Actor and action star Iko Uwais is tapped for the lead role in the tentatively titled Warpath, from director Liam O’Donnell (Beyond Skyline, Portals). The film will rejoin both star and director following their previous collaboration on 2017’s sci-fi sequel, Beyond Skyline, with Frank Grillo and Yayan Ruhian.
Sentient Pictures International (SPI) has greenlit two action thrillers for its slate at the Cannes market: Sombra with Juan Pablo Raba (Peppermint, “Narcos”, upcoming Freelance with John Cena), and supernatural thriller Merciless, featuring Frank Grillo (Audience network series “Kingdom”, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Wheelman Copshop, Ida Red).
Lindsay Morgan as Rose Corley in SKYLIN3S (Courtesy of Vertical Entertainment)
FrightFest’s virtual attendees are just days away from its closing premiere event for Liam O’Donnell’s new movie, Skylin3s. Third in line for a saga that’s made a resounding comeback from 2010 through 2017, Skylin3s bookends the current trilogy forthwith, starring Lindsey Morgan (Beyond Skyline, The 100) in what O’Donnell himself ascribes to as the first superhero movie of the franchise.
Credit: James Rico Jr. (Twitter: @RicoJrCrea)
Lindsey Morgan attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Entertainment’s “Pandas” at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on March 17, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Source: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images North America)
Eager as you may be to catch what’s heading to Netflix UK next month, you can at least add the electrying sci-fi hit, Beyond Skyline, to your list of films to stream next month starting April 15. I can’t begin to express how happy I was when I had the chance to finally screen the film for a review as much as the film was able to prove its worth following its lesser-received 2010 predecessor, and rest assured, the addition of Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian to the roster with Frank Grillo and Bojana Novakovic was a plus.
The news was confirmed by noted film professor Christopher Probst who anchored the cinematography on the film’s adventurous production in Toronto and in Indonesia with the cast and crew led by director Liam O’Donnell. Probst delved further into the ins and outs of production with an extensive and detailed behind-the-scenes commentary in an Instagram post that leans well into the comments section, and you can certainly gather the passion applied by all involved, himself included.
Beyond Skyline is currently available on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital HD, and is just one project that may or may not pair Grillo with Uwais in the months to come. It is also not the only Netflix acquistion of late for the Indonesian action star based on what I’ve heard and with at least four slated for arrival between now and next year, I’ll leave it to you to decide which comes first after this one. Happy guessing!
Next month, the alien invasion sci-fi action film, Beyond Skyline comes to Netflix. This project was a labor of love for director Liam O’Donnell @liamodin and I to pull together and when we first met to discuss making the movie, I pitched my fondness of old-school practical effects, classic in-camera slights of hand, creature effects work and achieving a sense of realism in integrating visual effects and practical photography. We both are fans of 80s sci-fi flicks like James Cameron’s Aliens, Predator, The Thing, etc. And those films definitely factored in the back of my mind in approaching the visual execution of our film. While we weren’t able to build every set practically, and many of the large aliens had to be achieved via CGI, I always wanted to anchor any of these elements with practical, on-set interactive lighting and effects . The film was filmed primarily in Indonesia, in Yogyakarta and Batam, while certain portions of the scenes set in Los Angeles were shot in LA and Toronto. The decision to shoot in Indonesia was not only financial but also factored into the storyline. It turned out that there was some sizeable stage space available to us in Batam that afforded us to build more sets and have a home base in close proximity to many of our exterior locations. We shot the film on Red Epic Dragon cameras @reddigitalcinema and Hawk V-Lite Vintage 74 anamorphic @hawkanamorphic lenses. . 1. Our cast of heroes led by Frank Grillo @frankgrillo1, Bojana Novakovic @bojnovak, Iko Uwais @iko.uwais and Yayan Ruhian @yayanruhiam make a stand at one of our Indonesian practical locations: the amazing Prambanan Temple ruins in Yogyakarta. 2. Another view of Prambanan as the characters discover it emerging out of a dense forest. . 3. Downtown Toronto standing in for LA for the opening of the film. In this pic, Mark (Frank Grillo) bails his troubled son Trent (Jonny Weston @jonnywestonofficial) out of jail. This scene was it with a 20x Ultrabounce overhead returning an 18K HMI, and an LRX backlight several blocks down the street. A 12x Full Grid half-light from frame right (lit with 2 2K fresnels) provides a little ground modeling to the talent. (continued)
A post shared by The ASC (@the_asc) on Mar 26, 2018 at 9:41pm PDT
Here’s something to ponder this weekend: What lies ahead for Beyond Skyline director Liam O’Donnell with his next adventure? Such is cause to bring attention to The Last Savage for which O’Donnell’s script was one of the three main winners during the IFFAM Project Market late last year curated by Todd Brown.
