Indiegogo Campaign for “CODE 8” Has Launched!
The trailer for the Robbie (X-Files, The Duff) and Stephen Amell’s (Arrow) project, CODE 8, dropped twelve days ago at FanFest here in Chicago. The teaser/trailer was viewed over 1.4 million times in the first 48 hours. Clearly there is interest in this futuristic film. That being the case, the official Indiegogo campaign to fund the film has been launched.
The film follows a young man (R. Amell) as he tries to find work. Hampering his efforts are the special powers with which he was born. This view into a possible future features a civilization where 4% of the population are born with some type of special, or supernatural ability. These people are ostracized, marginalized and forced to live in abject poverty which, as it usually does, results in an increase in crime.
In order to combat the “specials”, the police concentrate on becoming a more militarized unit rather than the civil “peacekeeping” organization we see today. In the trailer, R. Amell’s character runs afoul of the law after a dispute over payment at his day-labor job results in violence. The responding officer (Sung Kang from the Fast and Furious) brings his autonomous robots to the party and things escalate quickly.
The short film was shot over the summer to give fans a sample of what the full-length movie would be like. Director Jeff Chan, who co-wrote the film with producer Chris Paré, had previously helmed live action shorts for Activision ’s Call of Duty franchise. “Robbie and I have been friends for a long time and have always talked about doing a project together,” says Chan, “finally we said, let’s just do it.”
“Once Sung Kang came on board, I knew this was going to be something the fans would be really excited to see,” Says Robbie, who was recently seen as “Agent Miller” on The X-Files. CODE 8 also stars Aaron Abrams (Hannibal, Blindspot), Chad Donella (Scandal), and Alfred Rubin Thompson.
Due to scheduling, Stephen Amell couldn’t appear in the short, but acted as executive producer and says he’ll be in the feature, “I had to jump straight from Turtles back to Arrow,” says Stephen, “but I’m going to do everything I can to help see this become a full-length movie.”
“The short is just a sample of what we can do,” says Robbie. “By working with Indiegogo, we (are able to) let the fans decide if they want to see more.”
The Indiegogo campaign is full of exclusive perks, the most notable being “Go Fast and Furious” where you get to race Robbie and Sung in go-carts or “Big Time Birthday Party” where fans can celebrate Robbie and Stephen’s birthday. “We want this campaign to really engage the fans, giving them as much access to the process as possible,” Says Kang. The Indiegogo campaign will run for 31 days and can be found here.
THE DETAILS
PROJECT TITLE: “CODE 8”
LOGLINE: A desperate young man possessing special powers clashes with a militarized police force after committing a petty crime.
CAST: Robbie Amell, Sung Kang, Aaron Abrams, Chad Donella, Alfred Rubin Thompson
Director: Jeff Chan
Writers: Jeff Chan, Chris Paré
Producers: Jeff Chan, Tommy Dingwall, Chris Paré
Executive Producers: Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Geoff McLean
Visual Effects: Playfight VFX, William Chang
Follow CODE 8 and its actors on Twitter at: