Gunpowder & Sky, a fast growing independent global entertainment company, announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights to filmmaker Neasa Hardiman’s critically-acclaimed Irish sci-fi/thriller SEA FEVER following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Gunpowder & Sky will release the film theatrically in the U.S. in early 2020 through its sci-fi label, DUST.
SEA FEVER stars Hermione Corfield (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) as Siobhan, a young marine biology student who boards a trawler run by a couple played by Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman 1984, Gladiator) and Dougray Scott (Batwoman, Mission: Impossible 2). When the ship hits an unseen object, a mysterious bioluminescent force infiltrates the vessel, and the crew begins a fight for survival while marooned at sea.
The feature debut from BAFTA-winning director Neasa Hardiman (Happy Valley, Jessica Jones), SEA FEVER has drawn comparisons to claustrophobic classics such as Alien and The Thing, and received rave reviews out of TIFF, with RogerEbert.com declaring it, “One of those out-of-nowhere stunners” and “a masterful genre film.” Collider hails the films as, “A nightmare you can’t take your eyes off of, and can’t stop thinking about after it wraps up.”
“I’m thrilled Gunpowder & Sky’s DUST will bring SEA FEVER to a U.S. audience,” said Hardiman. The film is a dreamlike and devastating parable, where a neurodivergent heroine struggles with individual responsibility and threat in our increasingly fragile world.”
SEA FEVER is produced by Brendan McCarthy and John McDonnell of Fantastic Films in co-production with Borje Hansson of Bright Pictures (Sweden), Jean-Yves Roubin and Cassandre Warnauts of Frakas Productions (Belgium), and Eddie Dick of Makar Productions (Scotland), and executive produced by Patrick Ewald, Shaked Berenson, Patrick Fischer, Jonathan Feuer, Lesley Mckimm, Peter Possne.
SEA FEVER will be the second theatrical release from DUST, following 2018’s sci-fi western PROSPECT, starring Sophie Thatcher (The Exorcist), Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Kingsman: The Golden Circle) and Jay Duplass (Transparent, Room 104). Gunpowder & Sky currently has horror-comedy VILLAINS, starring Bill Starsgard, Maika Monroe, Jeffrey Donovan and Kyra Sedgwick in theaters via its horror brand ALTER, with Lil Peep documentary EVERYBODY’S EVERYTHING set to open mid-November. Previously released films this year include the Gotham Awards-nominated HER SMELL and music biopic/true crime story hybrid LORDS OF CHAOS.
Gunpowder & Sky’s ALTER has also recently announced 50 STATES OF FRIGHT, a horror anthology series from DIGA Studios and Executive Producer Sam Raimi, starring Rachel Brosnahan, Travis Fimmel and Christina Ricci; and SURVIVE, a thriller starring Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins, based on the novel by Richard Abate. Both are set to premiere on Quibi.
