Acquisitions and Release

Promotional photo from Kill for Fantastic Fest

KILL: Lionsgate Takes Hindi Action Crowdpleaser For North America And UK Release In 2024

The last several years have been transformative for Indian cinema in the Western world, with Telugu hit RRR planting its feet firmly on a global scale. That puts studios like Lionsgate in a really great position to do what it just did as of Monday when the studio announced its acquisition of Kill, Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s Hindi-language high-speed action thriller that won fans and critics over from its World Premiere last month in Toronto. Actor Lakshya in his debut lead role headlines Bhat’s action flick centered on a man who boards a passenger train to New Delhi to win over the woman he loves, only to find himself going toe-to-toe in an all out action-packed, bone-crushing and brutal adventure against a gang of bandits. The film also stars Raghav Juyal and Tanya Maniktala. TIFF Programmer Peter Kuplowsky had the following to say in his notes on the thriller: With the […]

DUCHESS: First Look At Newest Charlotte Kirk Action Thriller Nabbed By Saban For 2024 Release

Lee B. Golden III

The first few stills are now out for Neil Marshall’s new action thriller, Duchess. Saban Films has acquired U.S. rights to the pic for a 2024 release, as announced on Thursday by Palisades Park Pictures CEO, Tamara Birkemoe. Starring Charlotte Kirk who also penned the pic with Marshall, Duchess follows no-nonsense Scarlett Monaghan (Kirk) and her rise from a working-class petty criminal to becoming a ruthless organized crime leader in the seedy underbelly of the diamond smuggling circuit of Tenerife. Also starring are Philip Winchester (”Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), Sean Pertwee (Fox’s “Gotham,” Event Horizon), Colm Meaney (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” Con Air with Nicolas Cage) and Stephanie Beacham (“Dynasty,” “The Colbys”). Emily Corcoran produced the film for Cork Films next to Kristyna Sellnerova. Joe Simpson is exec producer alongside Simon Williams, Jonathan Bross and Matthew E. Chausse of Ashland Hill Media Finance, and Norman Merry and […]

THE G Teaser: Vengeance Is Timeless In The New Winter Noir Thriller Starring Dale Dickey

Lee B. Golden III

Touched director Karl R. Hearne is making headway going into the new year with dark new thriller, The G. The movie is slated have its World Premiere in Official Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on November 11 before rolling out in Canadian cinemas in the new year through levelFILM. Ann Hunter (aka “The G”, played by Dale Dickey) and her husband retired to an unnamed American suburb 10 years ago to be near his family. But one day out of the blue they are snatched from their home by a corrupt legal guardian who believes they have hidden wealth. Their home and assets are legally stripped from them and they are put in a prison-like “eldercare facility,” victims of an exploding old age industry. Trapped in a corrupt and terrifying system, THE G begins to show her true mettle as she and her loyal granddaughter fight to […]

BAD BLOOD: Dan Tran’s New Vietnamese Action Comedy Comes To Select U.S. Theaters This Month!

Lee B. Golden III

Dan Tran’s latest action comedy just had its theatrical run as of August with Bad Blood, featuring Kieu Minh Tuan, Mac Van Khoa, Quoc Troung and Mai Cat Vi. Tran is now heading up its select theatrical release exclusively at Cinemark, Regal and AMC theaters through his Blue Lantern label, and the official trailer and poster are out as well. Lam, a notorious henchman, lives quietly in a poor neighborhood. When his stepdaughter is missing, he goes back to the remnants of his past criminal network for help and faces a new generation of deadly adversaries. Click here for the trailer and take a gander at some cool character art ahead of its October 27 release in select U.S. theaters, and follow the film on Facebook as well!

Promotional photo from The Invisible Fight

THE INVISIBLE FIGHT: Kino Lorber Takes Estonian Kung Fu Romp For North America. Check Out The Teaser!

Lee B. Golden III

Director Rainer Sarnet’s Estonian kung fu comedy, The Invisible Fight, is currently enjoying reactions out of Fantastic Fest this week following its previous main competition premiere at Locarno last month. The film is currently set to screen at the next edition of Sitges in October, as well as Latvia for the tenth Riga International Film Festival. USSR-China border, 1973. Rafael, is in the army on guard duty when the border falls under attack from flying Chinese kung fu warriors. Utterly fascinated by the long-haired Chinese hippie black-clad kung fu aces flying around blasting forbidden Black Sabbath music from their portable radio Rafael gets struck by a revelation; he too wants to become a kung fu warrior. Faith leads Rafael to an Orthodox monastery where the black-clad monks do their training but his road to achieving the almighty power of humility required is long, winding and full of kick-ass adventures. The […]

MOSCOW MISSION Trailer: CMC Pictures Announces October Theatrical Releases Outside China

Lee B. Golden III

CMC Pictures is taking the reigns with select releases in multiple territories for action adventure, Moscow Mission. Rejoiing screen leads Andy Lau and Zhang Hanyu since Feng Xiaogang’s A World Without Thieves and Zhang Yimou’s The Great Wall, director Herman Yau’s latest is based on a true story set in 1993, and centers on a pair of Chinese detectives on a mission to hunt down ruthless robbers plaguing the trans-Siberian railway with violence and chaos. Actors Huang Xuan, Jason Gu, and Janice Man also star for the film’s October 5 release in U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and Ireland. The film opens in China this Friday, September 29.

