Code 8 Type TV Show Gen Sci-Fi Stephen Amell and Robbie Amell Want Control Over a Project

Code 8 type TV Show genre Sci-fi Stephen Amell and Robbie Amell are aiming for a bullseye with their sci-fi film Code 8. But having control over a project was exactly what both actors wanted. “People aren’t lining up to offer us jobs, necessarily.

Part of it was we just needed to create something for ourselves. We figured if we weren’t willing to take a bet on ourselves, then why should we expect anyone else to? We wanted to give it a shot and make something that we would be proud of, something that people backing us would be proud of.”

But instead of being billionaires or superheroes, these power-enabled people face discrimination and live in poverty, often resorting to crime. Connor Reed (Robbie), a power-enabled young man, is struggling to pay for his ailing mother’s (Kari Matchett) health treatment. Fighting to earn enough money as a day laborer, Connor is lured into a lucrative criminal world by Garrett (Stephen), who works for Lincoln City’s reigning drug lord, Marcus Sutcliffe (Greg Bryk).

With Stephen’s eight years as the star of Arrow and Robbie’s arc on Arrowverse spin-off The Flash, these two actors are no strangers to the world of gritty sci-fi superheroes. Code 8 Credit: Vertical Entertainment “We knew that the Indiegogo campaign was a part of it,” Robbie says. “A lot of our fanbase is built on Arrow and The Flash, so we knew we wanted to make something that they could get behind.

Robbie also knows that fans of his short-lived sci-fi superpower series The Tomorrow People will notice “some similarities” to Code 8. Code 8 Credit: Vertical Entertainment “In both projects, the sci-fi is the entertainment part but ultimately you’re trying to find the grounded side of things and the relatable side of things,” he says. “That’s what we wanted to dive into with Code 8; we wanted it to be a story that everybody could relate to and the sci-fi to blend into the background.

And although it’s been “a long time coming” to make and release Code 8, the cousins have enjoyed every step of the process because it finally gave them the chance to work together. We were in Toronto, our family is there, our friends are there, we got a great crew,” Stephen says. “We had a very, very tight window because I basically said, ‘Yes, I want to be involved, but you guys have me for basically five weeks.

“Steve and I spend a lot of time together but he’s been shooting in Vancouver for a long time, so getting to just hang out for five weeks, grab a beer, get family dinners, it was really nice,” Robbie adds.

Who Plays Code 8’S Main Character?

Courtesy of XYZ Films With so many comic book movies available these days, it’s easy to become jaded about the genre as a whole. That’s not to knock the production, entertainment, and artistic value of modern superhero blockbusters, but as with any trend, things can become wearying if you’re given the same thing to consume day-in-and-day-out. “Code 8 is less a superhero movie (I do love superhero movies, though!) and more a heist thriller with a lot of character development and a slice of the fantastical,” said the movie’s production designer, Chris Crane.

It’s more about people saving themselves, both powered and not. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of fun action sequences and people using their abilities and powers (for good and bad) but no one goes to space. It’s more about people and how they can better their situations, even when you have the ability to shoot electricity out of your body.”

This character is portrayed by Robbie’s real-world cousin, Stephen Amell, who you may know as Oliver Queen from The CW’s Arrow. “We did have a lot of fun and creative freedom when it came to world building this society,” continued Chris. “Because it’s a fictional city, we came up with our license plate system with Q R Code registration, the graffiti seen in the background of scenes to show the constant protest of the military-type state ‘Lincoln City’ is constantly under.

As Connor comprises his morals for some easy cash, he falls squarely into the sights of a militarized police force that keeps the meta-human population in line. “More orange and brown tones, more clutter, graffiti, and natural light and warmer light sources for those living in the not-so-nice parts of the city. Original production designer Brandon Mendez (a vet of music videos for Eminem and Billie Eilish) didn’t come back for the feature film, but cinematographer Alex Disenhof (Captive State) did.

Courtesy of XYZ Films For Chan, the project, which shot in Toronto, represented a precarious tightrope walk between grand sci-fi concepts and a more humbling, relatable narrative. “Jeff wanted the film to be both advanced in tech, but also grounded in reality. Somewhat of a passion project for the cousins Amell, Code 8’s production was made possible by an Indiegogo campaign that brought in over $2 million.

Sung Kang, Aaron Abrams, and Chad Donella co-star.

What Is A 2019 Sci-Fi Thriller About A Desperate Young Man With Special Powers?

Code 8 is a 2019 sci-fi thriller about a desperate young man with special powers, who clashes with a militarized police force after committing a petty crime. We enter a world where everything is the same as ours except that four percent of the population are born with innate superpowers. Some can control electricity, others can read minds, a few can levitate objects and more.

Connor Reed (Robbie Amell) is one such powered human, host to a number of special abilities, living with his sick mother (Kari Matchett). From director Jeff Chan and screenwriter Chris Pare, Code 8 is based on a short film they produced, expanding the story to further delve into the themes of discrimination and abuse of power. It’s not entirely a new idea of course, where those with powers become symbolic of any minority, targeted and oppressed, left with no choice but to turn to crime just to survive having been themes in lots in this genre.

Fortunately, despite the premise and the potential, Chan – limited by his budget – contains this is to a local affair, not trying to over do it all with big effects and explosive sequences the film can’t possibly produce, keeping it about the characters and the consequences. There are no capes and cowls, just people with power since births trying to make ends meet in a world that suppresses his talents. There’s real heart in this, with the relationship between Reed and his mother the best part of this, though that’s not to say the film lacks punch elsewhere.

More so, there’s not a bad performance in the lot, while Chan makes for a strong visual bit of storytelling, balancing well the leads with, finally, a pair of good cops on the job, trying to work out what’s happening and who’s behind it. While Code 6 might not have the polish of a big studio production, Chan and his crew deserve credit for delivering a well made and convincing sci-fi treat that tells a solid, complete story with some honest to goodness earned moments of authenticity.