The synopsis alone reads plentily of what looks to be as spectacular a jungle survival revenge thriller that may very well read your mind of familiar movie titles before long. The director’s own statement at the time also lends to that very notion next to the following premise and needless to say, if you’re of my mind, I already know that you know you want this movie too.
A cataclysmic flood leaves a boy stranded on a remote island where he’s raised by a family of tigers into Buas, a lethal savage. But Peyton, a high-tech hunter arrives and kills his adopted family before bringing the captured Buas to The Rig, an overpopulated steel island built atop drowned skyscrapers. There, Buas is forced to fight against surgically enhanced gladiators in a deadly arena. Trained by Carver, a legendary warrior gone rogue, and Mel, a brash street racer, Buas must navigate the post-apocalyptic underworld to gain his freedom, get his revenge, and ultimately secure the future of mankind’s survival.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:
While filming Beyond Skyline in Indonesia, I was incredibly inspired by the fierce spirit of its people and the fight to preserve its unique wildlife and habitats. The result is The Last Savage, a cinematic love letter to the pulp adventures of Tarzan, the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max, and the vicious beauty of the martial art Silat. My goal is to synthethize these influences into a riveting adventure with heart that explores the depths and endurance of the human spirit. It is my greatest hope that the character of Buas becomes an international action icon for years to come.
Provided official announcements pending, O’Donnell may be rejoined by Beyond Skyline producer Matthew Chausse for the film which was presented by Lizhi Chen, producer at Hairun Pictures – one of the IFFAM Project Market Sponsors. Part of the presentation was the artwork which you can view below!
The Greg and Colin Strause-directed, independent 2010 critical sci-fi flop, Skyline, left a huge enough dent in box office earnings to warrant some wiggle room for a sequel. Enter Liam O’Donnell, having worked his way up from VFX work on several projects, as well as co-scripting and producing the first film and now sets his sights with a sequel as his directorial debut in Beyond Skyline – a film that by some accounts probably wasn’t expected to happen or even supposed to. It had been four years since the first film and so no one would see an announcement up until 2014, surprising everyone curious and keen, and not for nothing either.
The added touch of throwing in people like Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian would certainly pepper the hype up to a certain degree for fans fond of their work on Merantau, The Raid and it’s sequel; The mere thought of seeing the two for nothing short of an eyeblink in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens would be enough to ensue an outcry a year later to seeing their roles built more on a sci-fi property in the course of their escalation, and delightfully, O’Donnell achieves this with a formula that makes it all work seven years later in front of festival crowds and current exhibitor audiences in Indonesia.
Attaching Wheelman star, actor Frank Grillo gives us another worthy lead role performance this time as Mark, an ex-cop whose strained relationship with his son, Trent, upon bailing him from out of jail sees both swept into an epic fight for survival. That fight begins within the first ten minutes of the film as an armada of alien ships bear down on Earth with its minions reaching inwards of the buildings and tunnels underground, and the film doesn’t hesitate to keep the film moving as the action moves from the streets of Los Angeles to the nightmarish inner bowels of one of the ships, and eventually the jungles of Prambanan temple grounds of Yogyajakarta.
