Edge of the World

Edge of the World Movie Details:

Country	United Kingdom, Malaysia, United States
Language	English, Malay
Genre	Adventure, Drama, Historical
Release date	4 June 2021 (US) 9 March 2023 (Malaysia and Brunei)
Running time	1hr 44min
Starring	Jonathan Rhys Meyers Dominic Monaghan Atiqah Hasiholan Otto Farrant Samo Rafael Bront Palarae Shaheizy Sam Hannah New Yusuf Mahardika Peter John Jaban Kahar bin Jini Ralph Ineson Josie Ho
Directed by	Michael Haussman
Written by	Rob Allyn
Story by	Rob Allyn
Produced by	Josie Ho Conroy Chi-Chung Chan Rob Allyn
Cinematography by	Jaime Feliu-Torres
Edited by	Marco Perez
Music by	Will Bates
Production Company	852 Films Margate House Films
Distributor	Alfa Pictures (Spain) Blue Swan Entertainment (Italy) Blue Swan Entertainment (Italy) Family Films (France) Front Row Filmed Entertainment (United Arab Emirates)(Middle East, North Africa and Iran)

Edge of the World Movie Cast & Characters:

• Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Sir James Brooke
• Atiqah Hasiholan as Princess Fatimah (Pengiran Anak Puteri Fatimah, the granddaughter of the 21st Sultan of Brunei)
• Dominic Monaghan as Colonel Arthur Crookshank
• Josie Ho as Madame Lim
• Hannah New as Elizabeth Crookshank
• Ralph Ineson as Sir Edward Beech
• Bront Palarae as Pengiran Indera Mahkota (Pengiran Mohammad Salleh ibnu Pengiran Sharifuddin)
• Samo Rafael as Pengiran Badaruddin (historically, this character may refer to Pengiran Muda Hashim or Raja Muda Hashim, the Bruneian governor of Sarawak)
• Otto Farrant as Charles Brooke, the nephew of James Brooke, also known as Charlie
• Shaheizy Sam as Subu
• Wan Hanafi Su as Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II, the 23rd Sultan of Brunei
• Peter John Jaban as Orang Kaya (Traditional Bruneian peerage title)
• Kahar Jini as Datu Patinggi Ali (Abang Ali bin Abang Amir)
• Yusuf Mahardika as Tujang, from Iban tribe, James Brooke’s personal bodyguard

Storyline:

The film is based on the true story of the Rajah of Sarawak, James Brooke, who has been suggested as one of the inspirations for the Rudyard Kipling story The Man Who Would Be King, and Joseph Conrad’s novel Lord Jim. Brooke was a former soldier in the Bengal Army who sailed to Borneo which was still under the control of Bruneian Sultanate in 1839, where he helped the Sultan of Brunei’s governor (Pengiran Indera Mahkota, title for the governor) put down a local rebellion and took over as governor of what became the Raj of Sarawak as his own private kingdom. He was knighted by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom prior to being appointed Governor of the new Crown Colony of Labuan. Brooke’s dynasty lasted three generations and spanned a century.

About Edge of the World Movie:

Rob Allyn, the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Margate House Films, was interested in filming the life of James Brooke, after being introduced to the figure the rough a footnote in a George MacDonald Fraser novel, which he read in 2009. More research on Brooke led him into a fixation.

He also came across a coffee table book in a Singapore bookstore, named “The White Rajah of Sarawak” with illustrations of Sarawak tribes and jungles.

After thinking about the film for 3 years, Allyn and his production company tried to make the story into film since 2013, initially naming the film as “The White Rajah”. Later Jason Brooke, grandson of Anthony Brooke, representing Brooke Heritage Trust, contacted Allyn and invited him to make the film in Sarawak instead of Indonesia. The Trust also gave the Allyn access to various images from the Brooke family for film production.

In September 2016, the government of Sarawak endorsed the plan and channeled RM 39.01 million through Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sports Ministry to fund the project.

However, later cost overrun increased the cost to RM 48.57 million (US$ 15 million). The project also received 30% cash rebate from “Film in Malaysia” Office, a division of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia for choosing Malaysia as a filming location and working with a local production company.

Allyn wrote the film and also produced the film with his sons Conor and Jake, along with Josie Ho, and Conroy Chan.

In 2019, the film was renamed to just “Rajah” and the list of starring actors was released in September.

Principal photography was shot in entirety in Sarawak, starting from 24 September 2019 until the end of October in the same year. All film shots were completed in Siniawan, Bau District.

The film was made with the support of the Sarawak Tourism Board. The Brooke Heritage Trust was a technical advisor.

In February 2021, the movie was again renamed to “Edge of the World”. Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired US distribution rights in March 2021. British distributor Signature will release the film in the UK.

Edge of the World was released in the US through Direct-to-video (VOD) and online platforms on 4 June 2021, then in the UK digitally and on DVD on 21 June 2021.

During the 5th Malaysia International Film Festival in July 2022, the movie was selected as the opening film. In Malaysia and Brunei, the film has been slated as Rajah countries and was released on 9 March 2023 in cinemas.