HIT MAN: Richard Linklater’s Latest Nabbed By Netflix For U.S. Amid Multi-Territorial Deal

Lee B. Golden III

Fresh out of premiering in Venice and most recently in Toronto, Netflix has acquired Hit Man, the new movie from Richard Linklater (School of Rock, Dazed and Confused). The film stars Glen Powell (The Expendables 3, Top Gun: Maverick) who penned the film with Linklater based on Skip Hollandsworth’s ‘Texas Monthly’ article. Shot on location in New Orleans in Louisiana, Hit Man sees Powell in the role of Gary Johnson: the most sought-after professional killer in New Orleans. To his clients, he is like something out of a movie: the mysterious gun for hire. But if you pay him to rub out a cheating spouse or an abusive boss, you’d better watch your back – he works for the cops. When he breaks protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive husband, he finds himself becoming one of his false personas, falling for the woman and flirting […]

Freya Tingley and Charles Grounds torch - Time Addicts

TIME ADDICTS Turns The Clock To Release Later This Month In The UK!

Lee B. Golden III

Writer/director Sam Odlum’s latest, Time Addicts, is coming to the UK later this month with an official trailer below announcing its arrival. Starring Freya Tingley (Jersey Boys) and Charles Grounds (Crazy Rich Asians), the film will open exclusively on the Icon Film Channel on September 25 before releasing in selected UK cinemas on October 27. Get ready for a warped, mind-bending and darkly funny experience from the executive producer of The Babadook. In desperate debt to their volatile drug dealer, best friends Denise and Johnny agree to a sketchy job to pay off their last hit – breaking into a decrepit stash house to steal a bag of mysterious drugs. But whilst getting into the house may be easy, escape proves more troublesome, as the pair find themselves trapped inside with a deranged fiend. With no way out and not one to miss an opportunity, Johnny smokes the new drug […]

ROBODOC: THE CREATION OF ROBOCOP Gets Streaming And Disc UK Release Dates

Lee B. Golden III

Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment has officiated an October start date for the release of four-part docuseries, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop. The UK’s own Icon Film Channel will launch the weekly series on October 2, followed by the Blu-ray Collector’s Edition on December 18, with TVOD/EST releasing as of January 1, 2024. The definitive RoboCop documentary has landed! Get ready to deep-dive into the making of the seminal 80’s sci-fi sensation with this 4-part series. Episode 1: 68 MinutesEpisode 2: 78 MinutesEpisode 3: 69 MinutesEpisode 4: 84 Minutes Specs for the 2-disc Special Edition Blu-Ray contains 60 minutes of bonus content and UK-exclusive A4 poster, as well as X4 art cards. Bonus materials are listed as follows: •Meet the Makers•The Weapons of Robocop•Robo Cast Quotes•Art of the Steel•Call To Action•Guns Guns Guns•Part Gan Part Machine All Video Game•Roboteam Assemble•A4 poster•X4 art cards The series is also produced by Michael Perez (Scream: The […]

NOT WITHOUT HOPE: First Look At Zachary Levi Survival Drama Revealed As Key Deals Announced

Lee B. Golden III

The first official look at writer/director Joe Carnahan’s new survival thriller Not Without Hope is now online with sales agent Highland Film Group announcing locked distribution deals in key international territories. Zachary Levi (Shazam! Fury of the Gods), Josh Duhamel (Transformers franchise), JoBeth Williams (The Big Chill), Quentin Plair (Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales”), Terrence Terrell (Netflix’s “Obliterated”) Marshall Cook (NBC’s “Parenthood”), and Floriana Lima (Disney+’s “The Punisher”) star in the pic which wrapped its Malta shoot in June. Based on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller, Not Without Hope follows best friends Nick Schuyler (Levi) and Will Bleakley (Marshall Cook), and NFL players Marquis Cooper (Plair) and Corey Smith (Terrell), as they depart Clearwater, Florida for a day trip at their favorite fishing spot 70 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. As a severe storm heads their way, a trapped anchor causes the boat to capsize, throwing the four friends violently into the freezing water. US Coast […]

