Casting

New Takeshi Kitano Movie In The Works At Amazon MGM

Japanese auteur Takeshi Kitano announced he’s currently working on a new film for Amazon MGM Studios on Tuesday. That’s pretty much all there is to know about the mystery movie aside from that Kitano himself is directing and starring in it. A few trade sources previously reported that Kitano’s latest, Kubi, a subversive period piece chronicling the taboo and blood-drenched final years of Oda Nobunaga’s reign, would be his final flick. Not so, apparently, so there’s that. I should mention that Kubi is currently making the festival rounds after debuting at Cannes last year, and will soon hit Japan Cuts audiences in New York City in July. More from the language on Kitano’s collab with Amazon MGM: “Takeshi Kitano is an icon, not only in Japan but in the sphere of global film and media entertainment, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with him on the project, soon to launch on […]

LIKE A DRAGON: YAKUZA Prime Video Live-Action Drama Hails October Launch

Lee B. Golden III

I’ve never seen Takashi Miike’s Like A Dragon adaptation based on the hit game. Maybe that will change one day with the possibility of Tubi streaming, particularly now that the game franchise is back in the headlines. Alas, shout out to Cesar Alejandro Jr. for looping me in on news that broke yesterday with 100 Yen Love and Underdog director Masaharu Take announced to direct Like a Dragon: Yakuza, for Prime Video. More verbiage on the game and its legacy below: Released in 2005 by SEGA, the ‘Yakuza’ game series was positioned as an entertaining game for adults, which found massive fanfare amongst its target audience. The series depicts the lives of fierce yet passionate gangsters and people living in a huge entertainment district, Kamurochō, a fictional district modeled after the violent Shinjuku ward’s Kabukichō, that acts as the backdrop of the gameplay. Like a Dragon: Yakuza showcases modern Japan […]

SIERRA MADRE Lines Up Kiefer Sutherland For Fall Action Thriller Shoot

Lee B. Golden III

Emmy Award-winner Kiefer Sutherland (Flatliners, “24,” Clint Eastwood’s upcoming Juror #2) is set to shoot action thriller Sierra Madre this Fall. Highland Film Group launched world sales on the film at the Cannes market and is co-financing. Sutherland will play Captain Jordan Wright, granted leave along with his squadron from their mission to attend a crewmate’s wedding in Mexico. When the festivities are interrupted by a cartel’s murderous descent on the small village, Jordan attempts to lead his remaining men to safety, as war breaks out between his squad and the cartel. Now under siege in the enemy’s deadly stronghold, Jordan has no other option but to engage in a full-scale battle to save the only family he has. Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) is directing from a script by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers (The Grey) and Delbert Hancock. “I’m thrilled to be joining the team on Sierra Madre, […]

THIEVES HIGHWAY Hits The Road For Jesse V. Johnson’s New Crime Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Avengement and Triple Threat helmer Jesse V. Johnson will next direct crime thriller Thieves Highway. The film stars Devon Sawa (The Fanatic, Gasoline Alley), and also reteams Johnson with actor Aaron Eckhart (Chief Of Station), along with 308 Enterprises own Corey Large (One Ranger) who is producing. Johnson is directing from a script by Travis Mills, the story of an Oklahoma Stock Detective (Eckhart) in over his head in the “Breaking Bad” world of modern cattle rustling. Kirk Shaw (The Hurt Locker, Papa Hemingway in Cuba, Extraction), Jordan Nott (Assassination) and Jon Keeyes (White Elephant) are exec producing. BondIt Media Capital and Pink 308 will finance. Red Sea Media is handling international sales and debuting the film for buyers at the Marché du Film in Cannes. “’THIEVES HIGHWAY’ is a passion project, for Aaron and me. We spent a lot of time developing Travis Mills’ script, embracing factual anecdotes and […]

Scott Adkins And Marko Zaror Actioner, DIABLO, Rolls Into Post-Production With A New Cast Member

Shaun Williams

Scott Adkins shows no sign of slowing his output after John Wick 4 shone a significant spotlight on him, as his latest starring vehicle, DIABLO, goes into post-production. Helming the actioner is Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, a name that’s ended up on many “One to watch” lists after his last two efforts, Redeemer and The Fist of the Condor. Chilean powerhouse, Marko Zaror, also stars. Today, Deadline.com has reported that Diana Hoyos has also joined the cast. Hoyos, a veteran of Spanish tv, established herself as an action actress with roles in 2017’s Sniper: Ultimate Kill and Never Back Down Revolt from 2021. Plot details, according to Deadline: The film follows Kris Chaney (Adkins) who, after being released from prison, embarks on a perilous mission to fulfill an old promise but finds himself in danger when he kidnaps Elisa, the daughter of a powerful gangster. Her father, Vincent, puts out a […]

