'The End of Oak Street' sees Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star in new dinosaur film

4 min read
The Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognisable surroundings. The End of Oak Street also stars Maisy Stella and Christian Convery, and is produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper.
The Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognisable surroundings. The End of Oak Street also stars Maisy Stella and Christian Convery, and is produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper. Picture: Supplied

While audiences are still busy enjoying Anne Hathaway in the Odyssey, they are about to see the movie star dazzle in a different role as she is joined by Ewan McGregor in a brand new dinosaur movie.

“The End of Oak Street”, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, sees one neighbourhood street, Oak Street, get ripped out of suburbia and transported to someplace unknown through a mysterious cosmic event.

The Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognisable surroundings.

“The End of Oak Street” also stars Maisy Stella and Christian Convery, and is produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper. 

Mitchell said that he has always wanted to make a dinosaur movie, since he was a child.

“My dad was obsessed with dinosaurs, he had always dreamed of being a palaeontologist and was always reading dinosaur books. So, I grew up around it… A few years ago I was walking through my neighbourhood, just a casual stroll, and I was passing by this really interesting house and this alleyway. And I just imagined that there was a dinosaur there digging through the trash,” he said.  

“I just could see it, and I stopped and I looked at this interesting tableau of this fantastical thing in this mundane place in a middle-class neighbourhood.”

He said that he set the film in the 80s because he grew up around that time which had really strong character-based films. He said that his characters, Platt family, all have their own issues, their own struggles, their own little secrets they are unable to share with each other.

“But when these people find themselves in a dangerous situation, with mortal stakes, it forces them to connect… or not. So we’re telling a story where you are immersed and you really care about these people—having actors as amazing Anne, Ewan, Maisy and Christian, who did such a great job, there’s a genuine connection between them that carries through the movie,” he said.

“The End of Oak Street”, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, sees one neighbourhood street, Oak Street, get ripped out of suburbia and transported to someplace unknown through a mysterious cosmic event.
“The End of Oak Street”, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, sees one neighbourhood street, Oak Street, get ripped out of suburbia and transported to someplace unknown through a mysterious cosmic event.Picture: Supplied
“The End of Oak Street”, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, sees one neighbourhood street, Oak Street, get ripped out of suburbia and transported to someplace unknown through a mysterious cosmic event.
“The End of Oak Street”, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, sees one neighbourhood street, Oak Street, get ripped out of suburbia and transported to someplace unknown through a mysterious cosmic event.Picture: Supplied

He added that he knew Hathaway would be incredible as ‘Denise Platt’ if they were lucky enough for her to do it.

“It was one thing when we were doing the dramatic moments within the family story, but when we started to get to the suspense and danger and fear, she took it to another level, we all felt it, everyone watching,” Mitchell said. 

“It was phenomenal, seeing her perform in that way. It was something that I hadn’t seen her do and it was really exciting. I can’t wait for audiences to see her doing this kind of role, the whole range in terms of strength, fear, pain, and all of that. It’s believable, it’s real,” he said.

He added that McGregor brings a depth, a charm, and a real love to this character Greg “who’s struggling about some elements of his life”. 

Producer J.J. Abrams said that when his company received the script, he jumped at the chance to work on such a wonderful Twilight Zone concept.

“The wild ‘what if’ premise felt like a perfect fit. Flawed characters in the right, out of this world situation is a wonderful combination. 

“David always was clear on his vision. He saw this as a grounded, dramatic film that sort of goes insane. But the cinematic style was always his. Super intentional camera work, zooms and split diopters, an almost independent film style mutated with a big studio film. The aesthetic was always a thrilling proposition,” Abrams said.

The Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognisable surroundings. The End of Oak Street also stars Maisy Stella and Christian Convery, and is produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper.
The Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognisable surroundings. The End of Oak Street also stars Maisy Stella and Christian Convery, and is produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper. Picture: Supplied
The Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognisable surroundings.
The Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognisable surroundings.Picture: Supplied

“‘The End of Oak Street’ is a total thrill ride. I’ve seen it with audiences. They scream and laugh and cry and cheer. It’s the sort of film that reminds you why you go to the movies.”

He said that there are quite a few amazing sequences, but that one in particular could be a future classic terror scene. 

“But I think the big takeaway is the thrill of seeing dinosaurs in a suburban setting. The contrast of these wild creatures in an absolutely mundane neighbourhood is spectacular. The insane story becomes far more relatable than you might expect,” he said.

theolin.tembo@national.mg.co.za

THE NATIONAL