EXCLUSIVE: Fisher Stevens, Rob Delaney and Thaddea Graham have joined Emily Watson and Toby Jones in the cast of Mackenzie Crook’s feature directorial debut, Mars Express, which has now wrapped its Yorkshire UK shoot.
Nicholas Burns, Richard Coyle, David Dencik and Julian Rhind-Tutt also star in the film.
Altitude is handling sales and will release theatrically in the UK and Ireland, and has unveiled a first-look image.
Mars Express is inspired by the true story of planetary scientists Colin and Judith Pillinger, who set out in the 1990s to build the Beagle 2 probe to go to Mars in search of organic life, from their English countryside farm. They pull together a team of mavericks to take on Nasa – and nearly win.
Joe Bone has written the script, based on Pillinger’s book My Life On Mars: The Beagle 2 Diaries.
Mary Burke, Luke Alkin and Kenton Allen produce for Big Talk Studios, with Will Clarke and Andy Mayson for Altitude.
The film was developed in association with BBC Film and financed by BBC Film, BFI, Sky, Screen Yorkshire through the Yorkshire Content Fund and CML Entertainment Finance.
Crook’s credits include as the Bafta-winning writer of BBC series The Detectorists, in which he also stars alongside Jones, and as writer, director and star of BBC series Small Prophets. He also starred in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise.
“It’s a complete honour to be telling the extraordinary story of Colin Pillinger and Beagle 2 for my first feature film as director,” said Crook. ”Joe Bone’s beautiful script has made it easy to attract some of the best names in the business to join our brilliantly creative team and I’m thrilled to be working once again with my friend Toby Jones.”
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