THE BOOKIE & THE BRUISER: Adrien Brody And Vince Vaughn Topline ‘Brawl In Cell Block 99’ Director’s New Gangster Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Vince Vaughn is reteaming with Dragged Across Concrete and Brawl In Cell Block 99 director S. Craig Zahler on new gangster thriller The Bookie & the Bruiser. The film will also star Clean and Asteroid City actor Adrien Brody as production slates a late 2024 start date. The Bookie & the Bruiser has Zahler directing from his script which is set in 1959 New York City. The story centers on “a pensive, Jewish fellow named Rivner and an oversized Italian-American tough named Boscolo from the Lower East Side, both of whom served overseas in World War II and returned changed men who no longer fit inside the lives they’d left behind.” The logline adds, “Uninterested in taking orders from bosses or playing by the rules of polite society, the two friends partner up as a bookmaker and an enforcer and create an illicit gambling operation that proves to be very […]

FLESH OF THE GODS: Kristen Stewart, Oscar Isaac Tapped For Vampire Thriller From ‘Mandy’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Kristen Stewart (Love Lies Bleeding) and Oscar Isaac (The Card Cou6nter) will star in Flesh Of The Gods, a new vampire thriller from Mandy director Panos Cosmatos. Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en, 8MM, Netflix’s The Killer) penned the script he and Cosmatos storied, with plans to shoot later this year. Set in glittering 80’s Los Angeles, Flesh Of The Gods focuses on married couple Raoul (Isaac) and Alex (Stewart). Each evening they descend from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into the city’s electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic “Nameless” and her hard-partying cabal, the two are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills, and violence. Adam McKay and Betsy Koch of Hyperobject Industries are producing alongside Isaac and Mad Gene Media cohort Gena Konstantinakos. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are repping domestic at the Cannes market this month with XYZ Films handling […]

THE HUNSTMAN: Casting Announced For New Psych Thriller From ‘Out Of Exile’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Principal photography is scheduled for May 22 in Oklahoma for psychological thriller, The Huntsman. Kyle Kauwika Harris (Out of Exile) is directing Steven Jon Whritner’s adaptation of award-winning author Judith Sanders’ novel of the same name. Cast includes Garret Dillahunt (Where the Crawdads Sing, Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead), Elizabeth Mitchell (The Purge: Election Year, Netflix’s “Outer Banks”), Shawn Ashmore (X-Men movie franchise, ABC’s “The Rookie”), and Jessy Schram (Unstoppable, NBC’s “Chicago Med”). The Huntsman centers on a repressed ICU nurse (Ashmore) volunteering as a reader for a recovering coma patient (Dillahunt), the prime suspect in the savage murders of six young women in a small southwestern town. The suspect’s wife (Mitchell), refusing to believe that her husband is the killer, struggles with the mounting complexities of the investigation. With a dedicated detective (Schram) trying to solve the mystery before more bodies turn up, numerous other suspects take the case […]

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AVENGELYNE Heats Up At WB As Comic Adaptation Lands Writer, Margot Robbie Circling Lead Role

Lee B. Golden III

The latest update from Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. affirms actress Margot Robbie’s potential lead attachment to comic book adaptation, Avengelyne. The news comes nearly a month after news broke from the same outlet that the Barbie star’s LuckyChap is producing with Olivia Wilde tapped to direct. What’s more is that Tony McNamara is attached to adapt the comic for Robbie to possibly star. The movie is also working up a deal for rights at Warner Bros., which, if confirmed, will be Robbie’s second notch in the comic book arena following her successes as DC property Harley Quinn in both 2016 and 2021 Suicide Squad movies, as well as in Cathy Yan’s Birds Of Prey. Avengelyne was created by Cathy Christian and Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld and launched in 1995. The Maximun Press comic centers on a fallen angel who stands as mankind’s last hope against the forces of evil, even […]

ECHO 8 TRILOGY: Cast And Production Details Announced For Asian-Oz Assassin Saga As Crowdfunding Launches At Indiegogo

Lee B. Golden III

Crowdfunding is underway for Echo 8 sequels Echo 8: Five By Five and Echo 8: Beyond. Plans are underway to raise funds starting this week over at Indiegogo, with thirty-five days of principal photography commencing in early 2025, following script readings among the cast earlier this year. The micro-budgeted Echo 8 hails from independent production outlet Phoenix Eye Pty Ltd., shepherded by actress Maria Tran who stars in the title role. Tran also directed the film alongside co-star Takashi Hara from a screenplay by Elizabeth H. Vu (The Perception, upcoming Wake). Released this year on Amazon Prime and FAST platform Tubi, Echo 8 sees Tran in the title role, member of assassins’ organization, Zodiac, who begins questioning herself after being handed an assignment that takes a dark twist. Echo 8 also serves as atestament to the endurance of Western Sydney’s local Asian-Australian film community, staring down extensive hurdles brought about […]

