Anthony Mackie, Margaret Qualley join sci-fi drama “IO”

PanARMENIAN.Net - “The Leftovers” star Margaret Qualley, Anthony Mackie, and Danny Huston are set to star in the sci-fi drama “IO”, Variety reports.

The project, which was developed at the Sundance Institute’s Writers Lab and the Sundance Institute Catalyst Forum, will be helmed by Jonathan Helpert from an original script by Clay Jeter, Charles Spano, and Will Basanta.

Jason Michael Berman and Laura Rister will produce “IO” for Mandalay Pictures and Untitled Entertainment, respectively. The film will premiere globally on Netflix in 2017.

The film tells the story of one girl’s coming-of-age while examining the dangers of humanity’s current relationship with the planet. Qualley will play Sam Walden, a teenager surviving as one of the last people on an abandoned post-cataclysmic Earth, who is racing to find a cure for her poisoned home world before the last shuttle off the planet to the distant human space colony leaves her stranded. Mackie will play Micah, a complicated and mysterious refugee on his way to the imminent shuttle launch who makes Sam question whether she can really alter Earth’s fate.

Mandalay and Untitled are producing in association with Great Point Media and Okanagan Media Limited, Sunset Junction Entertainment, Good Lap Productions, Make It With Gravy Productions, and Inspire Entertainment. Executive producers are Basanta, Jeter, Spano, Victor Shapiro, Raphael Swann, Alain Peyrollaz, Francois Enginger, Mackie, Jason Spire, Ryan Lough, Dave Hansen, and Johnny Mac.

The film starts production this week in France.

Qualley is represented by UTA, Management 360, and Harris Hartman at Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. She was last seen in Warner Bros.’ “The Nice Guys” and has the final season of “The Leftovers” bowing next year on HBO. She also recently appeared in the Spike Jonze-directed Kenzo commercial.

Mackie by UTA and Inspire Entertainment and was most recently seen in “Captain America: Civil War” and “All the Way” where he played Martin Luther King. He recently wrapped production on Kathryn Bigelow’s untitled pic revolving around the 1967 Detroit Riots.