Further details of Luke Sparke’s follow up to sci-fi action thriller Occupation: Rainfall have emerged from Cannes, with Jeremy Piven, Casper Van Dien, Liam McIntyre, Tricia Helfer, and Danny Trejo joining the cast.
Set to film in Australia later this year, Occupation: Rainfall Chapter 2 picks up with Earth’s resistance being thrown into chaos as an ominous new threat ruthlessly hunts down the humans that are left, and any aliens who have joined them. With no clear leader and struggling to find common ground, the resistance finds itself on the brink of destruction. Aboard the Mothership, a group of survivors plan to strike at the heart of the Alien threat – the Rainfall weapon – as the fate of all life hangs in the balance.
Piven, Van Dien, Helfer, McIntyre, and Trejo join an ensemble of returning cast members including the voice of Jason Isaacs, Jet Tranter, Dan Ewing, Zac Garred, Charles Mesure, and Dena Kaplan.
The next chapter in the franchise will be produced by Carly Sparke and Carmel Imrie, with Alex Becconsall, Garred, and McIntyre co-producing. Clay Epstein and Geoff Imrie will executive produce alongside Sparke.
Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment is handling worldwide sales rights, after signing a distribution deal with Sparke Films earlier this year.
A third film is also in the works and will begin production immediately following the completion of Occupation: Rainfall Chapter 2. Both projects will make use of a custom-built LED volume stage.
Sparke said he was pleased to be able to bring his vison for the ‘Rainfall Trilogy’ to the screens “very, very soon”.
“It’s been a genuine thrill to see Occupation Rainfall find its audience as it rolled out around the world,” he said.
“Every day, it finds new fans and the feedback from them has been amazingly supportive.
“They are bigger, better, and bombastic but also uniquely grounded in humanity and what it means to be a member of this planet. Filming these stories back-to-back later this year will be a huge challenge but one I’m excited to deep dive into with the amazing cast and crew we are gathering.”
Epstein said he was thrilled to be introducing the “highly commercially viable, genre-raising film franchise” to the marketplace in Cannes.
“Luke’s ability to execute large-scale productions with stellar casts, gripping storylines and top-of-the-line special f/x truly sets Rainfall apart from others,” he said.
Additional casting information of both new and returning cast will be announced in the lead-up to filming.