IFC Films has released the official BlackBerry trailer for the upcoming biographical drama starring Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton. The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival and will have its theatrical release on May 12.
The BlackBerry trailer provides viewers with a preview of the world’s first smartphone’s rise during the early 2000s. It also teases how the company ultimately failed to keep up with the arrival of smartphone competitors like Apple’s iPhone.
BlackBerry is directed by Canadian filmmaker Matt Johnson, who gained recognition for his independent features such as The Dirties and the series Nirvanna the Band the Show. Johnson co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Miller, based on Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff’s bestselling novel Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry.
“The true story of the meteoric rise & catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone, the film is a whirlwind ride through a ruthlessly competitive Silicon Valley at breakneck speeds,” reads the synopsis.
The film stars Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder) as Mike Lazaridis, Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Jim Balsillie, Saul Rubinek (Frasier) as John Woodman, Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) as Carl Yankowski, Michael Ironside (The Machinist) as Charles Purdy, Rich Sommer (The Devil Wears Prada) as Paul Stannos, SungWon Cho (Gen:Lock) as Ritchie Cheung, and Michelle Giroux (Black Mirror) as Dara Frankel, with Johnson also appearing as Douglas Fregin.
