‘The Little Mermaid’ Star Jonah Hauer-King Joins Daniel Cockburn’s ‘The Eden Express’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Jonah Hauer-King, who recently captured Ariel’s heart in the live-action reimagining of “The Little Mermaid,” will play a troubled member of a literary family in “The Eden Express.” The film is produced by Scythia Films in collaboration with Good Question Media, and is written and will be directed by Daniel Cockburn.
Hauer-King takes the lead role of Mark Vonnegut, the son of science-fiction author Kurt Vonnegut. The film follows his 1970 quest, alongside his girlfriend Virge and a group of friends. to escape Nixon’s America to find a better way of life on a British Columbia commune. It’s a place they hope will be an “Eden” on Earth. However, as this new utopia comes into focus, Mark starts to hear voices and see visions that give him ominous instructions, marking the start of his journey with bipolar disorder. “The Eden Express” is based on Mark Vonnegut’s memoir of the same name.
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Scythia Films’ Daniel Bekerman and Christina Wood are producing with Good Question Media’s Chris Yurkovich. Jordan Hart of Good Question Media and Stephen Fry will executive produce. LevelK is representing worldwide sales on the title. Additional casting is underway.
Best known for his work as Prince Eric in “The Little Mermaid,” Hauer-King most recently starred in the miniseries “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” alongside Melanie Lynskey for Peacock. Next up, Hauer-King is set to star in the rom-com “The Threesome” alongside Zoey Deutch, the epic historical drama “William Tell” opposite Claes Bang, the thriller “Rich Flu” alongside Rafe Spall and Timothy Spall, and in a leading role in the upcoming season of the sci-fi series, “Doctor Who.”
Cockburn’s debut feature film “You Are Here” premiered at Locarno before traveling to Toronto, Rotterdam, and 40 other festivals, winning the main award at European Media Art Festival as well as the Toronto Film Critics Association’s Jay Scott Award for Best First Feature.
Scythia Films is a production company with operations in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Los Angeles. The company is behind Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” which recently had its North American debut at Telluride after premiering in competition at Cannes. Briarcliff will release the film, which stars Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, and Maria Bakalova, next month. The company is in post-production on “I, Object” directed by Oscar nominee Andrew Niccol, starring Anna Faris and Karl Urban. Recent projects include “The Witch,” “Falling” and “Close to You.”
Hauer-King is represented by CAA, United Agents, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein.
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