Sarah Wayne Callies (“Prison Break,” AMC’s “The Walking Dead”) and Emmy-winning actress Anne Winters (Night School, go90 series “Zac & Mia,” “The Orville”) are set to join gritty crime thriller, Atlas King. The news comes hours after trades broke the news of the film’s sales launch via Punch It Films this month at Cannes.
The two join actors George Finn, and former UFC Champion and actor Michael Bisping on the film from director Nika Agiashvili (Tbilisi, I Love You, writer on Daughter Of The Wolf); Bisping is partnering with LA film Storyman Pictures to launch the production and finance label at the Marché du Film with plans to shoot later this summer in Downtown Los Angeles.
ATLAS KING follows a hardened ex-fighter (Bisping), who comes back to town after years in exile to bury his best friend and settle old debts. Reunited with his godson (Finn), a street-level enforcer tied to a criminal syndicate, the two forge an uneasy alliance and plot a high-stakes heist to escape the grip of a ruthless mob boss.
The press release also reaffirms that Atlas King is the first title in a slate of action films to come from the label, tethering Storyman with Bisping’s access to the global MMA community in its high-quality, cost-efficient filmmaking initiative. Bisping’s screen credits away from the octagon partly include Lionsgate’s Den Of Thieves, as well as Well Go USA’s Triple Threat, and Paramount’s xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage.
“Having Sarah Wayne Callies and Anne Winters join the cast brings authenticity and depth to roles that are central to the heart of Atlas King. With our first feature, we’re setting the tone, elevated action, emotional stakes, and characters that leave a mark. And with Punch It Films, we’re continuing our partnership with Michael Bisping, focused on a slate of sharp, high-impact action films that hit on every level,” said Agiashvili.
Callies is repped by Gersh and More / Medavoy Management. Winters is repped by Brave Artists Management and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich, Goodell & Gellman.