Fanning, Hoult, Smit-McPhee, Shannon Board Sci-Fi YOUNG ONES

Elle Fanning (Super 8), Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In) and Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) have all signed up for Jake Paltrow’s long-awaited dystopian thriller Young Ones.

The lesser-known sibling, Paltrow (The Good Night) will not only direct his sophomore effort, but is also writing the screenplay, which centers on a 14-year-old boy forced to use his wits to survive and ‘is set in a violent near-future where water has become the most precious—and fastest-dwindling—resource on the planet.’

Since the lead in a neo-realistic dystopian film is a 14-year-old, it can be assumed that Smit-McPhee is playing the main character.

Below is the promotional poster used for the film back in 2011, courtesy of Collider, which means Young Ones has been in development for a while. When word first leaked almost two years ago, Elle Fanning was attached to the project, when Casey Affleck and Jamie Bell were also set to star, and Noah Baumbach was going to produce.

The production is already underway in South Africa’s Northern Cape desert.

Source: Variety