Casting

ACCIDENT MAN 2 Casts Actress And Martial Artist Zara Phythian

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Scott Adkins took to Instagram on Friday to share a story post introducing actress Zara Phythian (Tribal: Get Out Alive, upcoming Unit 19) as cast member on the current production of Accident Man 2. Shooting is currently underway in Malta for the sequel which reunites both screen talents for the first time since starring as villains alongside Mads Mikkelsen opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Scott Derrickson’s Marvel’s Doctor Strange (2016). “Zara is one of the best martial artists I’ve had the pleasure to work with. It’s an absolute dream, it makes everything so much easier to be with someone that can just get the job done,” Adkins said, alluding to a fight scene they were filming at the time. He added, “This film, action packed to the max. It will not disappoint.” to which Phythian replied, “Not at all!” Sibling film duo George and Harry Kirby are making their directorial […]

LegacyOfHongo

KAMEN RIDER: BEYOND GENERATIONS Casts Son of Original Kamen Rider

Edward Orndorff

The role of Takeshi Hongo, aka Kamen Rider Ichigo, has since it’s TV debut been played by Hiroshi Fujioka. The actor would go on to be relatively successful in Japanese film, to this day still booking roles regularly. These roles have included returning to the role of Hongo, but for the upcoming Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations film, the role will be carried on by his son, Maito! Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations is the upcoming winter seasonal film featuring the current Kamen Riders and other characters from Kamen Rider Revice and Kamen Rider Saber. Taking place in three different time periods, the movie will feature a story set in 1971, during the origin story of Ichigo. Set as an alternate, or “another”, timeline, the film will cover the day that Takeshi Hongo is transformed into Kamen Rider by Shocker, an evil organization bent on taking over the world. In the original story, Takeshi […]

New Details Shared for KAMEN RIDER BLACK SUN Series

Edward Orndorff

As part of the Kamen Rider 50th Anniversary celebration earlier this year, a re-imagining/reboot of the beloved Showa Era Rider, Kamen Rider Black, was announced. Written by Izumi Takahashi (Tokyo Revengers) and Directed by Kazuya Shiraishi (The Blood of Wolves, Kyoaku), Kamen Rider Black Sun is currently set to debut in Spring of 2022. At an event held by Tamashi Nations, new details and photos have been shared, as well as cast announcement for our protagonist and antagonist. Kamen Rider Black Sun stars veteran actor Hidetoshi Nishijima as Kohtaro Minami, the man who becomes Kamen Rider Black Sun. Tomoya Nakamura plays Nokuhiko Akizuki, Kamen Rider Shadow Moon. Notably, Shadow Moon has never previously been given the title Kamen Rider. Along with these initial cast announcements, the first images of Kamen Rider Black Sun and his Rider Machine, Battle Hopper, were shared. Director Shiraishi said of the project: “The thought of being in […]

Cast

THE LEGEND OF OCHI: A24 Fantasy Epic Sets All Star Cast

Lee B. Golden III

An all-star cast has been assembled for Isaiah Saxon’s feature debut, The Legend of Ochi. Academy-Award Nominee Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, Aquaman), Academy-Award nominee Emily Watson (Everest) and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), and young Golden Globe Nominee, lead actress Helena Zengel (News Of The World, System Crasher) will topline the new fantasy epic which A24 will finance and handle on worldwide releasing. Based on Saxon’s own original characters, world and screenplay, The Legend of Ochi follows a young girl (Zengel) who runs away from home and learns to communicate with an elusive animal species known as OCHI. The film will include an original score by composer and Dirty Projectors founder Dave Longstreth, a frequent collaborator of Encyclopedia Pictura, of which Saxon is also co-founder and shares numerous music video and project directing credits for artists such as Björk, Panda Bear, Dirty Projectors, Kanye West, and Grizzly Bear. Encyclopedia Pictura are currently developing […]

