Casting

Jessica Alba

Netflix Issues Action Thriller TRIGGER WARNING For Jessica Alba To Star

Lee B. Golden III

Indonesian filmmaker Mouly Surya will direct actress Jessica Alba in Trigger Warning for Netflix, the streamer announced on Friday. Josh Olson (A History Of Violence) and John Brancato (The Hunter’s Prayer) are penning the action thriller, which marks Surya’s latest return to the director’s chair after leaving a mark on 2017, with Cannes official Directors’ Fortnight selection, Marlina The Murderer in Four Acts. The film was also Indonesia’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. In Trigger Warning, Alba will play a traumatized veteran who inherits her grandfather’s bar after his untimely death, and is faced with a moral dilemma as she discovers the truth behind his death. Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee are producing, with Alba serving as exec producer. The Sin City, Fantastic Four and Mechanic 2 actress also stars in Spectrum Original’s LA’s Finest alongside co-leading lady Gabrielle Union, spun-off from […]

(UPDATED) BLOOD RUSH: ‘Bad Boys For Life’ Actor In Talks; ‘Wira’ Star Confirmed [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Updated as of Thursday, April 9, 2020. Italian-American actor Massi Furlan is in talks to join Ranjeet S. Marwa’s Blood Rush, which remains in active development under Marwa’s independent Rocket Sky High film label. Marwa also confirmed with FCSyndicate on Wednesday that Malaysian stunt performer, actor Hairul Azreen is officially joining the feature thriller; Balinese actor Oka Antara (Foxtrot Six, The Raid 2) was previously attached following reported talks last week but has since departed the project due to scheduling concerns. Details on the roles for both Furlan and Azreen remain under wraps. Zack Lee (The Night Comes For Us, Headshot) makes his lead debut on Blood Rush from a script by Marwa, with an ensemble cast bustling with fervor listing the likes of Sunny Pang (The Night Comes For Us), Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman (John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum), Nathan Jones (Tom Yum Goong, Jet Li’s Fearless) […]

BLOOD RUSH: Oka Antara Among Names Circling Ranjeet S. Marwa’s New Action Thriller [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Protracted development otherwise remains underway for the Ranjeet S. Marwa action thriller, Blood Rush, and several additional actors are now eyeing the project for varying starring and support roles. Among the lot is Balinese actor Oka Antara, who has been in preliminary dicussions with Marwa for a few days now. In addition, actor and stunt performer Andrew Suleiman will enlist in a small role next to working behind the scenes on fight choreography with Nick Khan. Character details are under wraps but I’m told both roles will assuredly contribute to the action scenes per the film’s narrative. Marwa launched the film at the top of the year for his Rocket Sky High film label. Actor Zack Lee (The Night Comes For Us, Headshot) is set to star as Max Wayan, a widower forced to battle his inner demons and fight his way out of a vicious cult in the time […]

THE WHITE STORM 3: Andy Lau Set To Return For The Action-Packed Crime Threequel

Lee B. Golden III

News out of MTime brings word that actor Andy Lau will return for an upcoming threequel installment of The White Storm franchise to go before cameras this symmer. The site reported on the announcement following a statement a few days ago to the presses by the head HK-based Universe Films. Benny Chan’s inaugural 2013 crime actioner, The White Storm, set the tone for the franchise in brutal, action-packed fashion with Sean Lau, Louis Koo and Nick Cheung as undercover narcs on the hunt for drug kingpin from Hong to Thailand. Herman Yau followed up last year with The White Storm 2: Drug Lords, that saw Lau joining the franchise along with the return of Koo for an original story with new characters, and even higher-octane action and drama. There’s no word yet on who will return or join the franchise just yet between cast and crew, with the project being […]

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ASSAULT ON VA-33: ‘Mercenaries’ Director Tackles PTSD Siege Thriller Starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Michael Jai White, Mark Dacascos And More

Lee B. Golden III

It’s a bit of a challenge these days to see which productions will stick and won’t given the recent pandemic news. That’s not stopping the movie news though, and there is some casting news out with Deadline giving the goods now on Assault On VA-33 from director Christopher Ray (Mercenaries, FraXtur). Ray directs from a script by Scott Thomas Reynolds which sees actor and martial artist Sean Patrick Flanery (Lasso, The Outsider, Amazon’s The Bay) in the role of Jason Hill, a decorated veteran and PTSD sufferer who must save his wife the U.S. military Chief Of Staff, and the entire hospital from a band of armed terrorists who descend unto the VA hospital where she works. Flanery won’t be alone in the headlining cast of heavy hitters with a cast that further lists Michael Jai White (Triple Threat, The Hard Way), Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, […]

BLOOD RUSH: Cecep Arif Rahman, Singapore’s Grace Teo Join Ranjeet S. Marwa’s Brutal New Action Thriller [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

