Shudder has announced that is has rerouted from its planned spring release for the acclaimed Canadian Indigenous zombie thriller Blood Quantum and has said it is excited to spontaneously launch the movie at a moment in history where it could not be more significant.
“We knew the film was important and timely when we acquired it last year, but given recent events, Blood Quantum’s themes of isolation, fear of contagion, and humanity struggling with the ramifications of a global virus have only grown more relevant,” said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler. “When a theatrical release became untenable due to the real-world pandemic, we decided to accelerate the launch of Barnaby’s film so it would reach the biggest audience possible.”
In Blood Quantum the dead are coming back to life outside the isolated Mi’gmaq reserve of Red Crow, except for its Indigenous inhabitants who are immune to the zombie plague.
The film stars Michael Greyeyes (Fear The Walking Dead), Kiowa Gordon (The Twilight Saga), Olivia Scriven (Degrassi: Next Class & The Next Generation), William Belleau (Frontier), Devery Jacobs (American Gods) and is written, directed and edited by Jeff Barnaby, a First Nations filmmaker born on the Mi’gmaq reserve.
Blood Quantum will roll-out on all Shudder platforms as of Midnight EST on 28 April and is expected to fully propagate by midday.