The Darkest Hour

(The Darkest Hour)

Welcome to Moscow.

THE DARKEST HOUR is the story of five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack. The 3D thriller highlights the classic beauty of Moscow alongside mind-blowing special effects from the minds of visionary filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Night Watch) and director Chris Gorak (Right At Your Door).

Arriving amidst a mysterious lightening storm, young Internet entrepreneurs Sean (Emile Hirsch) and Ben (Max Minghella) land in the vibrant Russian capital to pursue their business dreams in the international economic center, full of new money but unscrupulous business practices. Travelers Natalie (Olivia Thirlby) and Anne (Rachael Taylor), stranded in Moscow by an unscheduled stop over en route to Nepal, make the best of it by seeking adventure in one of the nightlife capitals of the world.

The two pairs of best friends meet amid the glitz and glamour of the Zvezda Nightclub, the hot spot for the international and the beautiful in Moscow, including the young turk Skylar (Joel Kinnaman), the Swedish businessman who duped Sean and Ben. A mecca for the globe trotting youth, supermodels, and business elite congregating in Moscow, the club is quickly transformed to a scene of terror when the aliens invade and everything goes dark.

After surviving the initial attack hiding underground, days later the five emerge into the confines of a Moscow that‟s become increasingly alien – the once pulsating city is now without power and is all but deserted, yet occupied by a force they don‟t understand. Made up of electromagnetic wave energy, the alien beings kill brutally by shredding earthly life forms, reducing those in their way to their molecular structure instantly. The aliens are also basically invisible to humans, however anything electrical gives them away. Daytime is now dangerous, so the survivors learn to travel across the city in the safety of night, while confronting their individual reactions to these extraordinary circumstances where everything familiar is gone.Throughout their journey across a foreign city to find help, the dwindling band encounter various Russian survivors who help them start to unravel the mysteries of the near-invisible invaders, their goals and weaknesses, and most importantly, how to fight back. Courage survives.

A co-production between New Regency and Summit Entertainment, The Darkest Hour is directed by Chris Gorak from a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, based on a story by Leslie Bohem & M.T. Ahern and Jon Spaihts. Emile Hirsch (Into The Wild, Milk, Speed Racer); Olivia Thirlby (Juno); Max Minghella (The Ides of March, The Social Network, Agora); Rachael Taylor (Transformers); and Joel Kinnaman (Snabba Cash, AMC‟s “The Killing”) star. Tom Jacobson (Ladykillers, Mission To Mars) and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) produce. Monnie Wills is the executive producer.

Summit Entertainment releases the action-thriller theatrically in North America on December 25, 2011. 20th Century Fox distributes internationally.The Darkest Hour is in Reel D 3D & 2D theatres on Christmas Day 2011.

January 12, 2012