PicsArt_10-29-06.12.52.jpg

THE INTERPRETER: Jake Gyllenhaal To Topline Action Thriller From Guy Ritchie

Lee B. Golden III

News fresh from the AFM ticker tape brings word of the casting of Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (The Guilty, Prisoners, Source Code, Jarhead) for The Gentlemen helmer Guy Ritchie’s latest action-thriller, The Interpreter. Filming is set to commence on January 10, 2022, on location in Spain, with Ritchie directing from a script he co-wrote with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. In The Interpreter, Gyllenhaal will play Sergeant John Kinley, on his last tour of duty and teamed with Ahmed, a local interpreter, to survey the region. When their unit is ambushed on patrol, Kinley and Ahmed are the only survivors. With enemy combatants in pursuit, Ahmed risks his own life to carry an injured Kinley across miles of grueling terrain to safety. Back on U.S. soil, Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given passage to America as promised. Determined to protect his friend and repay his debt, Kinley […]

SILENT NIGHT: Mute Joel Kinnaman Action Thriller Signals John Woo’s Return To Hollywood

Lee B. Golden III

How’s this for ambitious? Legendary filmmaker John Woo is readying a Hollywood comeback with Silent Night, a literally dialogue-free action thriller starring Joel Kinnaman (The Suicide Squad). Deadline‘s AFM-attentive Mike Fleming Jr. broke the news and revealed the following: Sources tell Deadline the story is basic, as a normal father heads into the underworld to avenge his young son’s death. Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Christian Mercuri and Lori Tilkin are reportedly producing with Capstone’s Ruzanna Kegeyan overseeing the project with Joe Gatta. As Fleming Jr. reports, Capstone is in negotiations to finance. This is a big move for Woo in the years since he transitioned from directing hits like Hard Boiled, The Killer And Once A Thief, to riding out his prolific successes on films like Hard Target, Broken Arrow, Face/Off and Antoine Fuqua’s The Replacement Killers, among other titles that fizzled out during his reign stateside ’til 2003. At […]

HFG - THE BLACK DEMON - Josh Lucas - photo credit Luis Mora.jpg

THE BLACK DEMON: Josh Lucas Toplines High Seas Creature Thriller Filming In December

Lee B. Golden III

Josh Lucas (Ford v Ferrari, The Forever Purge) is set to star in The Black Demon, from director Adrian Grunberg (Rambo: Last Blood, Get the Gringo). Lucas will star from a script by Boise Esquerra (Austin Film Festival nominated “Blackwater”), with cameras set to roll in December 2021 on location in the Dominican Republic. Pic hails from Javier Chapa of Mucho Mas Media, and Jon Silk of Silk Mass who are producing next to R.U. Robot’s Peter Jakl. Mucho Mas’ Phillip Braun, Simon Wise, Bruce Barshop, Vincent Cordero, and Highland Film Group’s Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, Henry Winterstern are all exec producing, as will JJ Caruth of HFG’s domestic distribution shingle, The Avenue, and R.U. Robot’s Martin J. Barab. Here is the logline: When oilman Paul Sturges (Lucas) takes his family on vacation to Bahia Azul, the vibrant coastal town he and his wife once knew has mysteriously crumbled and the locals […]

Sope Dirisu - Gangs of London

UNCLE: Sope Dìrísù Cast In Title Role Of New Revenge Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

One of the best gifts to have ever come from the first season of hit series, Gangs Of London, was seeing actor Sope Dìrísù take the mantle as an undercover cop weaving his way into the violent and brutal UK underworld opposite lead actor Joe Cole. It’s a milestone performance that I look forward to spotting in season two as Dìrísù keeps up the habit, and that interest now extends even further in the wake of Tom Grater’s latest Deadline exclusive on revenge thriller, Uncle. After the brutal murder of their family, barely teenage Millie and her uncle John (Dìrísù) embark on a brutal mission of revenge and retribution. But as they get closer to the people responsible, Millie must decide if she is ready to follow the bloody path of vengeance… and its violent, premature journey into adulthood. Casting is currently underway for the role of Millie, according to […]

AAAABSy7tvPF6yjVRui7LYKkVQq1hC6cU4M2s5BVIfORZFam1dAwdkXl-TkLUsPs_Sp2agpMXzxrtHqw6zqTgCtSHdDsWjbL.jpg

