But I Digress...The Record Shattering Code

By Cat

Name: Code 8
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Crime
Producers: Stephen Amell, Jeff Chan, Chris Paré
Director: Jeff Chan
Writers: Jeff Chan, Chris Paré
Actors: Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Sung Kang, Aaron Abrams, and more yet to be announced
Movie Website/Indiegogo can be found here.

 

I have been absolutely giddy over the last few days. It’s not because I’ve been left alone with the blog while Selina’s on a much needed vacation. She’s been decidedly missed. My excitement stems from some recent movie news. More specifically, it was an update regarding the movie Code 8, which is currently in pre-production. 

According to a Facebook Live video by Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People, The X-Files, ARQ), the film is going into production as of May 29^th, 2017. 

What is this Code 8, you ask?

It is a heaping helping of awesomesauce.

 

Imagine a world where humans are beginning to evolve and develop ‘powers.’ Some are strong, some wield fire, others have various kinetic talents, and even electricity. I’m sure there are many other varieties in this movie landscape, but these are the ones that the proof-of-concept short film I have posted at the top of this article has confirmed. However, regular humans are wary of these ‘Specials’ and have developed some high-tech means to ensure that these evolved people follow the same laws as everyone else. Prejudice and discrimination underscore the lives of those born gifted. 

I absolutely adore fantastical Sci-Fi stories that involve metahumans, or ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. Jeff Chan (The Apostles, Call of Duty: Operation Kingfish, Grace: The Possession) did an amazing job with his team in crafting the short film. It certainly whet my appetite for more – which the upcoming movie promises to deliver in spades.

 

This film has already shattered records. This is largely thanks to the epic and loyal fanbase of both Robbie and Stephen Amell (Private Practice, Arrow, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows). These cousins have been wanting to do a project together for quite some time. Their brief collaboration on their CW shows’ cross-over episodes just wasn’t enough – for them or their fans. 

Thus, Code 8 was born. They crafted a project, primarily spearheaded by Robbie, where they can do just that and tell a great story at the same time; while keeping control of the movie out of big-studio hands and involving passionate fans in the process. They launched a phenomenally successful Indiegogo campaign on March 22, 2016 to fund the film. Their goal was $200,000.00. The 30-day campaign closed with over $1.7 million. The overwhelming response to this crowdfunding effort made this the most successful Canadian film crowdfunding project EVER.

 

I have a firm belief that this movie will be absolutely amazing due to the dedication of those working on it. This is a passion project that has a lot of heart and the Amells are just genuinely a couple of great, talented guys that use their celebrity platforms for more than self-promotion. This isn’t Stephen’s first fundraising project. He champions the F-Cancer charity through his Nocking Point Wines and annual Represent.com campaigns, as well as other efforts. One of his t-shirt campaigns hit over the million mark and F-Cancer actually put him on their board. 

I digress…

Part of what makes them so special is their love of communicating with their fans. There were many updates as the Indiegogo campaign progressed, and they have remained providing consistent updates since it closed. There is a palpable excitement for this project when they talk about it, and they’ve gone above and beyond to include fans in the creative process for this movie. If I had a few thousand dollars to throw around, you can bet I’d have snagged one of the movie premiere perks.

What’s even more awesome is that there’s more to come! Robbie announced that the Indiegogo campaign will be re-opening shortly after production begins, in order to give fans a chance to not only help the project but also get more awesome movie gear such as the wildly popular signed postcards, apparel, other personalized perks, and even weekly giveaways. They are changing up the artwork on the cards and the apparel designs to preserve the collectability of their first backers, but I’ve no doubt that whatever they pick will be really cool. 

Original campaign postcard art by LordMesa

So back to the movie, itself. Have I mentioned that Sung Kang (Fast Five, Bullet to the Head, Power) will be in this? I loved him in the short, and can’t wait to see what they have him doing in the full-length film. There have been teases about the casting, but more names have yet to be revealed.

The film has an ambitious production schedule with plans to premiere around October of this year. According to a March 2017 Facebook Live session that the Amells broadcast together, they’re currently remaining pretty much on target. Those that purchased the campaign perk to become an extra in the movie have already received emails with their scene information. While Stephen’s busy schedule prevented him from lending more than his voice to the short film, they will be shooting all of his live scenes for the movie during the month of June.

 

I can’t wait to see this film hit the big screen. If you’re interested, too – go check out the site and keep your eyes peeled for that re-launch of the Indiegogo. The more they’re able to raise, the higher they can up the ante on the movie. 

Bonus! - If you'd like to read an exclusive Comingsoon.net interview with Robbie Amell from March 2016, shortly after the Indiegogo launch, click here.

Official Movie Facebook Banner Image

But I Digress... is a weekly column for trustthedice.com that can't be pinned down to just one thing. It's Cat's celebration of tangents, random references, and general fan geekdom that both intertwines with, revolves around, and diverges from our movie-review core. In homage to the beloved Brit comedians, we want to bring you something completely different!