Principal Photography to Commence on Last Days On Mars in Jordan and the UK

LONDON (May 14, 2012) – Principal photography has begun on LAST DAYS ON MARS starring Liev Schreiber (Salt, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) alongside Olivia Williams (The Ghost Writer, An Education), Romola Garai (One Day, Atonement), Elias Koteas (Shutter Island, Crash), Tom Cullen (Weekend), Goran Kostic (In the Land of Blood and Honey, Taken) and Johnny Harris (Snow White and the Huntsman, This is England 86). Filming will take place in Jordan and at Elstree Studios in the UK. Universal Pictures will release the film in the UK while Focus Features International is handling sales and distribution for all other territories and is currently selling the film at the Cannes market.

Directed by Academy Award Nominee Ruairi Robinson (Fifty Percent Grey), LAST DAYS ON MARS is based on a short story by Sydney J. Bounds and adapted by Clive Dawson. The film is produced by Michael Kuhn (The Duchess) and Andrea Cornwell (The Scouting Book for Boys).

Michael Kuhn of Qwerty Films said: “I am delighted we were able to assemble a cast of such distinction for Ruairi’s debut film – so keenly awaited from a promising director.”

Alison Thompson, Co-President of Focus Features International said: “This brilliant cast and crew will bring exciting new director Ruairi’s vision to life and tackle the age old question of – is there anything else out there? A topic which will resonate with buyers and audiences everywhere.”

LAST DAYS ON MARS centres on a group of astronauts on an exploratory mission to Mars who, on the eve of their return to Earth, discover colonies of bacteria living deep within the permafrost.  But what should have been the discovery of the century rapidly turns to horror when one of the astronauts has a fatal accident.  With just hours to go until the relief crew arrive, the group is faced with a desperate struggle to contain the infection and survive.

Joining the production team are Director of Photography Robbie Ryan, whose work on Wuthering Heights won him the Outstanding Technical Contribution for Best Cinematography at the Venice Film Festival in 2011, Emmy Award winning Visual Effects Supervisor Adam McInnes (World War Z), Editor Peter Lambert (Twilight: New Moon), Production Designer Jon Henson (The Awakening) and Art Directors Steven Lawrence (The Dark Knight) and Philip Elton (The Bourne Supremacy).