Iko Uwais Lands The Villain Role In THE EXPENDABLES 4

Lee B. Golden III

Iko Uwais is joining the fourth installment of The Expendables franchise which is currently filming from director Scott Waugh (Need For Speed). The former stuntman is directing from a script by Spenser Cohen therein revised by Max Adams and John Joseph Connolly. Mike Fleming Jr. and Justin Kroll broke the news at Deadline on Tuesday detailing Uwais’s roll as “a former military officer-turned-arms dealer with his own private army”. The film further reunites Uwais with fellow Triple Threat cohort Tony Jaa, next to a cast that groups a mix of franchise regulars and new faces, one with a story that will ultimately see the titular mercenary team leader, Barney Ross (played by Sylvester Stallone), exiting the franchise by the actor’s own accord and handing the reigns to fellpw franchise lead, Jason Statham. Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture also star next to Megan Fox, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Jacob Scipio, Sheila […]

THE CONTINENTAL Adds Mel Gibson To The Three-Part Event Series John Wick Spin-Off

Lee B. Golden III

Making a rare pivot to television, actor Mel Gibson is joining the John Wick cineverse a la The Continental, Starz’s three-part TV spin-off of the Keanu Reeves-led film franchise from Lionsgate. Deadline‘s Mike Fleming Jr. reports: The Continental will explore the origin behind the hotel-for-assassins, which increasingly has become the centerpiece of the John Wick universe. This will be accomplished through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, who is dragged into the Hell-scape of a 1975 New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the New York’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the iconic hotel, which serves as the meeting point for the world’s most dangerous criminals. No word yet on who’ll play Winston Scott (the hotel owner is played in the films by Ian McShane). Gibson will play a character named Cormac. There’s no […]

I AM VASH: 108 Media And Revolution Set Cast, 2022 Start For 70’s Action Crime Series With ‘Paskal’ And ‘Wira’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Adrian Teh (The Wedding Diary, Paskal, Wira) will direct I Am Vash, an original action crime series that will star award-winning talents, actress Sangeeta Krishnasamy (Best Female Actor winner at the 29th Malaysian Film Award, Adiwiraku) and actor Bront Palarae (Gundala, Fly By Night). 108 Media is producing the series with Zainir Aminullah’s premium production shingle Revolution Media as co-producer, with eight one-hour episodes to commence principal photography next May for an early 2023 premiere. I Am Vash takes its cues from historical events, iconography, and real-life superheroes, written and authentically developed with a cross-border writers’ room for both local and international market appeal, with the show’s dialogue to be primarily written in English and Malay, as well as in Tamil and Cantonese dialects. The series revolves around the crime-ridden seaside town of Port Klang during the groovy 1970s in Malaysia, where we meet Vash, a rebellious policewoman who stands […]

2560px-Bill_Skarsgård_(42716999885).jpg

BOY KILLS WORLD: Bill Skarsgård Toplines SA Shoot For Dystopian Actioner With Samara Weaving and Yayan Ruhian

Lee B. Golden III

Bill Skarsgård is set to lead Boy Kills World from debut director Moritz Mohr. Arend Remmers (Sløborn) and Tyler Burton Smith (Kung Fury: The Movie) penned the script which also brings actress Samara Weaving, and international action star Yayan Ruhian. Bill Skarsgard (Deadpool 2, It Chapter Two) will lead the cast as protagonist Boy, a deaf mute with a vibrant imagination. When his family is murdered, he escapes to the jungle and is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death. Also attached are Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Bill and Ted Face the Music), who will play assassin June 27, and martial arts expert Yayan Ruhian (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, The Raid: Redemption), who will be Boy’s mentor. Tom Grater’s Deadline exclusive on Thursday bills the film as a “dystopian fever dream” which will be shot in South Africa. Mohr’s own […]