Well Go USA Announces CREATION OF THE GODS I: KINGDOM OF THE STORMS For September North American Release. Catch The Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

On the cusp of raking in up to $375 million dollars for its local release, director Wuershan’s Creation Of The Gods I: Kingdom Of Storms will enjoy a North American release later this month from Well Go USA. The film will have special IMAX previews at select theaters from September 20 before rolling out in theaters on September 22. The first installment of the trilogy’s legendary tale — which takes place amidst the furor of mythical ancient wars between humans, immortals and monsters — depicts the rise and fall of King Zhou, the villainous final ruler of the Shang dynasty. After falling prey to the whims of a conniving fox demon and his own thirst for power, the king devolves into a brutal tyrant who incurs the very wrath of heaven for his misdeeds. After seemingly never-ending strings of bloody conflicts, humans and supernatural beings alike will wage a desperate […]

This photo collage is to present the photos of the actor and director of THE CROW (2024). Both photos were released to filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com for reporting on April 1, 2022 by Shelly Josias and Maxine Leonard of Maxine Leonard Marketing & Publicity.

THE CROW: Lionsgate Picks Up Revenge Thriller Reboot Starring Bill Skarsgård Out Of Toronto

Lee B. Golden III

Lionsgate has acquired the newest reboot effort from director Rupert Sanders (Ghost In The Shell) with The Crow, featuring Bill Skarsgård (John Wick: Chapter 4) in the lead role. Danny Huston (Marlowe) and critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter FKA twigs (Honeyboy) also star in the Prague-shot film along with Laura Birn (Foundation), Sami Bouajila (A Son), and Jordan Bolger (The Woman King). Zach Baylin (King Richard) and Will Schneider wrote the script based on the original graphic novel by James O’Barr, whose 1994 Miramax release from director Alex Proyas centered on musician Eric Draven, brought back from the dead to avenge himself and his fiancé a year after their murder on Devil’s Night. Actor Brandon Lee, son of martial arts and screen legend Bruce Lee, was 28 when he landed the title role in the months leading up to his accidental death on the Wilmington, North Carolina set in Spring 1993. As Deadline’s […]

Reiki Tsuno’s MAD CATS Is Coming To Midnight Pulp In Late 2023!

Lee B. Golden III

I’ve been living under a rock of immense work and with very little help, so I completely missed the announcement just over a month ago when Reiki Tsuno’s action comedy, Mad Cats, was acquired by Cineverse to begin streaming exclusively on Midnight Pulp in late 2023. Indeed, that’s the case and so finally folks who’ve been following action actress Ayane on social media and are keen on seeing her breakout role may finally be able to do so. The film had its initial premiere at Slamdance earlier this year and I was one of the fortunate ones to receive a virtual invite to screen and review it. Suffice it to say, I was a happy film critic. Tsuno makes his debut on Mad Cats casting Ayane alongside Sho Mineo, Yuya Matsura and So Yamanaka for the story of an aimless mobile home park dweller who receives a message about the […]

FIST OF THE CONDOR: Dazzler Media Knuckles Up For Marko Zaror’s New Chilean Actioner This October

Lee B. Golden III

Dazzler Media is gearing up to release Ernesto Diaz Espinoza’s latest thriller, Fist Of The Condor, and DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Download beginning October 2. Pre-orders are also available which you can find here. The first of a hopeful trilogy, Zaror stars in the lead role of a monastic warrior beholden to the secrets of an ancient martial arts style. The story explores his origins through training and the incumbent drama that envelopes him into a story of vengeance, forcing him to fend off waves of assassins and hungry henchmen until the day he can step face-to-face with the man trying to kill him: his evil twin brother. The film also stars Gina Aguad, Eyal Meyer, Fernanda Urrejola and Man Soo Yoon.

THE BAKER Readies A Batch Of Violent Retribution On VOD This Month!

Lee B. Golden III

Director Jonathan Sobol’s new crime thriller, The Baker, is coming to VOD on August 29 from Vertical Entertainment. The film stars Ron Perlman of Hellboy and FX series “Sons Of Anarchy” fame, from a script by Thomas Michael and Paolo Mancini. “The Baker” centers on a quiet, solitary man whose estranged son suddenly returns to his life with a granddaughter he never knew existed. When his son disappears on a shady business opportunity, the baker must do everything he can to find his son and protect his granddaughter from the mob hitmen sent to find her. The non-stop action that ensues and truly endearing relationship between the baker and his granddaughter is sure to thrill audiences. Also starring are Elias Koteas (‘Chicago P.D.,’ ‘Shooter,’ ‘The Thin Red Line’), Joel David Moore (‘Avatar series,’ ‘Dodgeball’), and Harvey Keitel (‘Pulp Fiction,’ ‘The Irishman,’ ‘Reservoir Dogs’). The film is produced by Nicholas Tabarrok, […]

