Anthony Mackie, Margaret Qualley, Danny Huston to Star in Sci-Fi Film 'IO'

Netflix will release the project about a teen surviving as one of the last people on an abandoned post-cataclysmic Earth in 2017.

Anthony Mackie, Margaret Qualley and Danny Huston will star in sci-fi film IO, which Netflix will release globally in 2017.

Jonathan Helpert (House of Time) will direct the film from an original script by Clay Jeter (Jess + Moss, Chef’s Table), Charles Spano (Embers) and Will Basanta (Jess + Moss). The project was developed at the Sundance Institute’s Writers Lab and the Sundance Institute Catalyst Forum.

The coming-of-age story follows examines the dangers of humanity’s current relationship with the planet. It centers on Sam Walden (Qualley), a teenager surviving as one of the last people on an abandoned post-cataclysmic Earth, who is racing to find a cure for her poisoned home world before the last shuttle off the planet to the distant human space colony leaves her stranded. Mackie plays Micah, a complicated and mysterious refugee on his way to the imminent shuttle launch who makes Sam question whether she can really alter Earth’s fate.

Mandalay Pictures’ Jason Michael Berman and Untitled Entertainment’s Laura Rister are producing the film. Mandalay and Untitled are producing in association with Great Point Media and Okanagan Media Limited, Sunset Junction Entertainment, Good Lap Productions, Make It With Gravy Productions and Inspire Entertainment. Will Basanta, Clay Jeter, Charles Spano, Victor Shapiro, Raphael Swann, Alain Peyrollaz, Francois Enginger, Mackie, Jason Spire, Ryan Lough, Dave Hansen and Johnny Mac are executive producing.

IO is slated to start production this week in France.

Qualley, who recently appeared in a buzzy perfume ad directed by Spike Jonze, stars on HBO series The Leftovers. Her upcoming credits include Netflix’s Deathnote, directed by Adam Wingard. She is repped by UTA, Management 360 and Harris Hartman at Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.

Mackie played the Falcon in Captain America: Civil War, and will next be seen in Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit riots project and is attached to play Johnnie Cochran in Signal Hill. He is repped by UTA and Inspire Entertainment.

Huston will soon be seen in Warner Bros. and DC’s Wonder Woman and The Last Photograph, which he also directed. He is repped by WME, Julian Belfrage Associates, Untitled Entertainment and David Fox at Myman Abell Fineman Fox Greenspan Light LLP.

Helpert is repped by WME.