Jai Koutrae in Terminus.
Production has commenced this week in NSW on Australian sci-fi film Terminus.
Written by Marc Furmie, Shiyan Zheng and Gabriel Dowrick; Terminus follows the story of David Chamberlain, a small town mechanic who makes a shocking discovery which may affect the fate of the fate of mankind.
It’s a story Furmie has had in mind since 2009.
“It was only when Shane Abbess [from Storm Vision Entertainment] approached me and asked me if I had any high-concept ideas that could be made for a small amount of money that I dug up Terminus and began reinterpreting the story,” Furmie tells IF. “Co-Writer Shiyan Zheng and I began writing a first draft and it ultimately evolved quite a bit. It was a much larger, more expensive story on a bigger canvas involving nuclear fusion scientists and now it's about a small town mechanic. Essentially the same premise exists though.”
The film’s cast includes Jai Koutrae, The Half Dead, Broken Sun, Todd Lasance, Spartacus: War of the Damned, Underbelly, Home and Away, Bren Foster, Days of Our Lives, Force of Execution, Cedar Boys, Maximum Conviction, Kendra Appleton, In Your Dreams, Rescue Special Ops, Steve Le Marquand, Vertical Limit, Beneath Hill 60, Kokoda, Kill Me 3 Times, Brendan Clearkin, William Emmons, and Zoe Carides, The Black Balloon, Not Suitable for Children, The Pacific.
Furmie said he always had certain names in mind for particular roles, though he did seek the expertise of a casting agent to help him gain access to actors he may not have heard of.
“We brought on board Marianne Jade at Maura Fay early in the process. And with her help we were able to approach some big actors,” he says. “But in my heart I always knew who I wanted for the major roles and the advantage to this funding model is that we aren't beholden to name actors headlining our films, so we can cast actors who are simply perfect for the roles. It's an unusually lucky situation to be in. That being said Marianne worked hard to get some notable talent on board, people I wasn't aware of because I don't know too many actors. And I'm very grateful that we found them.”
The team will shoot for 30 days across five weeks, a schedule Furmie describes as “a tough schedule for a 94 page science fiction script, particularly when you're trying to achieve something cinematic, but it is possible if you're willing to destroy yourself for your art. Which we are.”
Furmie plans to take Terminus out to festivals for screenings and distributors simultaneously once it is completed.
The film is being produced by Storm Entertainment and Maddfilms.