That’s Brandon Cronenberg, David’s son who just started shooting his debut feature ANTIVIRAL in Toronto for the HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN producers (see previous item here). Among the crew is HOBO cinematographer Karim Hussain (pictured left), who recently gave Fango some words on the intriguing body-horror project.

“It’s a dark science-fiction piece that’s basically about obsession with celebrity,” Hussain tells us. “In the near future, people become so completely fixated on it that they start to market diseases that celebrities get. And it becomes a commercial commodity; people want to make sure they have their favorite star’s herpes, for example. But they put a copyright on the diseases, to make sure they’re not spread without monetary gain, and mess with the DNA so that they won’t be terminal or dangerous—the symptoms will just be the symptoms of the exact disease your favorite star has. It’s a completely wild concept; very interesting science fiction.”

At the time Fango spoke to Hussain, principal photography had yet to begin, but he discussed the visual approach that he and Cronenberg (pictured right) were planning to bring to the material. “We’re talking about shooting it in a pretty naturalistic way, because the concept is so far-out,” Hussain says. “It’ll be similar to one of the New Wave Romanian films, like [the Cannes prize-winner] 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS. That’s a big inspiration for ANTIVIRAL, as well as a film called 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST and another called POLICE, ADJECTIVE. Very interesting stuff. But although it’s going to be kind of naturalistically filmed, that won’t take away from the fact that we’re going to be doing some pretty radical things as well. In a sense, its obsession with disease and details will resemble [Hussain’s THEATRE BIZARRE segment] VISION STAINS. There will be some visual similarities to the macro/extreme close-ups in VISION STAINS.”

ANTIVIRAL is being produced by Niv Fichman and Rhombus Media, for whom Hussain previously wielded his camera on HOBO. “That’s been really great; they’re friends, and we know each other quite well,” Hussain says. “You know, I think now that Brandon’s father has kind of moved away from doing these kind of radical genre films—not that he won’t come back—Brandon is sort of taking over the family tradition. It’s definitely going to be an interesting movie.”

The elder Cronenberg has been known for using the same cinematographers repeatedly, including Mark Irwin and Peter Suschitzky, and Hussain is hoping to forge a similar continuing creative relationship with Brandon. “He’s a pretty amazing fellow,” Hussain says. “He’s really smart, and he loves dark science fiction, as do I. He’s very talented, and definitely has a clarity of vision. He’s not just copying his father; he has his own voice. That whole Cronenberg reputation carries on through David’s children; he’s got very smart kids.”

ANTIVIRAL stars genre veteran Malcolm McDowell, Sarah Gadon (who appears in David Cronenberg’s new film A DANGEROUS METHOD and upcoming COSMOPOLIS), THE LAST EXORCISM’s Caleb Landry Jones, Douglas Smith and Nicholas Campbell. Stay tuned for more on this film, and check out our interview with Hussain on his THEATRE BIZARRE work in Fango #309, on sale next month.

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