Casting

PROJECT H: ‘Buffalo Boys’ Star Yoshi Sudarso Joins Aaron Toney’s New Action-Packed Series

Actor Yoshi Sudarso is the first official casting addition to Project H, a new and independent series endeavor from actor, stunt performer and filmmaker Aaron Toney. The series, which hails from the newly-launched Halvon Corp. Entertainment and Global Forge Studios, signals the newest evolution of Throne, an action-packed and SFX-infused proof-of-concept shot in 2014 with Toney on both sides of the lens. “This project is coming from the hearts of people who love the action genre, so you can bet there’s gonna be a lot of action in this.” says Sudarso in the announcement video published on Monday. “…I’m really excited to introduce to you guys, my character. We’ve been building it for quite some time now, maybe a few months at least and – the weapons he gets to use and the powers that he has – I’m trying not to give it away too much, but I’m really […]

Ryoo Seung-Wan To Shoot SMUGGLING In Summer 2021

Lee B. Golden III

When Ryoo Seung-wan isn’t acting, he’s purely in his element where the director’s chair is, as he will be reportedly come this summer. Plot details are super thin as of late as reports arise for Smuggling, the current title of director Ryoo Seung-wan’s newest thriller set to roll cameras in June of 2021, according to a Star News exclusive. The film is now circling actresses Kim Hye-soo (The Day I Died: Unclosed Case) and Yum Jung-ah (Another Child) to star, a move that signals what will be Ryoo’s first film with a female-fronted cast since the 2002 pic, No Blood, No Tears. Ryoo, best known for helming martial arts romp, Arahan, period thriller Battleship Island, and crime actioners City Of Violence and Veteran, is currently in post-production with ripped-from-the-headlines diplomacy thriller, Escape From Mogadishu starring Kim Yoon-seok (1987: When The Day Comes), Zo In-sung (The Great Battle) and Huh Joon-ho […]

News Briefs: Gadot Boards HEART OF STONE; THE TOXIC AVENGER Casting; Statham Circles SMALL DARK LOOK; Pettyfer For PHANTOM OF BELGRADE

Lee B. Golden III

Gal Gadot (upcomimg Red Notice) is readying Heart Of Stone, billed as an original spy endeavor in the vein of the 007 and Mission Impossible franchise. Currently in the works at Skydance Media, Greg Rucka (The Old Guard) and Oscar-nominated Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures) are penning the script with film will be produced by Skydance Media’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger producing along with Gadot and her Pilot Wave producing partner Jaron Varsano, Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn. Gadot will bow this Christmas Day in select theaters and IMAX, and for HBO Max’s first 4K outing for Wonder Woman 1984. Nearly two years after Legendary acquired the rights to Troma IP, The Toxic Avenger, the studio has since moved forward, casting Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones), according to Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr.. Blue Ruin and Green Room actor Macon Blair, who made his directing debut on 2017’s I […]

News Briefs: Nesson’s EL DESCONOCIDO Remake; PANAMA Adds Two; Sanada Boards BULLET TRAIN; Universal Sets VAN HELSING Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

This month, efforts toward Liam Neeson actioner, Retribution have taken years to formulate but the project has officially attached Predators helmer Nimrod Antal to direct. A remake of Dani de la Torre’s El Desconocido (2015), Retribution centers on a bank executive forced to complete a series of tasks whilst trapped in his car with his children, lest the captor holding them hostage via phone detonates the bomb in his car. Jaume Collet-Serra and Juan Sola at Ombra Films and Andrew Rona and Alex Heinemann at The Picture Company are producing the pic which rolls cameras from next March through June. Studiocanal reportedly sold the film in a raft of territories worldwide following AFM. Actor Cole Hauser is starring alongside Mel Gibson and Kate Katzman for action thriller, Panama, which will shoot in Puerto Rico. The Mark Neveldine-directed pic has added Charlie Weber and Victor Turpin to star from a script […]

THE HUNT: SAVAGE WITHIN: Madeleine Humphries Heads Cast Line-Up For December Sci-Fi Action Shoot From ‘Die Fighting’ Director [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

American-born Filipina actress and model Madeleine Humphries has been given the lead role in The Hunt: Savage Within, the new action sci-fi from filmmaker Fabien Garcia, which shoots in the second week of December. Also joining the cast for the developing sci-fi proof of concept are Brett Tutor (upcoming Monsters Of Men), Lou Wegner (Last Call In The Dog House), Carla Seneca (Sons Of Thunder, upcoming 22 – The Unforgotten Soldier), Xango Henry (Call Me King, upcoming Keep The Faith), Davis Chong (Die Fighting) and Amje Elharden (upcoming Archenemy). Crowdfunding for the project began in July followed by a month-long extension prior to its success around September. The goal is to shoot a proof of concept short that illustrates the ambitious size, scale and scope Garcia and company are aiming for as they look toward hopeful feature film investment by next year. Humphries will covet the role of Sarah, a […]

