Summary

Collider’s Steve Weintraub sat with Last Days’ Justin Lin, Sky Young, Toby Wallace, and Marny Kennedy at Sundance 2025.

Lin talks about returning to indie films, monsoons destroying sets, financing struggles, and Keanu Reeve’s last-minute save.

The cast were inspired by each other, the welcoming set and the story; and Yang also teases a future project with Corin Hardy.

From the Fast and Furious franchise to Star Trek Beyond, Justin Lin has directed many widely popular blockbusters, but this year, he returned to his roots at the Sundance Film Festival. 2002 was the first time Lin entered the festival, with his debut Better Luck Tomorrow launching his career as it was acquired by MTV and even defended by Roger Ebert during the screening. Now, Lin returns to his indie roots with another drama that looks at how an Asian-American man is driven down a specific path due to family and social pressures in Last Days.
Except this time, Last Days is inspired by the true story of missionary John Allen Chau, who tries to convert “an uncontacted tribe” in North Centinel Island to Christianity while a detective embarks on the same treacherous journey to stop him. Sky Yang (Rebel Moon) takes the lead in this film, conveying each side of Chau’s story, including his wide-eyed idealism, nurtured religious extremism, and the overall tragedy. Chau escapes his strict father only to be vulnerable to the over-zealous teachings of a radical missionary, ultimately leading to his reckless and misguided adventure. Yang is also joined by Radhika Apte, Naveen Andrews, Ken Leung, Toby Wallace, Ciara Bravo, and Marny Kennedy to tell this story.
The film premiered at the festival this year, where Collider’s Steve Weintraub sat down with Justin Lin, Yang, Wallace, and Kennedy at our media studio at the Rendezvous Cinema Center to talk about their experience filming and connecting to Last Days. Lin reveals his process behind choosing to return to indie cinema after playing with big-budget films for so long and talks about the different issues he had on set, including monsoons, tight schedules, and financing (fixed by the grace of Keanu Reeves). The cast members recall the welcoming environment on set and being inspired by each other, with Yang also talking about losing 30 pounds during the shoot and teasing future projects. Watch the video above to hear about how they overcame on-set setbacks straight from the cast and director, or you can read the transcript below.
What Is ‘Last Days’ About?

Image by Photagonist

COLLIDER: People watching this won’t have seen [Last Days] yet. How have you been describing it to friends and family?
JUSTIN LIN: The film is about an exploration of John Allen Chau, who is a Christian missionary, and his journey to North Sentinel Island, which is illegal because there’s an uncontacted tribe that’s been there for thousands of years. I think this film is trying to kind of connect to this humanity of what makes someone go on that journey.
For all three of you, I imagine you all read scripts, so what was it about this script that said, “I want to be a part of this?”
SKY YANG: For me, there was just huge humanity in it. I initially, when reading the story, had similar judgments to most people, and the more I read and the more I got to know about John and his life, the more we were able to connect to those levels of humanity. I think it really takes a hard look at how lost you can get in fantasies and miss moments with the people who matter in your lives.
MARNY KENNEDY: Similarly, I think definitely we all have agreed that the understating throughline in this film—contrary to, as I’m sure a lot of viewers are expecting it to be, quite a commentary on religious themes or extremities and all that sort of thing—is really, I think the thing that struck me about this particular project is the need to be understood, the need for love, the need for connection. And I think that’s so universal, obviously. That just permeates throughout the entire script and that just jumps off the page, so you just immediately want to be part of bringing that story to life.
TOBY WALLACE: I agree with these two. It’s just a super relatable story about this young guy who’s really, really passionate. He’s got a lot of faith. He’s got a lot to prove. And he’s got a deep need to belong. It’s just a really relatable story.
Thank You, Chris Pine, for Justin Lin’s Return to Indie Filmmaking

“I think that is the indie spirit. You have to be obsessive.”

