The so-called “crack” is back.
IFC Films has released the first official trailer for the upcoming comedy-drama film “BlackBerry,” which offers a glimpse into exactly how the handheld device revolutionized the cell phone industry.
Director Matt Johnson, along with screenwriter Matthew Miller, adapted the book “Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry” by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff for the big screen.
Johnson plays BlackBerry founder Douglas Fregin in the film, alongside Glenn Howerton as chairman and CEO Jim Balsillie, Jay Baruchel as co-founder Mike Lazaridis and Cary Elwes as Palm CEO Carl Yankowski. The cast also includes Saul Rubinek, Michael Ironside, Rich Sommer, Michelle Giroux, Mark Critch and SungWon Cho.
The trailer gives a first look at Johnson and Baruchel as Doug and Mike, who discover an untapped wireless signal in North America that leads them to develop the first ever mobile device with both phone and email capabilities. After being introduced to Jim by Howerton, the trio work together to build the BlackBerry empire, which eventually collapses with the smartphone revolution and the introduction of the Apple iPhone.
Produced by Matthew Miller, Fraser Ash, Niv Fichman and Kevin Krikst and executive produced by Nate Bolotin, Maxime Cottray, Adrian Love, Jay McCarrol, Noah Segal, Nick Spicer, Aram Tertzakian and Robert Upchurch.
Before “BlackBerry” premieres on May 12, the film has already been screened at both the Berlin Film Festival and the SXSW Film Festival. The film has so far received positive reviews, e.g VarietyPeter Debruge calls it “fierce, irreverent and delightfully scrappy”.
Watch the “BlackBerry” trailer below.