Directed by Peter Spierig, Michael Spierig

Produced by Chris Brown, Sean Furst, Bryan Furst

Written by Peter Spierig, Michael Spierig

Cast

• Ethan Hawke as Edward Dalton, a vampire researcher who tries to save humanity from extinction.
• Sam Neill as a vampire in charge of a corporation.
• Willem Dafoe as a vampire who duels with Hawke's character.
• Claudia Karvan as Lucy, Edward's love interest.
• Vince Colosimo in an unnamed role.
• Isabel Lucas as the last surviving member of the human race.

Distributed by Lionsgate

Release date(s) - January 8, 2010 (tentative)


Production

In November 2004, Lionsgate acquired the script to Daybreakers, written by Peter and Michael Spierig. The brothers, who directed Undead (2003), were attached to direct Daybreakers. In September 2006, the brothers received financing from Australia's Film Finance Corp., with production set to take place in Queensland. In May 2007, actor Ethan Hawke was cast into the lead role. Later in the month, Sam Neill joined the cast. Daybreakers began filming in Gold Coast, Queensland at Warner Bros. Movie World studios on July 16, 2007. Weta Workshop will create the creature effects. The production budget is $21 million, with the State Government contributing $1 million to the filmmakers. Filming was completed on time in September 2007 with reshoots currently reoccuring to extend key sequences.

Hawke described the film as an allegory of man's pacing with natural resources, "We're eating our own resources so people are trying to come up with blood substitutes, trying to get us off of foreign humans." The actor also said that despite the allegory, the film was "low art" and "completely unpretentious and silly".