So you’re back at Sundance for the first time in 22 years. What is it like being back here? You started here at Sundance, and then you have made some pretty big movies and are now returning to your indie roots.
LIN: I think a lot has changed in the size and scope, but I would say that it’s also maintained what’s so special about this film festival, which is to celebrate voices, points of views, and stories—especially now in the mainstream, where I think everything is kind of dictated by a lot of algorithms and stuff like that— and to be able to do something different and to be able to have that platform to share with the world.
You’re in that rare boat where I’m sure you are offered a lot of scripts and the ability to make really big-budget movies, spectacles, pretty much like what you want to do. You have a lot of choices. So, what was that inner voice that said, “I want to go back to making something smaller, more personal?”
LIN: It’s interesting because when I started in 2002, I had no opportunity. It took 10 credit cards and an amazing group of people to bring that to life, and it somehow opened the door. I just wanted to try everything, and I was very fortunate to try both in features, TV, everything. It’s interesting. We were shooting Star Trek Beyond, and Chris Pine, I was talking to him, and he said, “Man, it’s a privilege that you’ve earned now. You have to go make some indie movie because you can do it now.” And this is 2016, so I’m like, “Of course, that’s what I want to do.” And then all of a sudden, like 20 years in, I realize, “Oh, you know what? You can’t just say that.” Because if you say that, there’s going to be all these other things that people are presenting.
Independent film is about, “Okay, I got to stop everything and let’s try. Can we do this?” And that was 2021 when I first decided to get into this project, and it was 2022 that I was like, “Okay, let’s go.” It ended up being almost a three-year journey, and it’s like the only break I’ve had in 20-some years as a filmmaker. I think that is the indie spirit. You have to be obsessive. You have to say 10,000 times when people are like, “This is why you don’t make this movie,” and you’re like, “No, let’s go see if we can find people of like-minds.” For this movie, literally, the cast and crew from around the world came to help bring this film to life.
How tough was it for you on something like this to actually get the financing, and how much was it someone saying, “I can help you finance this, but I’d also like you to make this?”
LIN: In the first chapter of this, there were a lot of booby traps. Like, “If you do this, we’ll do that. If you cast this…” It got to a point where it was very clear to me that that’s not this journey. Sometimes, projects, when you commit to it, you realize, “Oh, this is the journey that we have to go on.” I would even say that developing this project, what I thought this movie was going to be versus, through three years of development, it became a different movie logistically, stylistically. That’s something that I feel you don’t get in the big movies. With big movies, usually there’s a start date, there’s a release date, and you commit to that point of view, and you can’t veer because there’s no time. This was a gift, creatively, to say, “I thought I was going to make this little intimate film…” but you’re developing it and working on it, and you don’t have a deadline because nobody’s asking you to go make this movie. You just keep grinding and keep grinding.
What was interesting was that we were basing it on a lot of John Allen Chau’s Instagram posts, his journal, and Alex Perry’s amazing article. I realized John Allen Chau is the storyteller. He is the narrator, and I can sit here and give him notes? What am I gonna do? I wanted to honor that. So, to fill in the gaps, I realized we had to use a lot of genre conventions because he was very clearly inspired by big adventure movies and novels. What was supposed to be this intimate character study, which it still is, I feel like the best way to do it is to bring the scope and sense of adventure that he was trying to share with us. It’s a little scary because I knew that if we did that, I needed to make sure that we had an amazing cast that could really embody all these characters to be able to fill in and bring that humanity. So we went on this really long journey, we set a worldwide net, and I feel so fortunate to be able to work with this amazing group of talented people to bring them to life.
Iceland Is an Important Part of Yang’s Character in ‘Last Days’

“There’s such a sincerity to John’s character; there’s such an integrity to him.”