Adam Scott, Zazie Beetz, Sterling K. Brown, Alexandria Daddario

DOUBLE BOOKED: Adam Scott Heads Up New Revenge Thriller At Protagonist

Lee B. Golden III

Emmy Award nominee Adam Scott (AppleTV+’s “Severance,” Step Brothers) will star in and direct his first feature, Double Booked. David Levinson (Welcome Home) wrote the pic which is being launched at the Cannes market this season via Protagonist Pictures. Scott is joined by Academy Award nominee Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction, Black Panther), Peabody Award-winner Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta,” Bullet Train, Joker), and Alexandra Daddario (HBO’s “The White Lotus,” AMC’s “Mayfair Witches”). He is also producing alongside Naomi Scott for Great Scott Productions, as are Adam Goodman (Juror # 2) and Matt Skiena (Juror #2) for Dichotomy Creative Group. Double Booked follows a successful self-help writer (Adam Scott) and his heavily pregnant wife (Beetz) who organize a weekend away at a secluded lodge, only to encounter another couple (Brown and Daddario) at their cabin when they arrive. With a blizzard moving in they are forced to spend the night together, and […]

THE FURIOUS: ‘The Paper Tigers’ Actor Brian Le Joins Kenji Tanigaki’s Martial Arts Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and martial artist Brian Le will join the pan-Asian ensemble cast of The Furious. Japanese action stalwart Kenji Tanigaki (Enter The Fat Dragon) is directing the movie in Bangkok, Thailand with cameras now rolling. Le joins a bustling line-up headed by Chinese actor Xie Miao, Indonesia’s Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, and Thai action star Jeeja Yanin. Miao plays Konggu, a simple tradesman whose daughter is snatched off the street. Teaming up with a tireless journalist named Navin (Taslim), the two tear through a complex web of criminals in a frantic attempt to win her back by any means necessary. Bill Kong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is financing and producing the film via Edko Films with XYZ Film’s Todd Brown (The Raid: Redemption, The Raid 2) producing and handling world sales at the Cannes market next month. Le, along with older brother Andy Le (Shang Chi and the Legend […]

THE FURIOUS: Edko/XYZ-Produced Actioner Sets Sail For Thailand, Xie Miao Leading Pan-Asian Cast

Lee B. Golden III

Production is currently underway for The Furious, a new Hong Kong-produced action thriller being shot in Thailand. Variety’s Patrick Frater cites producer Bill Kong’s (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Rise Of The Legend, Jet Li-starrer Fearless) attachment as financier and producer via Edko Films alongside XYZ Films. The cast includes China’s Xie Miao (Eye For An Eye 1 & 2, Jet Li’s The Enforcer), Joe Taslim (The Raid: Redemption, The Night Comes For Us), Thailand’s Jeeja Yanin (Chocolate, Triple Threat), Yang Enyu (Eye For An Eye 2) and Yayan Ruhian (The Raid franchise, Boy Kills World). International action and stunt stalwart Kenji Tanigaki (Dennis Law’s Fatal Contact, Keishi Otomo’s Rurouni Kenshin franchise, Donnie Yen’s Sakra, Soi Cheang’s Walled-In: Twilight Of The Warriors) directing. When his daughter is snatched off the street, simple tradesman Konggu (Xie) fights his way through a complex web of criminals in a frantic attempt to win her back […]

KILL ME: XYZ Films Takes World Sales For Murder Myster Romp Filming Later This Year

Lee B. Golden III

Murder mystery Kill Me will be up for grabs at the Cannes market in May with financier XYZ Films on hand repping world sales. Peter Warren will write and direct the pic starring Allison Williams (M3gan, Fellow Travelers) and Charlie Day (Pacific Rim, Hotel Artemis) with plans to shoot later this year. Kill Me sees Day in the role of Jimmy, who wakes up in a bathtub after having tried to kill himself. Or, at least, that’s what it looks like to his friends and family. Jimmy is pretty sure he didn’t do it…Maybe. Williams plays Margot, the 911 operator with whom Jimmy teams up after she takes his call, in an effort to solve a vitally important whodunit: did someone try to kill him, or are they chasing the specter of depression? Day and Warren are producing along with XYZ Films, Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg for Dark Horse […]

THE RITUAL: XYZ Films Takes Worldwide Rights To Horror Thriller Starring Al Pacino And Dan Stevens

Lee B. Golden III

Al Pacino (The Godfather trilogy) and Dan Stevens (Godzilla X Kong) will star in exorcism horror, The Ritual. David Midell reteams with fellow creative partner on The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, Enrico Natale, and directs from a script they wrote. Based on a true story, The Ritual follows two priests – one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) – who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history. The Ritual also stars Ashley Greene and Abigail Cowen. Natale is also producer alongside Andrew Stevens and Mitchell Welch. XYZ Films acquired worldwide rights to the pic. The label will take the title to the […]

