‘THE END IS PROBABLY ALMOST NEARLY HERE’ is a dark comedy about Advertising, Religion and Prophecy.
John, an Advertising Guru, has misgivings when the numbers 666 appear on his head. Omens of the Apocalypse emerge, piercing the veil. The Bride-to-Be accuses him of being You-Know-Who. But how can he be the Antichrist, if he’s the Best Man at their wedding?
Imagine:
Beetlejuice meets The Omen … at a quirky dinner party.
Absurd, chaotic and naughty — but underneath the madness, it’s a satire about groupthink, blind faith and the seductive power of advertising.
WHY WE’RE MAKING THIS FILM
- As the director, I’m inviting you to be a part of our feature comedy, and I need your help making it a reality.
- We are living in a time of upheaval and tumult. Advertising and social media compete for our attention and attempt to colonize our minds. AI encroaches on realms once considered uniquely human and creative. Everyone feels on edge. End-of-the-world scenarios sprout like weeds. The pace of change feels relentless, even threatening. And yet, if we step back, there is still a sunny side.
- I invite you to join me on this soul-searching journey. Filmmaking is the art of exploring the darkest corners of ourselves. It allows us to laugh at others, and ourselves. Through comedy, we wander the vast ruins of social tragedy. We can pitch our tent there… build a playground in the rubble. Friends gather. We carve out space for mischief, for laughter, maybe even for hanky-panky. ‘The End is Probably Almost Nearly Here’ is such a space — a clearing among the monsters. Like children, we watch the grown-ups and shake our heads. And now, as we begin to grow up ourselves, we dare to imagine something better.
- The beauty of comedy is that it lays bare our ugliest truths in cauterizing sunlight, allowing us to laugh at our own chaos. James Carman
The beauty of a comedy is our ugliest truths and taboos are laid bare in cauterizing sunlight, letting us laugh at our own chaos.
THE STORY
‘The End is Probably Almost Nearly Here’ explores how our culture mixes fanaticism with consumerism, righteousness with branding, and morality with marketing. Itmirrors our societal struggles through the story of four friends meeting for an overnight stay. Advertising Guru, John, and his scintillating wife, Lili, invite John’s frat buddy, Duncan, and his fiancée, Fiona, over for a cross-country visit. They expect to regale their friends with an evening of laughter and fine dining. Instead, they’re tormented by ominous omens.
The overnight stay gets off to a rocky start when Fiona tries to remove the numbers 666 etched on John’s scalp. Fiona, who is uber-religious, sees the Antichrist in every move John makes. Fiona’s misguided heroics quickly escalate. A pitched battle between a Religious Zealot and a Corporate Captain ensues. She tries to kill John with a butcher knife in order to ‘Save the World’. John staves her off with fuzzy logic and magnetic allure.
As the evening veers towards midnight, no punch is left unthrown. The sumptuous dinner becomes a Last Supper for the Apocalypse. Supernatural mayhem is unleashed upon their lavish estate. Does this party finish with Chocolate Mousse — or Armageddon?
WHO WE ARE
James Carman — Writer/Director
James explores the veil between the ordinary and the otherworldly.
- Director of the globally distributed feature documentary, The Hidden Hand; Alien Contact and the Government Cover-Up, winner of 5 awards.
- Creator of the sci-fi graphic novel HyperParanøid: An Ascension Story, an Amazon best-seller.
- Cinematographer for 5 films featured in the MoMA retrospective of Bruce LaBruce.
- Speaker at the G-20 Summit in Rio on science-fiction and human rights.
- Producer and Director of Bitter Brownies, his 2023 short film, winner of over 130 awards worldwide — proving that audiences have an appetite for comedy that bites.
Cinematographer for Shulea Cheang’s ‘3x3x6’ which was the centerpiece of the Taiwan Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale.
David MacGregor — Playwright/Screenplay writer
Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright.
Winner of the Sir Author Conan Doyle, Doylean award.
Resident Artist at Jeff Daniel’s The Purple Rose Theatre Company. Creator of nine acclaimed stage productions and multiple Sherlock Holmes novel adaptations.
Jürgen Brüning — Producer
A veteran producer known for cutting-edge cinema. Jürgen produced 9 feature films which were shown at the 2015 MoMA Retrospective of Bruce LaBruce.
He produced 3 films for 2024 Gugenheim Artist of the Year, Shu Lea Cheang. Her ‘3x3x6’ was Taiwan’s entry in the 2019 Venice Biennale.
He produced Thunska Pansittivivorakul’s ‘Danse Macabre’, 1st Prize Taiwan Int. Doc. Film Festival and ‘Santhikiri Sonata’, 1st Prize Int. DocLisboa FF.
He produced Cheryl Dunye’s ‘Mommy is Coming’, (Berlinale Premiere). He’s collaborated with artist, Nan Goldin, writer, Dennis Cooper, fashion icon, Tony Ward and many more.
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR
We’ve already completed:
- Full screenplay
- Animated concept trailer
- Director’s pitch deck
- Production team assembled
- Location scouted
- Budget outline
- Marketing and distribution roadmap
- Early festival strategy
- Fans and following generated from Bitter Brownies success
This campaign will help us take the next crucial steps:
- casting,
- pre-production, and
- locking in our shooting schedule.
WHY KICKSTARTER & WHAT YOUR SUPPORT DOES
This isn’t just about raising money — it’s about raising community.
Films like this are rarely made within the traditional studio system. They’re too weird. Too bold. Too satirical. Too original.
Kickstarter lets us:
- keep the film independent.
- retain creative freedom.
- cast the right actors (not whoever fits Hollywood algorithms).
- build a community of backers who want daring storytelling.
- prove audience interest to additional financiers & distributors.
Every dollar goes directly into production needs — including:
- casting
- camera & lighting
- location & set design
- Stunts
- practical & VFX effects
- props & wardrobe
- Soundtrack composition and recording
- Original artwork / conceptual art
- post-production
- festival entry fees & marketing
You aren’t just funding a film — you’re giving birth to a new comedy cult classic.