Image by Photagonist

I love learning about how actors get ready for their first day of filming. Hypothetically, you’re going to shoot on a Monday. What are you like the two or three weeks leading up to that shoot or longer? When are you starting to inhabit your character and figure things out and getting in that headspace?
WALLACE: Other than anxious? [Laughs]
KENNEDY: [To Yang] Yours is definitely the most intense.
YANG: The whole process, as with indies, to my recollection, we started up and then got shut down on three separate occasions. Each time it really felt like we were going to go for it, and so you have no option but just to dive in headfirst. I think there’s such a sincerity to John’s character; there’s such an integrity to him. I just wanted to make sure that when I said his words, Justin’s words, that they hit home and that they felt sincere.
A lot of it was wrapping my head around the exact energy and mentality and the mindset of someone who’s coming into that place, that sort of mindset, which is someone who’s willing to give their life for something beyond themselves. That’s not something that I think a lot of people can grasp. I think it’s still something that I struggle to grasp, to be so selfless, regardless of your belief of whether you align with them or not. It’s sort of stepping into that mindset. It’s stepping into the communities that he was in. We even had to do some additional shooting prior, so we went out and drove around Iceland and shot for a week out of a van. It was physical preparation. It was accent work. It’s just doing what you can to make sure you respect the person.
Iceland is beautiful.
YANG: It is incredible.
For people that have never been, I was lucky to go once, and it’s like visiting another world.
YANG: Oh my gosh, the landscapes there. I think that was part of the reason we chose it was there are so many different landscapes that you can occupy and inhabit. Especially for our version of John—there should be a distinction made between our version and the real John—the way that he connects to faith and something higher is through the environment. There’s so much glory to be found in that.
Despite Numerous Setbacks, Justin Lin Fosters a Safe On-Set Environment

“You would never know all the pressure that Justin was under.”

Image by Photagonist

KENNEDY: I’ve not experienced such a gap in between reading a script, auditioning, receiving the role, and then obviously being on set. Normally, you can stomach that sort of thing, but because we cared so deeply, the scripts were lightning in a bottle, basically. I think that preparation, just on a personal level, was really difficult because you just want to be a part of this thing that you know is going to be really special. As soon as we were on set, I think it was guns blazing. We were just all so keen and so ready, and I think so humbled, as well.
LIN: Let me give a little context. I’ve made big movies, and I knew that our ambition for this movie logistically would have been like 90-something days. We shot this in 38 days in Thailand, UK, India, Iceland, California. We went everywhere, and it was incredible. I mean, the stress I put the cast through… [Laughs]
KENNEDY: Not at all, though, because you create environments with the cast and crew. That’s the important part. You’ve got this beautiful crew from all parts of the world and all of that is just so irrelevant once you get on set. You’re so happy to be there because of that, regardless of all the obstacles you have. You, in particular, Justin, you would never know. You walk on the set, and it’s just big, wide open arms, and you’re so safe, and you’re so welcome. You would never know all the pressure that Justin was under. You would just never know.
YANG: He makes an incredible community that’s really just dedicated to that vision and is unrelenting in doing it. It will get done.
WALLACE: For actor prep stuff, I think it changes job to job. There’s something to be said about doing loads and loads of work for a thing, and that’s always going to pay off. Sometimes not doing some of the work and just turning up on the day and letting things come to you is the right way to go. But I must say, I don’t want to talk on your experience too much, but I was quite inspired by Sky, to be honest. I haven’t really seen commitment like that in a little while. Sky, I’m not going to speak on your experience at all, but he just did a lot of work. Coming up to the film, there was a lot of time, obviously, like we were saying, and he did a tremendous amount of work with those communities. I was just really impressed by it. I was super impressed by his prep and inspired by it.
Sky Yang Lost 30 Pounds for ‘Last Days’ 38-Day Shoot

“We just really want to make a distinction between the different stages that John goes through.”

Image via Brillstein Entertainment

There’s something I specifically want to talk about that I read in the press notes. You guys mentioned you filmed it in 38 days, but you filmed it backwards. So, someone lost 30 pounds during the shoot? That’s what I read.
LIN: Thirty pounds. Because of trying to get to day one, we had a lot of obstacles, and Sky was fully committed. After we started working together, he would literally be FaceTiming me from Oklahoma, and he’d be by himself. I felt very kind of fatherly at some point. I’m like, “Oh my god, he literally is just going around the world.” We found that kind of connection. To a point, I felt like it had to be part of the process. Sky is a filmmaker, [and] Darius [Shu], they’ve made films together, and I really liked it. I ended up kind of collaborating. I said, “Look, you shouldn’t be going by yourself,” so Darius went with him to Iceland, and we ended up kind of making film. When you make these big-budget movies, you have different units around the world and I kind of use that as part of the process of this.
I would say there were two transformations. First, he had to become John who’s been hardened, and it took a year of just working out. In Thailand, we were all sitting together at 5 a.m. before I’d go on the scouts. I’d get up, and I’m writing, and I look out the window every morning and Sky is there just working out, and we could see each other. It just became part of the process. After we were done in Thailand, like two weeks in, I remember I called them and said, “Now what are we going to do? We need another body.” [Laughs]
YANG: There’s a scene later on where John has to strip down, and we just really want to make a distinction between the different stages that John goes through, both physically, but then also what that does to his state of mind. We wanted to see him go from being very visibly younger and then developing, maturing, and honing skills, learning more about himself, finding himself more, getting lost along the way, and bumping into some strangers, various characters.
‘Last Days’ Sets Were Destroyed by Monsoon Season