In the hours since Monday’s exclusive, Ranjeet S. Marwa’s forthcoming action thriller, Blood Rush, now has Cecep Arif Rahman on board to join the cast. In addition, co-star Sunny Pang also took to social media to confirm the addition of actress and martial artist Grace Teo in a public post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sunny Pang (@sunnypang72) Monday saw the enlistment of celebrated director Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes For Us, Killers) as production consultant on the upcoming action thriller which shoots later this year. Marwa announced the film officially in late 2019 as City On Fire originally reported on the project in January. Zack Lee (The Raid 2, Headshot, The Night Comes For Us) takes his latest lead acting turn with Blood Rush, playing Max Wayan, a widower whose secretive life in an underworld cult turns out to be more than he bargained for, […]

IN FROM THE COLD: Five More Join Spain Shoot For New Netflix Spy Thriller Series

Lee B. Golden III

Spy thriller series, In From The Cold, is what’s stirring this week from Netlfix with production starting this month in Madrid, Spain, and featuring actress Margarita Levieva (Allegiance, The Deuce). In From The Cold centers on Jenny Franklin (Levieva), a single mother living in suburban Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Her life is turned upside down when the FBI arrests her and forces her to make a choice: confront her long-buried past as a highly trained, bio-engineered Russian agent, and become an asset against Russia’s underworld drug trade, and shadow war on U.S. elections—or put her family and the new life she has built at risk. Netflix has announced a quintet of series regulars naming the following:Ivanna Sakhno (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Pacific Rim) will play Anya, a promising young, Russian Intelligence agent precariously caught between her domineering mentor trying to keep her bound to the lies of the Soviet […]

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BLOOD RUSH: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Actor Nathan Jones Joins Ranjeet S. Marwa’s New Thriller [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Nathan Jones (Mad Max: Fury Road) is confirmed to be the latest addition to Ranjeet S. Marwa’s forthcoming Indonesian thriller, Blood Rush. The film is currently in pre-production with Nick Khan (Redcon-1, Invincible) setting up the action sequences initial principal photography plans in Jakarta moved from June into July. News of the film officially broke in January with a starring cast, and a crowdfunding campaign that launched on Indiegogo. Zack Lee (Headshot, The Night Comes For Us) will make his lead acting debut playing Max, a grieving widower whose secretive new life in the occult turns out to be more than he bargained for. The role I’m told Jones will play is that of “Small Pete”, a key henchman Max will be forced to fend off in the climatic build-up of the story. Action superstar Yayan Ruhian (The Raid franchise, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) and Singaporean star Sunny […]

REMOTE CONTROL: Gerard Butler Partners With STX, Hyde Park, ‘Bond’ Producers For Espionage Thriller Novel Adap From ‘The Rhythm Section’ Scribe

Lee B. Golden III

Gerard Butler is off to the races with his latest involvement with STX at EFM in Berlin for Remote Control, which has been in the works for more than a decade. The project was at one point shopped to Sony back in 2009. Star from a script by Mark Burnell whose 2011 novel serves as the film’s basis, Butler will play ex-war correspondent Michael Rafter-turned-corporate security consultant. In the wake of a mysterious phone call, Rafter’s life is turned upside down when he becomes the target of shadowy organization, the 212. His identity is soon rewritten as notorious international assassin Julian Irving, forcing him on the run while in search for answers, with the only person he can trust: his ex-lover, Tracy, who is also implicated in the conspiracy. Oscar-nominated director of photography John Mathieson (Gladiator, Logan, Pokèmon Detective Pikachu) is directing from a script by Burnell whose The Rhythm […]

VIGILANTE: Action Pic In-Development From ‘Jarhead 3’ Director, Scott Adkins In Talks To Star

Lee B. Golden III

Avengement star Scott Adkins is reportedly circling a chance to reteam with director William Kaufman for action thriller, Vigilante, according to news broken at City On Fire on Friday. The film also reunites Kaufman with screenwriter Chad Law who penned the director’s 2015 dystopian zombie thriller, Daylight’s End, as well as Adkins’s Isaac Florentine actioner, Close Range. Law is co-penning the script with Josh Ridgeway, and with Andrea de Liberato (Among The Shadows) producing. Vigilante centers on a disgraced soldier who wages war against the city’s most dangerous criminals, only to end up endangering the lives of the very same people he initially set out to help protect. Kaufman and Adkins last paired up for 2016 threequel, Jarhead 3: The Siege. A seperately-gestating reboot of Kaufman’s stellar 2010 crime pic, Sinners And Saints, which the two circled with actor Johnny Strong back in 2017, still waits in the wings. Vigilante […]

Kevin Hart

Sony’s THE MAN FROM TORONTO Eyes Kevin Hart, Jason Statham For Buddy Action Comedy Shoot In Spring