Zazie Beetz Hops Aboard BULLET TRAIN For Sony Pictures

Lee B. Golden III

AMBUSH: Jonathan Rhys Meyers And Connor Paolo Join Aaron Eckhart Action Thriller From Mark Earl Burman

Lee B. Golden III

Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The 12th Man, History Channel’s “Vikings,” Showtime’s “The Tudors”) and Connor Paolo (Stake Land, Friend Request, ABC’s “Revenge”) will join Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Line of Duty) and Jason Genao (Logan, Netflix’s The Get Down) in the upcoming action thriller Ambush. Mark Earl Burman (Dog Eat Dog) is directing the film from a script he’s written with Michael McClung (American Martyr). The film is “based on the exhilarating true story of a deadly high-stakes subterranean mission into enemy controlled territory”, and follows a group of young elite commandos, led by Captain Drummond (Eckhart), tasked with collecting highly classified information that can change the fate of the war. On the edge of the jungle, the team is attacked by the overwhelming invisible force of the enemy army. Drummond’s young team must overcome their apprehension in order to pursue the force into the complex labyrinth of Cu Chi […]

NIGHT HAS FALLEN Sees Butler, ‘Fallen’ Franchise Reteam For Fourth Installment

Lee B. Golden III

Indeed, Millenium Media will ‘fall’ even further with a fourth installment into their Fallen franchise with Greenland star Gerard Butler headlining Night Has Fallen. The actor will also reteam with Angel Has Fallen director Ric Roman Waugh back at the helm with Robert Mark Kamen penning the script. Butler will also produce with Les Weldon, Yariv Lerner and Alan Siegel, with Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Millennium Media president Jeffrey Greenstein and Jonathan Yunger exec producing. The film will shoot at Millennium Media’s Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria and throughout Europe, according to the report. The franchise launched in 2013 under Antoine Fuqua’s direction for Olympus Has Fallen, followed by Babak Najafi’s London Has Fallen, and Ric Roman Waugh’s Angel Has Fallen. The trilogy, in sum, sees Butler in the role of Secret Service Agent Mike Banning, battling terroristic threats from enemies invading the White House to mercs […]

ZEROS AND ONES: Ethan Hawke Headlines Post-Modern Wartime Thriller Shopping At AFM 2020

Lee B. Golden III

Post-modern wartime thirller, Zeros And Ones, has added four-time Academy Award nominated actor and filmmaker Ethan Hawke (First Reformed, Boyhood) to headline the cast for director Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant, The Funeral, Kings Of New York). Ferrara wrote the script which sees Hawke in the role of JJ, an American soldier stationed in a Rome under siege, locked down, and at war. The Vatican being blown into the night sky is only the beginning of our hero’s journey to uncover and defend against an unknown enemy but threatening the lives of the entire world. Rounding out the roster are Cristina Chiriac (Siberia, Tommaso) and Phil Neilson (Siberia, Ben-Hur) with Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Group launching sales at AFM this week under its Blue Box International label and co-repping domestic with CAA Media Finance. Ferrara begins shooting in Italy later this month. The film also reunites Ferrara with Diana Phillips (Bad Lieutenant, […]

THE JOURNEYMAN: Michael Bisping To Star In Dax Phelan’s Novel Adaptation

Lee B. Golden III

Retired MMA champion Michael Bisping’s film career is taking the next step following starring credits in Den Of Thieves, Triple Threat and xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage. Dax Phelan will set sail for the UK to direct The Journeyman, based on author Mark Turley’s novel, “Journeymen: The Other Side of the Boxing Business, a New Perspective on the Noble Art”. Phelan and Turley both adapted the screenplay. Deadline’s Tom Grater reports: “Bisping will play Kenny ‘The Beast’ Breen, an alcoholic, drug-abusing, past-his-prime journeyman boxer with a record of 11-85-0 who, after being diagnosed with neurological damage, continues his career on the small-hall circuit at grave risk to himself.” LHCo Distribution Liaison will be hosting the project for this month’s virtual AFM to find a UK producing partner. Phelan will produce with Eric M. Klein, with Bisping and Turley exec producing, and with real-life journeyman boxer Johnny Greaves serving as […]

