Samuel Goldwyn Films and Phase 4 Films have jointly acquired all U.S. rights to Denis Henry Hennelly’s “Goodbye World,” which screened in competition at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival, the companies announced Monday.
The film stars Kerry Bishé, Caroline Dhavernas, Adrian Grenier, Gaby Hoffmann, Ben McKenzie, Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi), Remy Nozik and Mark Webber as a group of estranged friends who reunite as civilization collapses.
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Samuel Goldwyn Films and Phase 4 Films are planning to release “Goodbye World” in the spring.
Hennelly directed from a script he co-wrote with Sarah Adina Smith, who produced the movie with Mary Pat Bentel and Picturesque Films’ Matthew G. Zamias, Guy Moshe and Albertino Matalon.
James (Grenier) and Lily (Bishé) live off the grid, raising their young daughter in a cocoon of comfort and sustainability. When a mysterious mass text ripples its way across the country, triggering a crippling, apocalyptic cyber attack, their home transitions from sheltered modern oasis to a fortress for the estranged old friends that show up at their door for protection and community. The unexpected reunion — abundant with revelry and remembrances, generously enhanced by organic wine and weed — is quickly undermined by the slights of the past, the spark of lingering flirtations and the threat of a locally grown new world order.
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“Denis created a film that is terrifying because it is so plausible – the world on the brink of apocalypse largely in part because of modern technology. He made me afraid to use my cell phone,” said Peter Goldwyn, senior VP of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
“We are thrilled to once again be partnering with Goldwyn to release another exceptional film. ‘Goodbye World’ has an excellent cast, a strong production team and a compelling plot that will inspire fans to engage in all media. We look forward to collaborating on this project,” said Berry Meyerowitz, CEO and president of Phase 4 Films.
“‘Goodbye World’ is a unique apocalyptic movie about what happens between a cataclysmic event and the trials of survival to come in the new world — that time when you decide who you will stand with and who you will fight,” said Hennelly. “We’re very grateful to be standing with Samuel Goldwyn and Phase 4, a team that brings immense class, tenacity, and creativity to the increasingly challenging new world of film distribution.”
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The deal was negotiated by Ian Puente, VP and general counsel of Samuel Goldwyn Films, Phase 4’s Katharyn Howe and Gersh’s Jay Cohen and Jennifer Dana as well as Peter Flanigan of Eric Feig Entertainment and Media Law on behalf of the filmmakers.