But Sky Yang kept delivering that monologue!

Image by Photagonist

Many people try to film movies in order or as close to being in order because it helps everyone with their headspace and stuff. Going backwards is a fucking challenge. What the hell was that like mentally for both of you trying to keep track of everything? Because it’s incredibly ambitious.
YANG: I wouldn’t let anyone into my hotel room. I just had a giant wall plastered with timelines and notes and different stages broken down into what it was because we never really knew exactly what might shift or what might change. You have to have that mapped out. Otherwise, you don’t know where your character’s coming from or where they’re going to. You have to be in the right place for it. You have to be ready for anything.
LIN: Probably the craziest puzzle we had was monsoon season approaching us, and we had to get out of Thailand to get to the UK. [Laughs]
KENNEDY: We laugh now.
LIN: I’m used to it. You just do the puzzle. But I was really impressed. I think on day two, Marny came on, and we shot backwards, and her reaction to Sky, I remember seeing it, and I thought, “They got it.” It was all that prep. It really worked. It’s a testament to this amazing cast. We go there, and we talk about it, and they just came ready. They embodied it. It’s not just about these characters being on-screen. For this film to work, they had to feel lived in. They really came ready. Even with Toby, we went around the world, and it was going backwards on that one, too.
WALLACE: It was literally monsoon season because we were getting so many storms coming through. I’ll never forget doing one scene where they were over my shoulder at one point on Sky, and he’s giving this beautiful speech about something, and literally, this monsoon hit. It was so loud, and he just kept doing it. Just kept performing it.
LIN: I wouldn’t call cut.
WALLACE: Behind his back, there are a bunch of windows, and you literally see the gaffers’ equipment go flying past. All these gaffers are screaming, running past the window, and he just stayed in it the whole time, and I was like, “This is hilarious.”
LIN: That take’s in the movie, by the way. He just wouldn’t break character. And I’m like, “I’m not cutting. Even if the lights are being blown away.”
KENNEDY: Fix it in post.
WALLACE: Things are exploding.
LIN: It’s crazy because I remember I called cut, and I closed my eyes. We had three sets across town, and I’m like, “I bet you they’re all washed out.” And Clayton [Townsend] came up to me five minutes later, and he goes, “All three sets, gone.” So, that’s indie filmmaking.
WALLACE: It was supposed to be a desert and it got flooded.
KENNEDY: It was historic, almost.
Every time you turn on the news about a weather event, it’s always like it’s a once-in-a-generation thing—except it’s happening every day. I don’t know if that’s anything to do with climate change. Hypothetically.
Keanu Reeves Financed ‘Last Days’ in a Moment of Crisis

“I’m forever grateful.”

Photo by Jefferson Chacon

One of the things that I read was that Keanu Reeves was instrumental in helping to get this made. Is that true?
LIN: I think with that being an independent film process and journey, you have angels that come. In our case, for a year, we thought we had our financing, and I met some people, and it turned out not to be true. It’s one of those darkest moments where I felt like, “I tried my best. We tried.” I felt really bad because Sky was already prepping, and I’m like, “Oh, I think that’s it…” Then Keanu called out of the blue, and he’s like, “I heard you’re having some problems. I want to help.” It was so inspirational. Look, I’m at a point in my life where I’m lucky enough to have resources, also, and it was so inspiring. I decided, “Let’s go. Let’s just commit to it, and let’s have our start date.”
I think that act, that call that I got, was so instrumental because what it did was, once we had that start date committed—it was me and Keanu—it changed the tone because we were going to make the movie no matter what. Then from, like, the worst of humanity, I felt like I started meeting all these great people, amazing people of like mind, and they started coming on and joining us. Look, every independent film has similar journeys, and I think on this one, that was pivotal. He really set the tone, and he didn’t have to, and I’m forever grateful. We wouldn’t be here without him.
I’ve been lucky enough to interview him many times and talk to him, and he is the fucking nicest person I’ve ever met.
KENNEDY: It’s a very on-brand story.
He’s just the best.
Yang Teases Upcoming Project, ‘Whistles’ With Corin Hardy

