'The Darkest Hour' Concept Art Revealed

In September of2010, I was lucky enough to visit the set of The Darkest Hour in Moscow Russia. I will be posting updates and interviews from the set visit in the coming months. Summit Entertainment has provided the group of visitors an exclusive look at concept art of the locations from the film. The Timur Bekmambetov-produced alien invasion movie titled The Darkest Hour has been described as a 28 Days Later-type thriller following a group of American tourists visiting Moscow Russia when an alien invasion occurs. The image above shows the iconic Red Square, "the scene of desolation in the post-alien invasion world of The Darkest Hour."

The film stars Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer, Into the Wild), Olivia Thirlby (Juno, The Wackness), and Max Minghella (Bee Season, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, Agora, The Social Network). Chris Gorak directed the film, with a script by M.T. Ahern and Leslie Bohem with revisions by Gorak, Jon Spaihts, and Josh Zetumer. The film was shot last Summer in Moscow, and the Russian backdrop is sure to provide the story with a very unique look and tone. Also, the aliens in the film are very unlike the designs and concepts we've seen in recent years. I will write more about the locations after I return from my Canadian travels this week. After the jump you can see 12 concept art images from the film.

Shredding

The aliens in THE DARKEST HOUR are unlike any depicted on screen. Composed of lethal wave energy, they have the ability to shred apart human life.

Subway Attack

An alien "seeker" emits a controlled lightning bolt to reel in its prey.

Seeker Bolt

A close-up of the alien seeker bolt.

Flamethrower

The aliens in THE DARKEST HOUR are virtually invisible. They are detected only by the surrounding electrical systems they activate, making travel by day particularly dangerous.

Trolley Attack

A seeker alien attacks Olivia Thirlby & Emile Hirsch on a runaway trolley train.

Alien POV

Life forms are illuminated by the faint electrical impulses in the body's nervous system. This is a pre-vis look at how the aliens see humans.

Sergei's Faraday Cage

The group of survivors meet up with an eccentric Russian scientist, who has outfitted his apartment as a giant Faraday cage, providing protection from the aliens.

Faraday Cat

Sergei's cat is also outfitted with a mini-Faraday cage.

Matvei

The survivors meet up with a group of tough Russian soldiers on horseback, led by Matvei.

Submarine

A submarine in the heart of Moscow may provide temporary sanctuary from the vicious aliens.

Alien Tower

An alien tower, whose function is central to the mystery of the aliens' motivation for taking over our planet.