Jack O’Connell and Odessa A’zion are teaming up for a flat-earther road trip movie, and the film’s producers couldn’t be happier about it. The project, titled The End of the World as We Know It, comes from Ross White and Tom Berkeley, the filmmaking duo behind the Oscar-winning short An Irish Goodbye. Studiocanal, Working Title, Parkville Pictures and Film4 are attached to produce, with the film fully financed by Studiocanal.
The movie follows two lonely strangers who meet on a pilgrimage to prove the Earth is flat. It’s described as an “unlikely adventure in truth and love,” and filming starts in November in Canada.
The Leads
Both stars carry serious prestige into the project, and both have major titles coming down the line. O’Connell is a BAFTA winner for his work in Ink. A’zion is a BAFTA nominee for her work in Marty Supreme.
O’Connell’s upcoming credits include A Quiet Place Part III opposite Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy, and Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, the latest chapter in Legendary’s Monsterverse. A’zion recently landed a series regular role on Rachel Sennott’s HBO series I Love LA and will star in Cody Fern’s directorial debut Mother Courage, alongside Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson, Dianne Wiest and Toby Wallace.
The Teams Behind It
The brief White and Berkeley production An Irish Goodbye turned into a major awards hit following its screening at over 60 international film festivals across 2022 and 2023 seasons. Its honours included the 2023 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, the BAFTA award for Best British Short Film, and the IFTA Award for best short film.
Working Title Films is produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. Parkville’s Olivier Kaempfer produces, following his time working with Studiocanal on the TIFF-bowing dark comedy Everybody Wants to F— Me, starring Taron Egerton, and the rom-com Finding Emily.
Studiocanal’s Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin all serve as executive producers. Katherine Pomfret and Thea Paulett handle executive producing duties for Working Title. Amanda Drake of Notable Studios rounds out the production team as an executive producer.
The theatrical release for the film falls to Studiocanal, which will handle distribution across its own territories, including the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand. The company is also managing worldwide sales.
What the Directors Said
“We feel intensely lucky to have the inimitable Jack O’Connell and Odessa A’zion bringing these star-crossed loners to life,” said Berkeley and White. “With the backing of the wonderful teams at Studiocanal, Working Title, Parkville and Film4, we can’t wait to take audiences on their unique, cinematic journey.”
The Production Timeline
Production begins in November in Canada.
The directors discovered the story “hiding in the strangest of places,” they said. “But one that seemed to speak profoundly to our collective search for meaning, belonging and love in an increasingly disparate world.”
Comparing the Producers
| Producer | Role | Recent Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Studiocanal | Full financing | Ink, Elsinore, Everybody Wants to F— Me |
| Working Title | Co-producer | Sense and Sensibility, Finding Emily, The Sheep Detectives, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy |
| Parkville | Co-producer | Everybody Wants to F— Me, Finding Emily |
| Film4 | Co-financing / EP | — |
What Comes Next
Studiocanal’s upcoming slate includes Danny Boyle’s Ink, which opened the Venice Film Festival, and Elsinore, starring Andrew Scott. Everybody Wants to F— Me is due for release in 2027.
Among Working Title’s recent releases are Sense and Sensibility, Finding Emily, The Sheep Detectives, Crime 101, Goodbye June, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, and The Substance, with Werwulf set to follow as an upcoming title.
The Road Ahead
Two actors at the peak of their powers drive a road trip movie built around truth and love, a premise that sounds odd but has rarely stopped a good film from being made.
The studio’s regional operations span the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand. Distribution for all other markets is managed by the studio itself.
The Bottom Line
A film with two BAFTA winners, a flat-earther pilgrimage, and a crew behind an Oscar-winning short comes with everything going for it except a simple description to pin on it. The title promises a grand scale, and the cast delivers, yet the whole thing refuses to fit into any neat category.
Source material: “Jack O’Connell and Odessa A’zion to Play Flat-Earthers in ‘The End of the World as We Know It’ for Studiocanal, Working Title and ‘An Irish Goodbye’ Oscar Winners (EXCLUSIVE),” Variety.
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