BLACK CRAB: Netflix Sci-Fi Action Thriller Stars Noomi Rapace For 2022 Release

Lee B. Golden III

Noomi Rapace (Close, What Happened To Monday?) will star in Black Crab for Netflix. The streamer announced the casting a few days ago with award-winning director Adam Berg attached to make his feature directing debut, and plans for a 2022 release. Author Jerker Virdborg penned the original acclaimed novel which will serve as the basis for Berg’s script – set in “a post-apocalyptic world torn apart by climate change and war. During an endless winter, six soldiers are sent on a dangerous mission across the frozen sea to transport a package that could finally end the war. Equipped with ice skates, unaware of what they’re carrying, or who they can trust, the mission challenges their beliefs and forces them to ask: what are they willing to sacrifice for their own survival?” Black Crab marks Rapace’s big return to Scandinavia and her native country Sweden, after spending the last ten years […]

ONE WAY: Action Thriller From Andrew Baird Adds Kevin Bacon Ahead Of Virtual AFM 2020

Lee B. Golden III

Golden Globe winner Kevin Bacon (Death Sentence, Mystic River) is joining the cast of Zone 414 director Andrew Baird’s new action thriller, One Way. Principal photography has moved up to February 2021, with locations set for Los Angeles, California, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Colson “Machine Gun Kelly” Baker (The Dirt, Project Power), and Travis Fimmel (Ridley Scott’s ”Raised by Wolves,” Warcraft) also star. Written by Ben Conway, Baker stars as Freddy, who winds up on the run with a bag full of cash, and near-fatally wounded after a robbery of his ex-crime boss goes south. Slipping onto a bus headed into the unrelenting California desert, Freddy is soon betrayed after a call for help cues his estranged father (Bacon) who informs his former employer where Freddy is. With his life slipping through his fingers, Freddy is left with very few choices to survive. There is only one way. Tim Palmer, Martin […]

EXILED: THE CHOSEN ONES Adds ‘The Raid 2’, ‘Foxtrot Six’ Actor Oka Antara (EXCLUSIVE)

Lee B. Golden III

Oka Antara (The Raid 2) is officially on board for writer/director Ranjeet S. Marwa’s new indie survival action thriller, Exiled: The Chosen Ones. Production is currently underway as cameras have just wrapped its fifth day into what’s expected to be a month-long shoot in Birmingham, U.K.. Strict Covid-19 protocols are in place for the indie thriller which stars Sunny Pang (The Night Comes For Us, Kill-Fist) in the role of Hiro, a cold and calculating Yakuza hitman forced to compete for his life among a row of society’s worst criminals, in a deadly game devised by a corporate cabal overseeing a nefarious population control scheme, while the rich place their bets. Serving as the gamemaster’s trump card, Antara will star in the role of Kruz, who I am told is a sniper assigned to eliminate disobedient players, as well as kill players to make the game interesting when the game […]

40890008_WelcomeToSuddenDeath_Still_6_1595853919131_5

THE COMMANDO: Michael Jai White Returns To The Battlefield For ‘Astro’ Director Asif Akbar This Month

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Michael Jai White will star in The Commando, according to Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro on Monday.. White, coming off of recently completed actioners such as Christian Sesma’s Take Back, and Jon Keeyes’s Red 48, joins Mickey Rourke who boarded the project last month, with word that production will commence in New Mexico this month. Asif Akbar, who previously directed Gary Daniels alien sci-fi, Astro, will direct from a script by Koji Steven Sakai who also storied the pic with Al Bravo, and Akbar. White will star as Baker, a PTSD sufferer home from the field after a botched mission, who is soon faced with a new mission to protect his family when a newly released criminal (Rourke) and his henchmen descend unto Baker’s property, intent on retrieving a stash of millions hidden inside the agent’s home. Premiere Entertainment Group’s Elias Axume is handling international sales, and will serve as producer, with […]

MV5BNDRlZGRkOWQtYTg2Zi00NmJhLThmY2MtODI2ZmI4YTZiOWU0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzI1NzMxNzM@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,1502,1000_AL_.jpg

Ranjeet S. Marwa’s EXILED: THE CHOSEN ONES Casts Hannah Al-Rashid (EXCLUSIVE)

Lee B. Golden III

English-born actress Hannah Al-Rashid has taken the female lead in Exiled: The Chosen Ones, the new independent action thriller from Ranjeet S. Marwa (The Boy Who Never Came Home). Talks have been underway as pre-production continued this past week with Singaporean actor Sunny Pang (Headshot, TV series Code Of Law) arriving in Birmingham, U.K. for Monday’s start of principal photography. Marwa is directing from his own script, reteaming Al-Rashid with her The Night Comes For Us co-star, Pang, and joining a primary cast that also lists Carl Wharton (The Tombs), and a reunion for Marwa with Faith Can Wait actors James Bryhan (Shadow And Bone) and Craig Edwards (Pumpkins), and actor and stunt performer Nick Khan (Tribal: Get Out Alive, The Asian Connection) who is also designing the gruesome action sequences. Production also marks the latest tenacious effort by Marwa who initially started the year out by promoting crowdfunding for […]