Shin-Kamen-Rider

Hideaki Anno Exhibition Offers First Look at SHIN KAMEN RIDER

Edward Orndorff

Hideaki Anno, creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion and director of Shin Godzilla, is currently the subject of an exhibition in Japan. This exhibition displays many pieces involved with his works, and covers his past, present and future works. As part of this exhibition, new information about the upcoming Shin Kamen Rider movie has been shared, including two teaser trailers, and cast reveals. Trailers: Toei has shared two versions of the first teaser trailer for the movie, featuring the updated designs of both Kamen Rider Ichigo and his iconic motorcycle, the Rider Machine, Cyclone! Trailer A Trailer B Cast The first two members of the cast have been announced. On the left is Sosuke Ikamatsu (The Last Samurai, Death Note: Light Up The New World) as Takeshi Hongo. After being kidnapped by Shocker, an evil organization bent on world domination, he was transformed into the cyborg soldier Kamen Rider. Upon his […]

RAGING GRACE - Cast And Crew

RAGING GRACE: AMC’s Shudder Announces Cast And Production For New ‘Coming Of Rage’ Horror Drama

Lee B. Golden III

BIFA-nominated director Paris Zarcilla (Pommel, The Century Egg), produced by Chi Thai (The Promise, Little Miss Sumo) will pair up this November for the UK production of horror drama, Raging Grace. Zarcilla will direct the AMC Network’s Shudder Original film from his own script for a cast led by Filipina actress Max Eigenmann (Verdict) and actor David Hayman (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Finding Your Feet). Raging Grace is billed as a “Coming of Rage” film, aimed at spotlighting “the Filipino immigrant experience through a blend of horror and drama”, according to the announcement. In the film, an undocumented Filipina immigrant lands a job as a careworker for a seemingly terminal old man, securing a better life for her and her daughter. But a dark discovery threatens to destroy everything she’s strived for and holds dear. “In Raging Grace, rising filmmaker Paris Zarcilla and producer Chi Thai craft a subversive, contemporary spin on gothic horror,” said Shudder’s Emily Gotto, VP of Acquisitions, […]

KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC: Mackenyu Arata Leads International Debut Adapting ‘Saint Seiya’ For The Big Screen From Toei, SPWA

Lee B. Golden III

It feels so timely that I’ve only just seen actor Mackenyu Arata’s most recent performance in the fourth installment of the Rurouni Kenshin saga. If you ask me, considering he’s the one cast for the lead role in what looks to be a bolstering international debut with Tomasz Baginski’s Saint Seiya treatment, Knights Of The Zodiac, I’d say Baginski is in good hands. The new movie is produced Toei and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, and just wrapped filming in Croatia and Hungary with Arata joined by Madison Iseman, Famke Janssen, Sean Bean, Diego Tinoco, along with Nick Stahl and action star Mark Dacascos. Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken (10 Cloverfield Lane) penned the most recent drafts, according to THR‘s Borys Kit. The manga and anime, created by Masami Kurumada and first introduced in 1986, told of warriors known as The Saints who gather their powers from the constellations. They are […]

Alec Baldwin and Travis Fimmel

RUST: Joel Souza’s Western Actioner Adds Travis Fimmel And More For October Shoot

Lee B. Golden III

Highland Film Group is announcing cast for Crown Vic helmer Joel Souza’s new Western, Rust, following the attachment of Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Alec Baldwin (Mission: Impossible franchise, NBC’s “30 Rock”) last year. Principal photography will commence come early October in New Mexico with Baldwin joined by Travis Fimmel (Ridley Scott’s “Raised by Wolves,” Universal Pictures’ Warcraft, Amazon’s “Vikings”), Brady Noon (Universal Pictures’ Good Boys, Disney +’s “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changer”) and Frances Fisher (Titanic, Warner Bros.’ Unforgiven). Rust is an action/western which tells of infamous Western outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin), who’s had a bounty on his head for as long as he can remember. When his estranged 13-year-old grandson Lucas is convicted of an accidental murder and is sentenced to hang, Rust travels to Kansas to break him out of prison. Together, the two fugitives must outrun legendary U.S. Marshal, Wood Helm, and bounty-hunter, Fenton “Preacher” Lang, who are hot […]

