Jack O’Connell and Odessa A’zion to Play Flat-Earthers in New Film

Jack O’Connell and Odessa A’zion are set to play a pair of flat-Earthers in “The End of the World as We Know It,” the first feature from Ross White and Tom Berkeley, the filmmaking duo behind the Oscar-winning short “An Irish Goodbye,” Variety and Screen International reported on Monday, Oct. 5.

According to both outlets, O’Connell and A’zion will star as star-crossed loners who meet on an epic pilgrimage to prove the earth is flat. Variety reported that the film is described as an “unlikely adventure in truth and love.” Berkeley and White wrote the script and will direct, and production is scheduled to begin in Canada in November.

The project lines up a deep bench of producers. Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are producing for Working Title Films, and Olivier Kaempfer is producing for Parkville Pictures, both trades reported. Studiocanal is fully financing the film, with Film4 co-financing and serving as an executive producer. Studiocanal will release the movie in theaters in its own territories, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand, and is handling worldwide sales.

Executive producers include Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin for Studiocanal, Katherine Pomfret and Thea Paulett for Working Title, and Amanda Drake of Notable Studios, according to Variety and Screen.

In a statement reported by Variety, the directors said the story came from an unexpected place. “‘The End of the World as We Know It’ is a story we discovered hiding in the strangest of places, but one that seemed to speak profoundly to our collective search for meaning, belonging and love in an increasingly disparate world,” Berkeley and White said. “We feel intensely lucky to have the inimitable Jack O’Connell and Odessa A’zion bringing these star-crossed loners to life.”

The pair’s short “An Irish Goodbye,” a black comedy about two estranged brothers who reunite in rural Northern Ireland after their mother’s death, won the 2023 Academy Award for best live action short, along with the BAFTA for best British short film, Variety noted. The trade said the short screened at more than 60 international film festivals in 2022 and 2023 and also won an IFTA award.

Both leads arrive with momentum. Variety identifies O’Connell as a BAFTA winner and points to Danny Boyle’s “Ink,” which opened the Venice Film Festival and launches in the U.S. on Dec. 11. He also has John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place Part III” opposite Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy on the way. A’zion, a BAFTA nominee, broke out in “Marty Supreme,” Variety said, and has since landed a series regular role on Rachel Sennott’s HBO series “I Love LA.” She will next appear in Cody Fern’s directorial debut “Mother Courage” alongside Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson and Dianne Wiest, and in Justine Triet’s upcoming comedy “Fonda.”

Neither report included a release date. The deal also reunites Studiocanal with Working Title, Variety reported. Catch up on more film news on our Hollywood page.

Verification: The casting, premise, producers, financing, release territories and November production start were reported by Variety (Oct. 5) and Screen International (Oct. 5). The directors’ statement and the actors’ upcoming projects come from Variety.