A Star-Studded BlackBerry Movie Charts the Phone’s Rise and Demise

The BlackBerry was the first true smartphone. But as the 2015 bestseller Losing the Signal explains, Apple stole BlackBerry’s legacy with the iPhone—a product that BlackBerry leadership called a “toy.” Now, history may correct itself (or turn BlackBerry into an even bigger joke) with a film adaptation of Losing the Signal.

Update, 3/16/23: The first BlackBerry trailer debuted at SXSW 2023. The film is now slated for a May 12th theatrical release.

According to Variety, a new movie called BlackBerry has finished production and will soon enter distribution. The film, which is directed by Matt Johnson, features an impressive cast including headliners Jay Baruchel (Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon) and Glenn Howerton (Dennis from It’s Always Sunny In Philidelphia).

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Presumably, Baruchel and Howerton will play BlackBerry founders Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin. They’ll be joined by Cary Elwes, Rich Sommer, Michael Ironside, and other popular actors when the movie finally debuts.

Details on the film are pretty scarce. The casting suggests that it may be a comedy, though it could be a drama. Either way, I’m not sure how you could depict the catastrophic failure of BlackBerry without comedians, so the casting seems appropriate.

BlackBerry will make its theatrical debut on May 12th, 2023. In the meantime, you can try reading Losing the Signal, the excellent book that serves as the basis for this movie.

Source: Variety