Cybergeddon is a new digital feature film about the growing threat of cybercrime starring Olivier Martinez and Missy Peregrym. Today also marks the release of the official trailer now live at cybergeddon.yahoo.com. Created by Anthony E. Zuiker who developed the CSI franchise is set to debut on September 25.
I attended the Toronto screening of the film earlier this evening sponsored by Norton by Symantec. It is equal parts techno-thriller and high hacker drama in the same vein as movies like Swordfish and The Net but with catastrophic global implications. With fast paced sequences, action and lots of insightful technology, the film will entertain general audiences. As an aside, a number of relevant computer security topics are explored and covered.
Cybergeddon will debut exclusively in over 25 countries and 10 languages on Yahoo! in a series of nine digital chapters – three per day over the course of three consecutive days.
Cybergeddon follows the story of agent Chloe Jocelyn as she investigates a slew of seemingly unrelated cyberattacks with fellow agent Frank Parker and incarcerated master hacker Chase 'Rabbit' Rosen. Chloe and her team must crack the worldwide cybercrime ring led by Gustov Dobreff before it is too late. Norton by Symantec served as a partner in research to validate some of the exploits, viruses and cyberthreats used throughout the film.
The experience on Yahoo! includes an immersive site featuring additional clips that provide a deeper narrative with the characters, exclusive on-set photos, behind-the-scenes clips and interviews with the cast and crew. It will also host a special section where people can go to learn more about the stark realities of cybercrime. This is pioneering work in the area of online broadcast, while there have been made for Internet shows before, no one has really focused on a big budget serialized feature film of this scale.
Zuiker, Bill O'Dowd, CEO of Dolphin Digital Studios, and the film's creators made a firm commitment to ensuring the storytelling around Cybergeddon was not only highly compelling and suspenseful, but also inspired by real-life cybersecurity concerns. To that end, the Zuiker team partnered with online security expert Norton by Symantec throughout the creative process to lend technical insights.
"Cybergeddon is a cinematic experience that breaks traditional rules. With the global distribution arm of Yahoo!, we will give viewers a way to have more to do after watching the segments to gain more knowledge and further interact with the storyline and cast," said Zuiker. "The best part is that all of this can be experienced on any device, anytime and anywhere, day and date with the launch of Cybergeddon."