Anton Launches Eddie Marsan Dystopian Sci-Fi ‘Vesper Seeds’, Euro Co-Pro To Shoot Next Month — EFM

EXCLUSIVE: Euro producer and sales firm Anton is heading to the virtual EFM with sci-fi drama Vesper Seeds, starring Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes), Raffiella Chapman (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children), Rosy McEwen (The Alienist), Richard Brake (Game of Thrones) and Melanie Gaydos (Insidious: The Last Key).

Shoot is due to begin in late March in Lithuania.

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Set in a dystopian future after the collapse of the Earth’s ecosystem, the film will follow Vesper (Chapman), a strong-willed 13-year-old girl who uses her survival skills to subsist in the decaying remnants of the collapsed world with her ailing father, Darius (Brake). When Vesper finds a mysterious woman, Camellia (McEwen), alone and disoriented after a jet crash, she agrees to help find her missing companion in exchange for being taken to the Citadel — the dark central hub where oligarchs use genetic technologies to rule the world. Vesper soon discovers that her evil neighbor, Jonas (Marsan), might be responsible for the tragedy of Camellia’s crash. Forced into a dangerous adventure culminating in a violent showdown, Vesper must rely on her wits and bio-hacking abilities to unlock the key to creating an alternate future.

Writer-directors Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper (Vanishing Waves) are teaming up with Lithuanian producers Asta Liukaityte and Daiva Jovaisiene (Redirected), and French VFX veteran and producer Alexis Perrin (Life of Pi).

The European co-production is produced by Buozyte’s company Natrix Natrix, Rumble Fish (Cities of Last Things) in France, and Benoit Roland’s 10.80 Films (Gangsta) in Belgium.

Producer Perrin, ex-production executive at VFX firm BUF, will oversee the world’s creation with VFX supervisor Yann Blondel (Lord of War), along with VFX houses Mathematic, MacGuff, Mikros and Belgian SFX house Wulf-FX. Dan Lévy (I Lost My Body) will be composing the original score.

The feature received support from the Lithuanian Film Center, Eurimages, the CNC VFX funds, Wallimage, as well as the Creative Europe Media Programme of the European Union, OCS, VOO & Betv, BNP Paribas Fortis Film Finance and Cofiloisirs. It is also co-produced by Paris-based EV.L Prod led by Florent Steiner and Guillaume Natas (Lastman).

The producers stated: “As European filmmakers, Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper bring a unique combination of extraordinary imaginations, a mastery of genre codes, and strong visual sensibilities, they are, our opinion, auteurs in the full sense of the term. By blending their vision of future technology, nature and hope, anchored around strong feminine figures, they refresh classic sci-fi themes to create a truly original universe.”

Anton’s President of International Production and Distribution, Cecile Gaget added: “Along with this incredible creative team, we’re thrilled to bring Vesper Seeds to our buyers. This powerful ecological survival story, led by Vesper, a strong, stubborn, and passionate young girl, encapsulates the younger generation’s ability to inspire change.”

Anton’s sales slate also includes projects such as Mothers’ Instinct, Naked Singularity and Claire Denis pic Fire, which is a Wild Bunch co-rep.

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