Berlin 2013: Nicholas Hoult, Michael Shannon, Elle Fanning Join 'Young Ones'

BERLIN – Warm Bodies star Nicholas Hoult, Boardwalk Empire actor Michael Shannon and young talents Elle Fanning (We Bought a Zoo) and Australia's Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) have signed on to star in Young Ones, a futuristic thriller written and directed by Jake Paltrow (The Good Night).

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Young Ones is set in a near future where water has become the most precious resource. A 14-year-old boy (Smit-McPhee) is forced to use his wits to protect his family and try and survive in an increasingly violent world.

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Tristan Orpen Lynch of Subotica and Spier Films' Michael Auret are producing the feature, which began shooting in South Africa Feb. 1. Spier Films' Laula Fourie is screening in competition at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.

Executive producers of Young Ones are Peter Garde, Marina Fuentes Arredonda, James Atherton, Jan Pace and Brian O'Shea.

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O'Shea's The Exchange and Fuentes 6 Sales are handling international sales on the project and are pitching it to buyers at Berlin's EFM. Young Ones has pre-sold to Ascot Elite for Germany, Portugal's Lusomundo, Polar Star for Latin America and Front Row for Middle Eastern territories with Penny Black taking airline rights. UTA is handling North American rights.