Apr 29, 2021

Written and directed by Cronenberg and produced by Robert Lantos in their fourth collaboration, the film also stars Scott Speedman, Don McKellar, Welket Bungué, and Lihi Kornowski 

Principal photography to begin this summer in Greece

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 29, 2021 – Serendipity Point Films today announced Viggo Mortensen (A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, Green Book), Léa Seydoux (No Time to Die, The French Dispatch, Blue is the Warmest Colour), Kristen Stewart (Seberg, Clouds of Sils Maria, Twilight), Scott Speedman (Barney’s Version, Adoration), and Don McKellar (Blindness, eXistenZ) will star in Crimes of the Future, written and directed by David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, Crash), and produced by Robert Lantos (Eastern Promises, eXistenZ, Crash). The film reunites Cronenberg, a Cannes Jury Prize winner, Venice Career Golden Lion winner, and Berlin Silver Bear winner, with Mortensen, a three-time Oscar nominee, in their fourth collaboration. Also starring are Welket Bungué (Berlin Alexanderplatz) and Lihi Kornowski (Losing Alice). A Canada-Greece co-pro, the film is produced in association with Telefilm Canada, the Harold Greenberg Fund, Bell Media, and CBC. Principal photography is slated to start in August in Athens, Greece. 

Crimes of the Future will be distributed by MK2|MILE END in Canada, NEON in the U.S., Metropolitan in France, Weltkino in Germany, The Searchers in Belgium, Capella in Russia, Argonauts in Greece, Movie Cloud in Taiwan, and Front Row in the Middle East. Rocket Science is handling international sales.

“I have unfinished business with the future,” says Cronenberg, cryptically. 

“To work with David Cronenberg is to embark on a journey exploring terrain where no one has gone before,” shares producer Robert Lantos. “Each of our collaborations has been an exhilarating adventure and David’s unwavering vision is what real cinema is all about.”

“Canadian master David Cronenberg is one of the most visionary filmmakers in the world. Audiences across Canada, and the world, can brace themselves for a film unlike anything they have seen before. We are honoured and thrilled to be a part of Crimes of the Future,” adds MK2│MILE END President, Charles Tremblay.

Crimes of the Future is a boldly original screenplay from the mind of celebrated auteur David Cronenberg, whose last original screenplay was eXistenZ in 1999. The film takes a deep dive into the not-so-distant future where humankind is learning to adapt to its synthetic surroundings. This evolution moves humans beyond their natural state and into a metamorphosis, altering their biological makeup. While some embrace the limitless potential of transhumanism, others attempt to police it. Either way, in this perfectly crafted Cronenberg world, which marks the iconic filmmaker’s return to sci-fi, “Accelerated Evolution Syndrome”, is spreading fast.

Saul Tenser is a beloved performance artist who has embraced Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, sprouting new and unexpected organs in his body. Along with his partner Caprice, Tenser has turned the removal of these organs into a spectacle for his loyal followers to marvel at in real time theatre. But with both the government and a strange subculture taking note, Tenser is forced to consider what would be his most shocking performance of all.

Crimes of the Future is the fourth collaboration between Lantos and Cronenberg. Steve Solomos (Possessor) is Co-producer, and Panos Papahadzis (Knifer, Stratus) is Co-producer for Athens-based Argonauts Productions. Executive Producers include Joe Iacono, Thorsten Schumacher, Peter Touche, Christelle Conan, Aida Tannyan, Victor Loewy, and Victor Hadida. Bonnie Do and Laura Lanktree are Associate Producers.

Joining Cronenberg are longtime collaborators, award-winning production designer Carol Spier (Crash, Dead Ringers) and three-time Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore (The Song Of Names, The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, A History Of Violence).

Viggo Mortensen is represented by Lynn Rawlins at Rawlins Company, Theresa Peters at United Talent Agency, and Stuart Rosenthal at GGSSC. Léa Seydoux is represented by Brian Swardstrom at United Talent Agency, Gregory Weil at Agence Adequat, and Dallas Smith at United Agents. William Morris Endeavor represents Kristen Stewart, alongside McKuin Frankel Whitehead. Serendipity Point Films is represented by Richard Thompson and Leigh Brecheen of Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver & Thompson, LLP.

Crimes of the Future is a Serendipity Point Films and Argonauts co-production. This Canada-Greece co-production is produced in association with Ingenious Media, Coficine, Telefilm Canada, the Harold Greenberg Fund, Bell Media, and CBC, with the support of EKOME. 

About SERENDIPITY POINT FILMS

Toronto-based Serendipity Point Films produces theatrical feature films. Its credits include: François Girard’s The Song Of Names, winner of five Canadian Screen Awards, starring Tim Roth and Clive Owen; Alonso Ruizpalacios’ MUSEO, a Berlin Festival Silver Bear Award winner, starring Gael García Bernal; Atom Egoyan’s Remember, a Venice Audience Award winner, starring Christopher Plummer; Richard J. Lewis’ Barney’s Version, an Oscar Nominee and Golden Globe Winner, starring Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, and Paul Giamatti; Atom Egoyan’s Adoration, a Cannes Award winner, starring Scott Speedman and Rachel Blanchard; Jeremy Podeswa’s Fugitive Pieces, a Rome Festival winner, starring Stephen Dillane, Rosamund Pike, Ayelet Zurer, and Rade Serbedzija; David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises, an Oscar nominee, starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassel; Atom Egoyan’s Where The Truth Lies, a Canadian Screen Award winner, starring Colin Firth, Kevin Bacon, and Alison Lohman; István Szabó’s Being Julia, an Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner, starring Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons; Norman Jewison’s The Statement, a National Board of Review Special Award winner, starring Michael Caine and Tilda Swinton; Atom Egoyan’s Ararat, a Cannes official selection, starring Christopher Plummer and Arsinée Khanjian; Denys Arcand’s Stardom, a Cannes official selection, starring Jessica Paré, Dan Aykroyd, and Frank Langella; István Szabó’s Sunshine, a Golden Globe Nominee and European Film Award winner, starring Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, William Hurt and Molly Parker; Atom Egoyan’s Felicia’s Journey, a Cannes official selection, starring Bob Hoskins and Elaine Cassidy; David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ, a Berlin Festival Silver Bear Award winner, starring Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Willem Dafoe; Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter, a Cannes Grand Prix winner and Oscar nominee, starring Ian Holm and Sarah Polley; David Cronenberg’s Crash, a Cannes Jury Prize Award winner, starring James Spader, Holly Hunter, Deborah Kara Unger, and Elias Koteas; and Robert Longo’s Johnny Mnemonic, starring Keanu Reeves. For more information, please visit, www.serendipitypoint.com.

About MK2|MILE END

MK2|MILE END is an independent Canadian distribution company based in Montreal.  Founded in 2017 by industry veteran Charles Tremblay, MK2|MILE END has delivered audiences the best of Canadian and international cinema, including the Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite.   Other recent releases include the critically acclaimed Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Academy Award-nominated documentary Honeyland and the Quebecois produced And the Birds Rained Down. Upcoming releases include Official Competition starring Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, Sundance's buzz title Pleasure by Ninja Thyberg, next films from celebrated French auteur François Ozon and Jacques Audiard, as well as The Electrical Life of Louis Wain starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy.