.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising is the first film adaptation of the author’s acclaimed “The Dark Is Rising” Sequence. The film tells the story of Will Stanton, a young man who learns he is the last of a group of warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the Dark. Traveling back and forth through time, Will hunts for a series of mysterious clues and encounters forces of unimaginable evil. With the Dark once again rising, the future of the world rests in Will’s hands.
The Dark Is Rising is directed by David L. Cunningham, best known for directing the ABC-TV miniseries “The Path to 9/11.” The screenplay is by John Hodge, the Academy Award®-nominated writer of Trainspotting. Hodge is known for his long-time collaboration with director Danny Boyle, beginning with 1995’s Shallow Grave, and continuing with Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach.
Marc Platt (Legally Blonde, Broadway musical “Wicked”) is producing.
