Production has wrapped on BlackBerry, a feature chronicling the rise and catastrophic demise of the popular early 2000s smartphone company that preceded the release of the iPhone in 2007. The upcoming film’s s cast is led by Jay Baruchel and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton, Variety is reporting.
BlackBerry was written and directed by Matt Johnson. His latest project comes after he rose to fame penning and helming such movies as The Dirties and Operation Avalanche.
Johnson’s upcoming film will detail the rise and fall of the once-ubiquitous titular device, which served as the world’s first smartphone. The brand shut down in part because its Canadian parent company, Research in Motion, struggled in legal disputes. The brand also lost its market advantage to such competitors as Apple and Samsung.
BlackBerry‘s story will mainly focus on the business relationship between the eponymous company’s co-founders, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. Though it’s not yet confirmed, it’s likely Baruchel and Howerton play the firm’s founders in the movie.
Besides Baruchel and Howerton, the film also stars Cary Elwes (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Saw), Saul Rubinek (Hunters, True Romance), Rich Sommer (The Devil Wears Prada, Mad Men), Martin Donovan (Tenet, Big Little Lies), Michael Ironside (Total Recall, Scanners) and Johnson.
The director also worked with Matthew Miller to adapt the movie’s screenplay from the bestselling 2015 book, Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry. The book was written by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff, reporters at Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.
XYZ Films, which co-financed BlackBerry, will be introducing the project to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival next month. Elevation Pictures will distribute the movie in Canada.
BlackBerry was produced by Niv Fichman (Enemy, The Red Violin), Miller (The Dirties, Operation Avalanche), Fraser Ash (Possessor, Closet Monster) and Kevin Krikst (Possessor, Closet Monster). The upcoming feature is a Rhombus Media and Zapruder Films production, with the participation of Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates, in association with CBC Films, IPR.VC, and XYZ Films, who executive produced the project.