| World Breaker | |
|---|---|
 American theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Brad Anderson |
| Written by | Joshua Rollins |
| Produced by | Martin Brennan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Daniel Aranyó |
| Edited by | Brian Philip Davis |
Production company | 23ten Production |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 95 minutes [1] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
Worldbreaker is a 2025 science fiction action film directed by Brad Anderson and written by Joshua Rollins. It stars Luke Evans and Milla Jovovich.
The film opens to a scene of modern-day female soldiers in a battle, armed with firearms and swords, preparing to fight monsters known as "breakers" that emerge from an underground opening called the "stitch". As the enemy gets close, the soldiers engage and the scene cuts to a cabin, where it is revealed that the opening scene was a story told by a father to his daughter Willa. It's also revealed that the soldiers' leader in the opening scene was Willa's mother.
It is further reveled that the breakers can turn men into "hybrids" merely by scratching or biting them. This leaves most men dead or turned, the remaining women lead the fight against the breakers. The breakers are large multi-leg creatures. They can be slowed by bullets but can be most effectively killed by decapitation, leading to the use of swords.
After a breakers attack on their village, Willa and her father escape by boat to a remote island, where they survive on their own. A year later, while playing in the lagoon, Willa spots a girl running along the beach. Willa warns the girl right before she was about to walk into a minefield and attempts to take her to their cabin, but the scared girl refuses. Willa then takes her into a nearby cave, where she sets up a camp. The girl introduces herself as Rosie and tells Willa about her missing brother, and pleads that Willa not tell anyone about her being on the island, to which Willa agrees. Willa then begins to secretly look after Rosie, bringing her food and sharing her father's stories.
One day, during training, Willa injures her father, and knocks him out. After regaining consciousness he deems Willa ready to survive on her own, and grants her his sword. Returning to the cave, Willa finds the camp a mess and Rosie missing. As she looks around, she finds Rosie hunched over, with her clothing torn, and strange scaring on her back. Rosie then turns to face Willa and is revealed to have turned into one of the monsters. She then lets out a loud shriek and attacks Willa. The two struggle briefly until Willa's father comes in and kills Rosie. Recognising the shriek as a call to the other creatures, Willa and her father rush to the south of the island, where a boat is prepared in case they ever needed to escape.
Making their way to a chasm the father is attacked by another creature and gets bitten. Realising that he will soon turn, he sends Willa for the boat on her own, saying that he will delay the other creatures' advance, to give her time to escape. As Willa reaches the boat, she cannot get it into the water and briefly despairs, but remembering one of the father's stories, she prepares to fight the coming creatures. Just then several boats are seen approaching the island. Aboard are soldiers, led by Willa's mother, who orders the boats' machinegunners to shoot the creatures. The film then ends with Willa's father narrating his final words.
In October 2023, Nat McCormick of The Exchange production company said that Brad Anderson would be directing a science fiction action film titled Worldbreaker with Joshua Rollins writing the screenplay. [2]
In February 2024, Luke Evans and Milla Jovovich joined the cast in undisclosed roles, [3] and Billie Boullet was cast as their daughter the following month along with Mila Harris. [4]
Principal photography began on March 13, 2024, in Northern Ireland, and wrapped on April 22. [5] [6]
In May 2024, Signature Entertainment acquired UK and Irish distribution rights to the film from the Exchange at the Marché du Film, planning to release the film sometime in 2025. [7] The film was first released in the Philippines on November 5, 2025. [8] Aura Entertainment will release the film in the United States on January 30, 2026. [9]
The film received mixed-to-negative reviews on Imdb and other websites, with viewers criticising the film's slow pacing, uninspired story, unlikeable lead, and a lack of a proper payoff. An additional point of criticism was Mila Jovovich, who barely appeared in the film, but was prominently featured on the poster and listed as the film's lead.