NO MORE BETS Trailer: Niu Vision Announces International Releases Of Shen Ao’s New Ripped-From-The-Headlines Crime Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Niu Vision Media is signaling Asian film fans outside of China with its acquisition of Shen Ao’s newest crime drama, No More Bets. The film, which opened three weeks ago in China, rolls out in theaters this Friday in Canada, followed by releases in Australia and New Zealand on August 31, the United States on September 1 and in Malaysia from September 7. The film is based on tens of thousands of real fraud cases, and the horrifying inside story of the entire industry chain of overseas cyber fraud. Programmer Pan Sheng and model Anna were attracted by an overseas recruitment ad and went abroad to seek wealth, but they were scammed and ended up working in a factory. In order to leave, the two are going to attack the gambler Ah Tian and his girlfriend Xiao Yu, take their money, and complete their business… Can Pan Sheng and Anna […]

100 YARDS: Check Out The Official Festival Trailer For The New Martial Arts Drama Coming To Toronto

Lee B. Golden III

Martial arts period drama 100 Yards has been acquired by Well Go USA. The film will release in 2024 following its festival run, which includes an upcoming centerpiece premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall. 100 Yards previously screened in Shanghai back in June. Set in 1920s Tianjin, northern China, the film stars Jacky Heung and Andy On, and tells of the son of a martial arts master and his most talented apprentice, and their fight to take over a prominent martial arts academy. As the story goes, rather than obey the rule of settling disputes behind closed doors, they take their fight to the street. Also starring are Bea Hayden Kuo, Tang Shiyi and Li Yuan, and also marks a reunion with martial arts choreographer Duncan Leung and The Grandmaster co-writer Xu Haofeng, who co-directs the new period martial arts flick with Xu Junfeng. “100 Yards masterfully […]

FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE Gets An Uncut 30th Anniversary 4K Redux In U.S. Cinemas In September

Lee B. Golden III

Film Movement Classics is proudly commemorating Chen Kaige’s high-acclaimed fifth film, Farewell My Concubine, with a debut theatrical release in the U.S. next month. The release will comprise a 4K restoration of the 1993 film, complete with the original and and uncut version featuring late cinema legend Leslie Cheung, beginning with screenings at New York’s Film Forum on September 22, with additional markets to follow. Read the announcement onward and do catch the newest trailer as well! One of the most important motion pictures ever made, FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE is a film of undeniable cultural and social relevance. An innovative, modern production set amidst the deep-seated traditions and vivid tapestry of the Peking Opera, it was selected as one of the “100 Best Films in Global History” by Time magazine and remains the only Chinese-language film to ever win the Palme d’Or. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Film Movement Classics […]

DEVILS: Cineverse Takes South Korean Crime Thriller For Screambox Release

Lee B. Golden III

The 27th edition of Fantasia wraps this week, and that includes the announcement of acquisition news for some select titles. Kim Jae-hoon’s psychological thriller Devils is no different as the flick is now poised for a U.S. run following its pickup by Cineverse last week, according to Deadline’s Liz Shackleton. You’re gonna get a kick out of this one. The film stars Oh Dae-hwan and Jang Dong-yoon in the story of a Seoul Major Crimes unit whose mission to catch a band of serial killers initiates a shocking turn of events, unraveling a tale of body-swap mystery and gruesome intrigue. The movie will launch this Fall on Screambox, which is powered by Bloody Disgusting. Brad Miska, Managing Director of Bloody Disgusting/Cineverse, said: “Screambox fans are going to go nuts for Kim Jae-hoon’s psychological thriller. The film’s suspense and psychological intensity are reminiscent of the classic thriller Face/Off infused with a […]

French Actioner MAYHEM! Goes To IFC Films For U.S. Release In 2024

Lee B. Golden III

Just ahead of its upcoming premiere at Fantasia in Montreal, Xavier Gens’ Mayhem! is on deck to release in 2024 from IFC Films. The film stars Nassim Lyes along with Olivier Gourmet, Loryn Nounay, Vithaya Pansringarm and Sahajak Boonthanakit, from a script by Magali Rossitto, Guillaume Lemans and Gens. Here are the programming notes via the fest’s Matthew Kiernan: Sam (Nassim Lyes) is a man without freedom. With a few months left on his prison sentence, the amateur boxer enters a work furlough program that allows him to taste the freedom to come. But that freedom proves elusive and a tragic event forces Sam to flee to Thailand, where years later he believes he’s found it with a loving wife (Loryn Nounay) and daughter. They hope to build a new life on a beachfront property, but ruthless local gangster Narong (Olivier Gourmet) stands in their way. In order to obtain […]