Brooke feature ‘Rajah’ re-titled ‘Edge of the World’ to woo US audiences
KUCHING: The upcoming Hollywood feature film on Sir James Brooke, the first White Rajah of Sarawak, has officially changed its title to ‘Edge of the World’ to appeal more broadly to audiences, said its producer Rob Allyn.
He said American film company Samuel Goldwyn Films had acquired the US rights to the film, originally called ‘Rajah’, and wanted a title that was more epic.
“As a leading Hollywood distributor of prestige pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Films wanted a more epic, sweeping and global title that will appeal more broadly to American audiences that might be unfamiliar with the term ‘Rajah’.
“With the new title, we want to invite them to explore the exotic world of 1840s Sarawak,” he told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday.
He added that the inspiration behind the new title came from Brooke’s travels to Sarawak.
“In 1839, Britain ruled half of the Earth. James Brooke sailed to Sarawak to escape the reach of the British Empire.
“He found paradise at what the British considered the ‘edge of the world’ but to Brooke, Sarawak was the first place on earth he truly felt at home,” said Allyn, who penned the script to the period film after reading and becoming captivated by Brooke’s adventure in ‘Lord Jim’, a novel written by Joseph Conrad.
‘Edge of the World’, which is produced by Allyn’s production company Margate House Films, joins Samuel Goldwyn Films’ legacy of prestige films including Academy Award nominated film ‘Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World’.
The film is currently slated to be released in the United States this June followed by other countries around the world including Malaysia.
“We are now in talks with distributors in Malaysia and Southeast Asia for a release after the June 2021 launch in North America, depending on when the Covid-19 pandemic allows moviegoers to safely return to cinemas.
“The film will be released worldwide and has already been sold to major distributors throughout Europe, Russia, the Middle East, the UK, Australia and New Zealand among other countries,” said the Margate House Films chairman and chief executive officer.
He also said that besides cinemas, ‘Edge of the World’ will also be released on streaming, cable and satellite around the world.
“This however is also based on the Covid-19 situation later this year,” he added.
Allyn said it was unfortunate that major film festivals around the world have either been cancelled or had gone virtual in the lead up to the release of the ‘Edge of the World’.
“We hope that there may be more festival and live premiere opportunities once the pandemic subsides,” he said.
Allyn had initially targeted to debut the film at the Cannes Film Festival 2020 but the pandemic derailed such plans.
Nevertheless, it was featured on a Cannes First Look by The Hollywood Reporter (THR) as one of the upcoming films to look out for in conjunction with the firstever virtual Cannes Film Festival in June last year.
‘Edge of the World’ stars Hollywood actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Brooke, Dominic Monaghan (best known for his work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) as Colonel Arthur Crookshank, and Hong Kong actress Josie Ho as Brooke’s former lover Madame Lim.
Malaysian actors Bront Palarae and Shaheizy Sam are also starring in the film as Brooke’s principal rival for power Pengiran Indera Mahkota, and Subu, Brooke’s longtime Malay clerk and companion, respectively.
The film, which was made with the support of Sarawak Tourism Board and the Film in Malaysia Incentive’s rebate on Qualifying Malaysian Production Expenditure, was shot entirely on location in Sarawak.