The script is never hampered by lagging and unwarranted character development from smaller roles, while a number of those are still kept interesting enough to lend weight to the story; Antonio Fargas chews up a few moments of scenery in the first act as a homeless former veteran named Sarge while Jacob Vargas helps audiences warm up to the narrative as Mark’s LAPD cohort, Garcia. Bojana Novakovic makes her entry early on as Audrey, a train conductor whose link derails in the tunnels during the invasion.
The introductory rift between Mark and Trent, the latter played by Johnny Weston, is an ample show of the kind of rigid, albeit copasectic relationship they have; You hear what’s not heard, which is as visbile as their affability considering tragedy is the only thing holding these two adults together, and the last thing Mark wants to do is lose his own son under any circumstances.
Some of the most important developments happen in the second act during Mark’s treacherous journey through the ship and its innerworkings, cohesively weaving the narrative together even more from the very top of the film as we learn not only what makes the aliens tick, but that of the film’s narrator. Further instigation accrues later as Mark and Audrey find themselves crashlanding in Indonesia where they cross paths with siblings Sua and Kanya (Iko Uwais and Pamelyn Chee), armed rebels already in progress fighting local military AND the invading aliens holed up with Harper, a hippie expert in cellular biology who contributes to the film’s revelations confirming Mark’s own beliefs based on what he’s witnessed.
The alien design here is exquisite in its display between practical costuming and visual effects, and with features ranging from shrieking blue eyes to tentacles of various sizes of kinds, whole giant alien bodies made of mechanized armor and others acting as hosts for the human beings they snatch. Much ado with bringing the likes of Uwais and Ruhian aboard anything is the inclusion of some meaty fight action, and O’Donnell makes some of the best and brilliant use of this among our human and non-human characters; A retractable gauntlet which you also see Grillo wear in trailers and footage, gives several of our protagonists a significant boost when going toe-to-toe with aliens in possibly some of the craziest, gory fight scenes you’ll ever see.
A pinnacle moment here occurs in the third act with Grillo and Novakovic along with Uwais and Ruhian as the camera swings around from in an almost Avengers-style shot before some serious asskicking begins, and with it, a rare moment with the latter two fighting side by side in a movie. Next to his continual improvement in English, Uwais’s scope as an actor stretches even further in O’Donnell’s inaugural effort with a script that shows him doing something we’ve never seen him do before, and like any notable action star of yesteryear, he looks and sounds gleefully cool doing it.
The hopeful commercial success for a film as splashy, ambitious and categorically rollicking as Beyond Skyline is a hugely deserved one. Granted, any director, and even a decent one at that, can still make a less-than-acceptable film and even if they’re familiar with the property and its preceding installments in some capacity. As imaginably approving as it is, this defintely is not the case – and with a director no less who, for all intents and purposes, has proven himself in more ways than several.
O’Donnell reinvigorates sci-fi here the same way Pete Travis and Alex Garland did when they rebooted Dredd five years ago in 3D – a movie that fell short of expectations at the box office but surged instantly to cult classic status when movie goers who didn’t support it at the time realized just how much they screwed up comparing it to Danny Cannon’s loud and bombastic 1995 predecessor. Provided similar folly doesn’t befall Beyond Skyline, I’d say we’re due for a fantastic threequel we all deserve.
I’m absolutely fired up about the release of Beyond Skyline… except in the states there won’t be a theatrical release, apparently. Instead, Lionsgate will be rolling out the hit sci-fi sequel on DVD, Blu-Ray and VoD on January 16, 2018 in North America, pretty much crusing any of my pre-ordained hopes and dreams amid my own reporting…
Fuck.
Anyway, I reviewed this bastard (check back December 11) and while I won’t be including this in any of my current Five-A-Day articles which I don’t feel like re-editing since I’m currently getting over being sick and the task itself is just damn tiresome, I’m happy to be lending this one with some lip service in the coming weeks. I dug the crud out of this film and I honestly want more after this.