DAFT STATE Adds Four As Cameras Roll For Chad Bishoff’s New Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Principal photography is underway in Omaha, Nebraska for Chad Bishoff’s psychological thriller, Daft State. With two names already announced, another four were added and confirmed this week with Two-time Teen Choice Award nominee-Jake T. Austin (Disney’s “The Wizards of Waverly Place”, New Year’s Eve), Paulo Costanzo (CBS’ “The Good Fight,” Netflix’s “Designated Survivor”), Ka’ramuu Kush (Five Deep Breaths, Salvation Road) and Iman Karram (Netflix’s Glow) also set to join the pic. The four stars join previously announced leads Christopher Backus (HBO’s “Big Little Lies”, Netflix’s “Mindhunter,” Apple TV+’s “Truth be Told”) and Skye P. Marshall (Netflix’s “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” NBC’s “This is Us”). Billed as a “relentlessly gripping thriller, molded in the vein of classic Hitchcockian suspense masterworks”, Daft State charts the mysterious psychological destruction of central character Easton (Backus), who is driven to the edge of sanity, and possible self-harm, by those that love him most – […]

PicsArt_08-04-06.45.13.jpg

DAFT STATE Casts Leads For Psychological Thriller Shoot This Month

Lee B. Golden III

Christopher Backus (HBO’s “Big Little Lies”, Netflix’s “Mindhunter”, Apple TV+’s “Truth be Told”) and Skye P. Marshall (Netflix’s “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”, NBC’s “This is Us”, “Black Lightning) will star in Daft State, co-written by Sam Harter and director Chad Bishoff. Cameras are set to roll on the new psychological thriller on location in Omaha, Nebraska from Monday, August 9, 2021. This relentlessly gripping thriller, molded in the vein of classic Hitchcockian suspense masterworks, charts the mysterious psychological destruction of central character Easton (Backus), who is driven to the edge of sanity, and possible self-harm, by those that love him most – his wife (Marshall) and daughter. Will Easton succumb to their increasingly traumatizing pressure, or will he conquer the dark forces at play in his addled psyche? Inny Clemons (Straight Outta Compton, Next Day Air, Netflix’s Sneakerheads, A Lot of Nothing), Lisa Crnic (Paramount’s Clifford the Big Red […]

JOHN WICK 4 Adds Marko Zaror

Lee B. Golden III

Deadline is reporting that Chilean action star Marko Zaror will join the cast of Chad Stahelski’s fourth installment of the John Wick saga from Lionsgate. Zaror’s addition tops an already sizeable bevy of action talents taking aim at the franchise with the martial arts star reuniting with Undisputed 3: Redemption and Savage Dog star Scott Adkins, and fellow action stalwarts Donnie Yen and Hiroyuki Sanada. Rounding out the cast are Rina Sawayama, and Shamier Anderson, and franchise regular Lance Reddick, all next to titular franchise star Keanu Reeves as he returns to his journey as the afflicted ex-hitman now on the run from his very criminal underworld after avenging the murder of his canine keepsake in the first film, killing a member of the high table who attempted to silence him after a job, and fighting back against high table only to be betrayed and left for dead. If you’ve […]

X VENGEANCE: JuJu Chan Szeto Leads Australian Action Thriller Shooting This Fall

Lee B. Golden III

Antony Szeto (Jackie Chan Presents: Wushu) will direct Aussie action thriller, X Vengeance. The film was announced over the weekend at the Cannes Marché du Film by Ken DuBow for US-based Access Entertainment. As Jeremy Kay’s report via Screen notes, the film marks an on-set reunion for the director actress and martial arts star JuJu Chan Szeto (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny). Their previous credits include Szeto’s Palace Of The Damned (2013) and Roger Corman’s Fist Of The Dragon (2014). Plot details are under wraps save for what Kay’s report states of the film’s setting which is in “north Queensland’s beaches and rainforests”. Also starring are Australian-Chinese actor Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians, Roger Corman’s Fist Of The Dragon) and Robert Mammone (The Condemned), with cameras set to roll this October ahead of a Spring 2022 rollout. Madd Films’ Tim Maddocks and Filmworks’ Janice Eymann are producing with […]