The following information was provided by RTL's press office. Used with kind permission. 10.03.10.
SETUP:
Men are hunting. And it is a serious business. Life or death. Feast or famine. But as we move through the ancient, primeval forest, tracking our prey with the primitive, animal skin-clad hunters, we realise that some things never change ... the tensions between men.
The tribal Chief, Uri, is in charge of the hunt, but he is a cautious leader. Uri's teenage son, Savan is convinced that he could do a better job. He has all the arrogance of youth and is itching to get his hands on power. And then there's Kaleb, also a teenager, but opposite in every way to Savan. Kaleb is a thinker, Savan a warrior; Kaleb's weapon is his intellect, Savan's a spear.
Because they are such opposites, Savan and Kaleb hate each other. And it's precisely because they are so different that both are so vital to the success of the hunt. As the primitive Giant Sloth is brought down and cut up, the men feel the bloody euphoria that only a hunter can feel. But the moment is short lived ... The hunters are attacked. Not by a wild forest animal, but "The Beasts". Men who have been horribly mutated into bloodthirsty savages.
And now we start to understand the cloud of fear that hangs over the hunters. All their lives they have tried to stay hidden deep in the forest, because one bite from a Beast and the victim undergoes the same mutation. Humans turn into Beasts. Clearly whatever past we are in has some nasty surprises in store. The hunters run back to their Tribe, huddled in the shadow of the Black Cliff. They raise the alarm and urge their people to pack their meagre belongings and flee to safer ground.
But the tribal Elders have other ideas. They control the Tribe with a strict, fundamentalist zeal. The Elders are the guardians of truth and wisdom, and they decree that there will be no running from the Beasts. Instead they must pray for God's help and deliverance. The decision infuriates Savan and Kaleb, but their objections go unheeded.
And then it's too late. In the middle of the night, a violent horde of Beasts attack the Black Cliff Tribe. The women, children and Elders try to make it to the safety of the caves, but many are butchered before they get there. Uri, Savan, Kaleb and the other hunters battle bravely against the Beasts, but are no match for the wild savagery of the mutants. By dawn, most of the Tribe, including their Chief are dead. A few people are trapped inside the caves with only a timber door keeping out the bloodthirsty Beasts. But three manage to get away: Kaleb, Savan, and the beautiful Dorel (soon to be Savan's wife.) The situation seems hopeless. How can these three teenagers save their Tribe? And then Kaleb does something extraordinary. He goes to a hiding place in the forest and uncovers ... a book. Battered and fragile, its colourful pages were once used to teach 21st century schoolchildren to read.
Suddenly the whole drama spins round. Clearly we are not 10,000 years BC, we are several centuries in the future. And something truly catastrophic has happened to the world, to civilisation, to mankind. But what? The quest for answers will drive the entire film forward ...
Script is by Diane Duane, based on a story by Jonas Bauer (who is also one of the producers).
CAST:
Sean Bean as "Amal"
Sam Claflin as "Kaleb"
Eleanor Tomlinson as "Miru"
Annabelle Wallis as "Dorel"
Corey Sevier as "Savan"
to be confirmed ...
Hannah Tointon as "Giselle"
Liam Garrigan as "Yomak"
Tertius Meintjes as "Uri"
Garth Breytenbach as "Remi"
Luthuli Dlamini as "Lars"
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