Plotwise, sans the 2010 fumble from the Strause sibs, VFX artist Liam O’Donnell presses on here with actor Frank Grillo and international action star Iko Uwais leading the story of an L.A. detective who gets whisked away into an epic battle for mankind’s survival during a deadly alien invasion in which unlikely allies, and mysteries within the warships will be key to winning the war long term, one battle at a time.
Also starring are Johnny Weston, Bojana Novakovic, Callan Mulvey, Pamelyn Chee and Yayan Ruhian. Peep the Blu-Ray art below courtesy of Dread Central and keep an eye out for special feature info from here on, and feel free to take a stab at PRE-ORDERING the DVD while you’re at it!
There’s nothing new about the latest trailer for Liam O’Donnell’s new sci-fi action adventure, Beyond Skyline. What has changed, thusfar, is the addition of a theatrical release date now set for December 15 from Vertical Entertainment, so if you live in the states and you’re pining for some cult action and fantasy fandom with Frank Grillo and Iko Uwais in the spotlight, best check your local listings.
In the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2010 breakout blockbuster hit SKYLINE, tough-as-nails detective Mark (THE PURGE star Frank Grillo) embarks on a relentless pursuit to free his embittered rebellious son Trent (INSURGENT/ALLEGIANT star Johnny Weston) from a nightmarish alien warship as the extraterrestrial menace continues its human harvest. Set concurrently with the original sci-fi shocker, with Mark and Trent trapped on a subway train as the intergalactic invasion begins, THE RAID franchise martial arts star Iko Uwais joins the thrilling turbo-charged action adventure as a disparate group of survivors must learn the true meaning of family.
If last week’s trailer reveal for Liam O’Donnell’s new sci-fi, Beyond Skyline wasn’t enough, a second trailer has arrived for your viewing pleasure ahead of its upcoming releases. This one delves more into the story and crux of the character played by Frank Grillo who lands in Indonesia at somepoint amid the invasion.
Among our characters, we meet the role played by actress Bojana Novakovic, as well as the image of a young girl who turns out to be the subject of the dialogue as some kind of “key”. This, next to the story of a cop trying to rescue his son from an alien ship just adds more stakes to take in…and from O’Donnell’s own script at that.
Topping it all off course is some tasty action shots featuring Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian, adding further excitment to the film’s push. It comes out in November in Indonesia with other dates in tow.
Watch the trailer now!
The past few years have been a vigorous tug-and-pull over just how long it would be before actor and martial artist Iko Uwais would see a more principal role than in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Landing a more definitive English speaking line in this year’s thriller, Headshot, was just another layer on the waiting cake added until more time passed until now, with actor Frank Grillo front and center with the cast that outlines the first of possible prospects to come between two actors who’ve gotten their start in different markets.
I speak of prospects with a certain action crime saga remake in mind, but in the good name of staying on topic, let’s bring things back into focus. For this, we now turn to the long-awaited first official teaser trailer for the new sci-fi thriller, Beyond Skyline from writer/producer/director Liam O’Donnell who served on the first film from directing duo Colin and Greg Strause back in 2010.
Those who haven’t seen the first film yet have the good fortune of knowing that it won’t be necessary to do so to stay on top of this latest follow up as the story takes off from its own set of events leading up to, and after the alien invasion where Grillo plays a New York detective out to find his son after he’s whisked away onto one of the ships. At some point the story sees its way to the province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia where Grillo’s character crosses paths with a group of kickass rebel fighters (as teased infamously late last year following its CineAsia unveiling).
The film is also the centerpiece of efforts toward its 4D theatrical presenation under the X-Spatial brand. Details will follow there as the film’s rollout nears while the first date now up for grabs will be in Indonesia on November 1, and for this, the trailer, as exclusively unveiled at AICN, delivers on what the past few years have promised in all its body-snatching, alien-battling badass glory; Rest assured, don’t blink or you’ll miss Yayan Ruhian in action as well.
It’s sure been a long time since we heard anything major on director Liam O’Donnell’s new sci-fi thriller, Beyond Skyline. Production wrapped in 2015 and it was a year later in December that footage eventually leaked following an unveiling at an X-Spatial 4D presentation in Hong Kong.
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