Image via Netflix

Before I run out of time, I have to ask you an individual question, if you don’t mind. I’m a fan of Corin [Hardy], and I’m curious about Whistle.
YANG: Where do I even begin?
I don’t want to spoil anything, but it sounds like it’s a pretty crazy idea for a movie.
YANG: It definitely is. It’s a really thrilling high school horror that also examines what it’s like to be stalked by your own deaths. It features an incredible, incredible collective cast and creatives. Again, similar to this, it was an independent, and they just went through it trying to get it made. Corin’s vision is just beyond visually. If you’re a fan of his, you know. He’s got such a clear vision, and I’m really excited to see it come to life.
Now, I’m gonna ask the most important question I’ve been waiting this entire interview to ask. Will you ever update your IMDb profile pic?
LIN: [Laughs] I can do that? Who does it?
I can help you with this. People, look him up on IMDb and look at the picture. It is crazy that that’s the picture. Do you know what picture is there?
LIN: No. What are you trying to say? That I’m an old man now?
YANG: It’s a great picture.
It’s a super close-up shot of your face, sort of leaning on the side. It’s definitely from when you were younger.
KENNEDY: I’m loving this.
Have you ever noticed?
LIN: No, I’ve never gone on IMDb.
KENNEDY: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
YANG: If that was my picture, I’d keep it for sure.
KENNEDY: I might make it my picture.
Have you really not gone and looked at that? I know people at IMDb. I can help you if you want to update it.
KENNEDY: No, it’s going to be all of ours.
LIN: Let’s keep it the way it is.
Justin Lin Is Currently Working on Several Different Projects

“Optionality: having that is definitely a privilege.”

Moving on to the next thing. Are you actually filming Seven Wonders? What’s up with that?
LIN: No, I’m not filming. It’s a miracle any independent film gets made. It’s been a four, three-year journey for us. And to be here this week, I’m just really grateful. A lot of people are flying in, and we have our premiere on Tuesday. I’m fortunate to be working on a lot of different projects. Next week when I get back home, we’ll see. With all these things, you just kind of keep grinding and keep working.
My best story about this to let people know is that Guillermo del Toro has said he’ll develop eight things because he doesn’t know what will actually get financing. Right after he won the Oscar, he told me one of his projects, they were like, “No.” They just straight up canceled it.
WALLACE: Should have called Keanu Reeves. [Laughs]
But that’s just the way Hollywood is. It’s really hard to make things. Obviously, this must have been an energizing experience for you, returning to your roots. How much are you thinking about for the future doing more indies? You’re one of the few that gets to play in that really big sandbox.
LIN: Look, it’s interesting because, again, coming from no opportunity, there were a lot of surprises for me personally. Growing up as a latchkey kid, I didn’t realize how hard it is and how much I enjoyed making procedural pilots. That is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but it’s also very enjoyable. I’m at a point, I’m on this side of 50 now, where I think things are more precious. But I don’t know. Sometimes, when I wake up, sometimes I get excited, and you just keep grinding, and then whatever pops. Optionality: having that is definitely a privilege. That’s something I don’t want to take for granted.
Special thanks to our 2025 partners at Sundance including presenting partner Rendezvous Capital and supporting partners Sommsation, The Wine Company, Hendrick’s Gin, neaū water, and Roxstar Entertainment.

Last Days

Release Date

January 28, 2025

Runtime

120 minutes

Writers

Ben Ripley

Producers

Clayton Townsend, George F. Heller, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Eric Robinson