Lee B. Golden III

The Man From Toronto is director Patrick Hughes’ newest endeavor from Sony Pictures. Production is slated to start in March with a potential reunion in store for actors Jason Statham and Kevin Hart following Hart’s cameo in David Leitch’s Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw. What happens when the world’s deadliest assassin, known as ‘The Man from Toronto’, and Teddy, New York’s biggest screw-up, are mistaken for each other in a rented Airbnb? The Man from Toronto and Teddy are forced to team up and save the day, but the real question is, will they survive each other? You can pretty much guess who is playing who at this juncture, but Hughes’ attachement is an added bonus as it looks to be a second pairing with Statham since directing the action star in The Expendables 3. As Deadline‘s Amanda N’Duka notes, the film is storied by Jason Blumenthal and […]

RITES OF MEN: ‘Shazam’ Star Leads New Revenge Drama For ‘Bad Day For The Cut’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

DC fans are only a few years off from a sequel to actor Zachary Levi’s 2019 hit, Shazam. Until then, as of announcements last week, folks can look forward to his newest dramatic endevaor, Rites Of Men, from award-winning director Chris Baugh (Bad Day For The Cut). Levi will star from a script by Oscar-nominated writer Jonathan Herman (Straight Outta Compton, upcoming Scarface remake), about a man who will stop at nothing to find his 16-year-old son’s killers. During his mission, he finds the strength to forgive and become a better person. Herman will also be creatively involved throughout the production process. Vedette Finance CEO Anthony Jabre (Heist, Aftermath, upcoming 14 Fists) will produce with veteran Bob Cooper of Landscape Entertainment.

XTREMO: ‘Full-On’ Spanish Action Movie Movies Forward At Netflix With ‘Tracers’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Following his parkour exploits on Taylor Lautner crime thriller, Tracers, director Daniel Benmayor is at the helm for Xtremo for Netflix, per reports on Wednesday from Variety‘s John Hopewell and Jamie Lang. Xtremo will star Oscar Jaenada (Luis Miguel, Hernán), as well as action specialist Teo García who penned the story with Genaro Rodridguez, and with a script by Iván Ledesma. The film picks up two years after protagonist Max’s brother Lucero betrayed their family, killing Max’s father and son and leaving Max for dead. Now, hungry for revenge, Max begins a checklist-style spree of revenge killings after Lucerno’s hitmen mercilessly kill the family of Leo, Max’s new teenaged protégé. Xtremo is described as a breakout for Spain’s market following the local successes of Netflix releases like Ryan Reynolds thriller 6 Underground, crime series Money Heist and action drama Triple Frontier. The film is billed as a full-on Spanish action […]

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KUNG FU GHOST: Jennifer Linch’s Feature Debut Adds ‘Grandpa’ To Cast

Lee B. Golden III

Pre-production continues for actress/filmmaker Jennifer Linch’s feature directorial debut, Kung Fu Ghost. The supernatural action comedy is modeled off of Linch’s own take on the kind of kung fu narrative that hasn’t been seen in years. Linch is currently training for the film under instructor Donald Atchison in which she herself will star as Daisy, a woman forced to defend herself against treasure-hunting criminals when she inherits her late grandfather’s estate – now believed to be haunted by mysterious spirits, including that of a young man named William, to be played by Noah Sargent. The film has also lined up actor David S. Dawson for the role of Grandpa, in addition to previously announced actor Roze for the villain role of Warren. Parisian cinematographer Jerome Dolbert lensing as director of photography, with Jason Truong and Shane Alexander serving as action designer and stunt coordinator, respectively. Robert Brooke Eldridge is exec […]

TILL DEATH DO US PART: Philippe Vonlanthen’s Action Comedy Feature Debut Casts Up

Lee B. Golden III

R. Marcos Taylor (Baby Driver, Straight Outta Compton), Mary Christina Brown (Vigilante Diares, AWOL 72) and stunt multihyphenate Simon Rhee (Best Of The Best, Lethal Weapon 4, Unlucky Stars) are just three of the latest additions to Philippe Vonlanthen‘s sizeable roster of screen talent for independent action comedy pic, Till Death Do Us Part currently in pre-production. Vonlanthen, a seasoned stunt performer-turned-filmmaker who got his theatrical start years ago on Chris Rock’s espionage thriller, Bad Company, will direct from a script he wrote. He describes the film as “a love story of inclusion in a climate of global warming conspiracy, combined with high-octane stunts, fights, and of course – Bollywood dance numbers.” Taylor, Brown and Rhee, all three of whom share an extensive martial arts background, join a cast first reported on December 1 for the new film, among whom share space with others Vonlanthen has announced via social media, […]

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CHICK FIGHT: Alec Baldwin And Bella Thorn Join Malin Akerman Fight Club Action Comedy

Lee B. Golden III

News broke in September that Paul Leyden (Crackle’s Cleaners) would direct independent action comedy Chick Fight starring actress Malin Akerman (Watchmen, TV’s Billions) from a script by Joseph Downey. The film, according to the latest follow up report at Deadline, will also join actor Alec Baldwin and actress Bella Thorne for prospective roles. Hailing from Yale Productions and Idiot Savant Pictures, the film was shopped at the American Film Market, telling of Akerman who will star as Anna. In the wake of her mother’s death, her father’s closet exit and the accidental torching of her uninsured coffee shop caused by a used spliff exposed to moonshine, Anna sets out to shake and stir herself from life’s funk when her friend draws her into the world of an all-female underground fight club. Baldwin claims the role of Jack Murphy, Anna’s reclusive trainer who helps her build herself back up in the […]

BEST SERVED COLD: Ex-MMA Star Ann Osman Lands Feature Film Debut Role In Malaysian Supernatural Action-Noir

Lee B. Golden III

Sabah-based former MMA fighter Ann Osman will make her feature film debut in supernatural action-noir, Best Served Cold for writer/director Aaron Cowan. Singapore-based 108 Media reportedly secured the backing required to develop the project, which is inspired by Jill Girardi’s short story, “Don’t Eat The Rice”, as well as characters in her October 2018 Buku Fixi novel publication, “Hantu Macabre. As Patrick Frater at Variety reports, Osman will take on the role of “Suzanna Sim, an ex-MMA fighter turned private detective who uses her fists and her knowledge of Southeast Asian black magic, while working with a Malaysian mythical creature, to find a rich new client’s missing husband”. Osman, best known as Athena as she blazed a trail for female posterity in the sport of MMA in , announced her retirement from the ring last month, leaving a 5-4 Flyweight record in her wake since her career took off in […]

Steven Allerick

SNAKE EYES Lands Steven Allerick To Play Hero Ninja’s Father

Lee B. Golden III

Robert Schwentke’s G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes, is still in production as of October, and Deadline has it on good terms that actor Steven Allerick (Fear The Walking Dead, The Expanse) is on deck to star. He will play father to actor Henry Golding’s titular portrayal of the upcoming G.I. Joe spin-off. As Anthony D’Alessandro notes: The film “follows Snake Eyes, who while on the hunt for the man who murdered his father, travels to Japan and trains with the ancient Arashikage ninja clan.” Allerick, and lead actor Golding who stars in upcoming Guy Ritchie crime thriller, The Gentlemen, are joined by Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Ursula Corbero as The Baroness, Warrior series star Andrew Koji as Snake Eyes’ former brother-at-arms, ninja archrival Storm Shadow, and Iko Uwais as The Hard Master. Snake Eyes opens in theaters October 16, 2020.

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TILL DEATH DO US PART: Cast Announced For Stunt Performer’s Independent Action Thriller Shooting Spring 2020

Lee B. Golden III

Actress Anita Clay (Paying Mr. McGetty) will headline stunt performer Philippe Vonlanthen’s feature directing debut, Till Death Do Us Part. Cameras will roll in April next year from a script by Vonlanthen, which he will also produce via his Fondue Films production banner. Clay will play the role of Maria for a story that Vonlanthen describes as “”a love story of inclusion in a climate of global warming conspiracy, combined with high-octane stunts, fights, and of course… Bollywood dance numbers.”; Los Angeles-based Master Sharron James will consult the production on the Bollywood musical elements. The cast also includes John Jeffrey Arias (Break The Stage) and Adoni Maropis, (Bad Company, Mortal Kombat: Conquest), actress/martial artists Paris Bravo (Between Worlds) and actresses Sachiko Ishida (5150, Black Lightning: Tobias’s Revenge), actor Scott Peat (Into The Ashes), and actress and stunt multi-hyphenate Spice Williams-Crosby (The Sensei, Astro). Further details are currently under wraps. Vonlanthen, […]

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ECHO 8: Maria Tran, Phoenix Eye Fast Track Independent Psych Action Thriller For January Production

Lee B. Golden III

Actress Maria Tran took to social media on Sunday to announce pre-production on upcoming psychological action thriller, Echo 8. Tran will star and make her feature directorial debut, as well as head a cast that also includes local actors Takashi Hara and David Vuong. Echo 8 centers on a highly trained assassin who finds herself in a strange house with no memories of how she got there, in the wake of a specialized mission gone awry; Think: Jaume Collet-Serra’s Unknown by way of Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight. Script is currently in the last stages of development with screenwriter Elizabeth H. Vu (Mr. Ghost, The Perception) finalizing the latest draft. The self-funded project hails from Tran’s Phoenix Eye banner where she and cohorts Therese Chen and Nancy Trieu have been working on their film slate with a number of titles, in addition to journeying between locations to share in […]