ATTACK THE BLOCK
Year: 2011
USA: Screen Gems / Sony Pictures Releasing
UK: Optimum Releasing
Cast: John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Franz Drameh, Nick Frost, Jodie Whittaker, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter, Terry Notary, Arti Shah, Karl Baumann, Paige Meade, Lee Long, Danielle Vitalis, Maggie McCarthy, Jacey Salles, Sammy Williams, Karl Collins, Haneen Hammou, Michael Ajao, Natasha Jonas, Yvonne D'Alpra, Jermaine Smith, Selom Awadzi, Gina Antwi ,Saffron Lashley, Joey Ansah, Adam Leese, Stephanie Street, Chris Wilson, Lee Nicholas Harris, Philip Harvey, Dylan Charles, Flaminia Cinque
Director: Joe Cornish
Country: UK
USA & UK: 88 mins
USA Rated: R for creature violence, drug content and pervasive language
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language, violence, gore and soft drug use
USA Release Date: 29 July 2011 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 11 May 2011
Synopsis
"Inner city vs outer space."
From the producers of SHAUN OF THE DEAD.
Principal photography commenced in March 2010 on writer/director Joe Cornish's debut feature film ATTACK THE BLOCK. A fast, funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters, the film stars Jodie Whittaker (ST TRINIANS, VENUS) and newcomers John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones and Simon Howard. The supporting cast includes Nick Frost (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ) and Luke Treadaway (CLASH OF THE TITANS).
The film is produced by Nira Park (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD) and James Wilson. The executive producers are Big Talk Picture's Matthew Justice, Film4's Tessa Ross and Optimum Releasing's Will Clarke and Jenny Borgars.
Trainee nurse Sam (Jodie Whittaker) is walking alone through the dark streets of South London when a gang of youths surround her and rob her, but she is saved when something falls from the sky. A meteor impacts with a nearby parked car and Sam flees, just before the gang is attacked by a small alien creature that leaps from the wreckage. The gang chases the creature and kills it, dragging its ghoulish carcass to the top of the block, which they treat as their territory. But the adventure is not over. The alien attacks have only just begun...
A fast funny, frightening action adventure movie, ATTACK THE BLOCK pits a teen gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters. It turns a London tower block into a fortress under siege, and weapon wielding teenage thugs into heroes. It's inner city versus outer space.
Writer/director Joe Cornish first appeared on British TV screens in 1997 as co-star and co-creator of 'The Adam and Joe Show', a home-made comedy show famous for its sketches, songs and animations satirizing pop culture. With his writing partner Edgar Wright, Cornish has written screenplays for THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN (along with Steven Moffat) which is currently being filmed by Steven Spielberg and 'Ant-Man', to be directed by Wright. Cornish also maintains a successful radio career with Adam that started on X-FM and then moved to BBC6 Music, and which won them the 2008 Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Radio Programme of the Year and three Silver Sony Awards in 2009.
ATTACK THE BLOCK's cinematographer is Tom Townend, the film is production designed by Marcus Rowland (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD), costume designed by Rosa Dias, edited by Jonathan Amos (SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD), the Creature Effects are by Spectral Motion (HELLBOY I & II, A.I., X-MEN: THE LAST STAND) and the Visual Effects are by Double Negative (GREEN ZONE, 2012, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ).