Nicholas Cage and Rose Byrne star in Knowing, a sci-fi action thriller about the end of the world. In the film, young Caleb Koestler finds a set of random numbers within a time capsule that was buried at his school 50 years earlier. His father, John (Nic Cage) notices that the numbers correspond to dates and death tolls of terrible events in history and that there are three tragedies yet to come. One of these appears to be an extinction-level event.
If you’ve watched the movie, you may already think you’re an expert. But check out these five things you may not know about Knowing:
That’s not really Boston.
Knowing is set in the Boston, Massachusetts, area, but it was actually filmed in Australia. That’s where director Alex Proyas is from. The shoot happened mostly in Melbourne, with filming locations including Mount Macedon, the Geelong Ring Road, the Melbourne Museum, and the Australian Synchrotron.
Who is William Dawes?
In the movie, the school that Caleb Koestler attends is called William Dawes Elementary. William Dawes lived in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War. He was one of several people who warned the American troops that the British were on their way in April 1775, though Paul Revere is often credited singularly for his infamous ride.
It’s Liam Hemsworth’s first movie.
Knowing was Liam Hemsworth’s movie debut. He’s best known for playing Gale in The Hunger Games, but this was the brunette Hemsworth brother’s first film.
Spoiler alert: The world ended on October 19.
The date for the end of the world as we know it was October 19, 2009… at least according to the movie.
Digital technology = fast filming.
Director Alex Proyas credits the efficiencies of digital technology for the quick movie shoot. The entire filming took place over just three months; he used a Red One 4K digital camera to shoot. While the movie has some spectacular special effects sequences, such as a plane crash and the effects of a devastating solar flare, Proyas wanted to make sure that the visuals didn’t get in the way of the emotional story he was trying to tell.
Knowing is available on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack on April 10.