Daniel Bernhardt Jacks Back In For The Fourth MATRIX Film

Lee B. Golden III

Daniel Bernhardt is jacking back into the Matrix for the fourth installment which is back in production as of this summer after shutting down in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cameras are rolling in Berlin and with Bernhardt back to reprise his role as Agent Johnson from 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded, rejoining Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss who headlined the initial Warner Bros. sci-fi action trilogy. Lilly Wachowski is back in the director’s chair minus sister, Lana; Both Wachowskis directed all three films to box office fruition, earning $1.6 billion dollars at the box office from 1999 to 2003, invigorating sci-fi fandom with graphic novel-style thrills and imagery, and cinematic action and kung fu thanks to the efforts of Master Yuen Woo-Ping’s stunt team. The film also marks a reuinion for Bernhardt who also starred opposite Reeves in the first installment of the current John Wick trilogy. Bernhardt’s credits […]

UNDERCOVER: Han So-Hee Leads Cast For New Action Noir Series From ‘Extracurricular’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Kim Jin-min (Extracurricular) is making a roundabout trip back to Netflix for the production of action noir series, tentatively-titled Undercover. Produced by Studio Santa Claus Entertainment Co., Ltd (f.k.a Fleet Co., Ltd), Kim will direct from a script by written by Kim Va-da (Life Risking Romance, The Huntresses), with actress Han So-hee (tvN series Abyss) leading the series. Undercover centers on Ji-u (Han), who joins the police force and goes undercover, infiltrating the innerworkings of Dongcheon, a major drug cartel led by enigmatic drug kingpin, Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon – The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, Revenger), in order to find out the truth about her father’s suspicious death. Also starring are Ahn Bo-hyun, (Itaewon Class) as Ji-u’s competent, gutsy and scrupulous partner, detective Jeon Pil-do of the narcotics unit; Kim Sang-ho (Netflix series Kingdom) as Cha Gi-ho, the dogged narcotics chief intent on bringing down the Dongcheon cartel before […]

David Oyelowo, Jimmie Fails, Barry Pepper

SOLITARY: Nate Paker To Shoot Upcoming David Oyewolo Drama In Vancouver Next Week

Lee B. Golden III

Nate Parker (The Birth Of A Nation) is set to begin production on Vancover, B.C.-based BRON’s newest drama, Solitary, starting next week. BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo (Selma) leads the cast along with Olivia Washington (The Butler), Emmy award winner Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan) and Jimmie Fails (The Last Black Man in San Francisco). In Solitary, Oyewolo plays a man who struggles to matriculate back into society after enduring seven years of wrongful imprisonment in solitary confinement. Irony kicks in upon realizing that self-isolation is the new normal, as he tries to rebuild a life with his fiancé (Washington) and son, while plagued by the deep-seated trauma which creates unimaginable danger for both him, and the family he’s battling to protect. Solitary marks the latest project from BRON in what they deem as “their continuing mission to bring socially conscious and underrepresented stories to the forefront […]

BULLET TRAIN Adds Andrew Koji And Joey King

Lee B. Golden III

Following news from July with the addition of Brad Pitt to David Leitch’s newest Sony Pictures’s venture, Bullet Train, comes word from Deadline‘s Justin Kroll that Japanese/British actor Andrew Koji has boarded the project. Also joining will be Slender Man actress Joey King with a script by Fear Street writer Zak Olkewicz. Bullet Train is inspired by Maria Beetle, the 2010 Kadokawa Shoten publication from author Kotaro Isaka which, in the novel according to earlier trade news descriptions from Deadline, centers on five assassins who “find themselves on a fast-moving bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with only a few stops in between. They discover their missions are not unrelated to one another.” As the rest of the plot notes, “The question becomes, who will make it off the train alive and what awaits them at the terminal station?” Leitch will also be joined by Kelly McCormick in producing the […]

VANQUISH: Action Thriller Shoot Underway With Morgan Freeman And Ruby Rose From ‘Midnight Run’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Principal photography is underway in Biloxi, Mississippi for action thriller, Vanquish, from director George Gallo (The Comeback Trail, Midnight Run). Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) and Ruby Rose (The Meg) are starring from a script by Gallo and co-scribe Samuel Bartlett who also storied the pic. Strict Covid-19 protocols are in place for the production which sees Freeman in the role of a retired police commissioner who blackmails his caretaker (Rose), by kidnapping her daughter (Journey Brener), forcing her into helping him double cross his team of dirty detectives in an attempt to clean up the city and cleanse his soul before it’s too late. March On Production’s Richard Salvatore and David E. Ornston (upcoming The Comeback Trail) are producing with Chassy Media’s Nate Adams. Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Group is co-financing the project alongside Gary Leff’s Southland Equity. Mercuri and Leff will exec produce. “With the state […]