Rita Ora, Marshawn Lynch, Jack O'Connell

HE BLED NEON: Joe Cole Action Thriller Adds Three

Lee B. Golden III

Rita Ora, Marshawn Lynch and Jack O’Connell are set to join Joe Cole in the action thriller, He Bled Neon. Award-winning music video director Drew Kirsch, who came to prominence co-helming videos “You Need to Calm Down” and “Lover” with Taylor Swift, will make his feature directing debut. Written by Tim Cairo and Jake Gibson (Lowlife, Night Patrol), and storied by Nate Bolotin, Cole stars as Ethan, who journeys to Las Vegas for the funeral of his estranged brother (O’Connell). Soon, he unravels a dark web of crime, forcing him to confront his past as he delves into the city’s gritty underworld to uncover the truth, risking everything he holds dear in the process. XYZ Films (BlackBerry, Skywalkers: A Love Story, The Raid, Mandy) will produce alongside Two & Two Pictures (Under the Shadow, I Came By). He Bled Neon is the latest project from both companies who are also […]

FREE FALL: Zoë Bell Actioner Taps Zachary Levi To Star, New Zealand Shoot Later This Year

Lee B. Golden III

Celebrated stunt laureate and actress Zoë Bell is gearing up to shoot rock climbing action thriller Free Fall. Zachary Levi of Shazam and Harold And The Purple Crayon fame will headline the film with cameras set to roll in New Zealand later this year. Written by Sean Finegan and Gregg Maxwell Parker, Free Fall tells the story of a father’s attempt to reconcile with his estranged daughter in New Zealand on a rock-climbing trip that turns deadly as an accident leaves them stranded hundreds of feet in the air. As a storm sets in, the two must fight against the elements and terrifying heights in order to survive. Free Fall also marks the latest project partnering XYZ Films and Auckland-based Tavake Ltd. (Madam) whose Tom Hern and Nua Finau are producing. Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen will exec produce alongside, Finegan, Parker and Levi. Levi is an accomplished American actor and […]

HE BLED NEON: Action Thriller Casts Joe Cole For Music Video Director’s Feature Debut

Lee B. Golden III

Deadline’s Andreas Wiseman reports that Drew Kirsch will debut direct action thriller feature, He Bled Neon. A Prayer Before Dawn star Joe Cole will lead from a script by Tim Cairo and Jake Gibson. After his estranged brother’s mysterious death, Ethan’s (Joe Cole) journey to Las Vegas for the funeral unravels a dark web of crime, forcing him to confront his past as he delves into the city’s gritty underworld to uncover the truth, risking everything he holds dear in the process. Wiseman notes He Bled Neon is based on a story by Nate Bolotin “who was inspired by his early experiences growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada.” Bolotin is co-founder of XYZ Films who is producing the pic alongside Two & Two Pictures. XYZ is also repping world sales next month at the Marche du Film with WME repping domestic. Music will be scored by Grammy nominated Zhu, and […]

THE WIDE WEST: ‘John Wick 4’ Co-Star And Sumo Champion Joins Alexander Nevsky For New Western From ‘Rio Bravo’ Team

Lee B. Golden III

Casting is reportedly underway in Los Angeles and Tokyo for The Wide West, a new Western starring Alexander Nevsky along with Hiroki Sumi (Netflix series “Sanctuary,” Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4). The Wide West reunites Nevsky with the creative team behind Western indie actioners Gunfight At Rio Bravo and its sequel of late, Taken From Rio Bravo. Nevsky is producing under his Hollywood storm banner, rejoining Joe Cornet who will direct from Craig Hamann’s screenplay. In addition to Nevsky and Sumi, Cornet will also co-star along with Tatiana Neva (Taken from Rio Bravo), Nick Baillie (Malicious) and Kerry Goodwin (Promise). Plot details are underwraps for the film while it is being billed as heavily inspired by Terence Young’s 1971 Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune starrer, Red Sun. The movie also marks a discernible pairing for Nevsky, a three-time Mr. Universe bodybuilding champion who clocks in at 270 lbs. The sizeable […]

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PRIMITIVE WAR: Luke Sparke’s Sci-Fi Novel Adaptation Casts Up As Production Readies Gold Coast Shoot

Lee B. Golden III

It’s taken a few years to brew, but director Luke Sparke’s new sci-fi thriller Primitive War is finally moving forward. The adaptation of Ethan Pettus’s debut 2017 novel is set to commence principal photography on Australia’s Gold Coast, employing over 200 local crew members. Heading up the Queensland production are Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Piven (Entourage, Old School), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Lucifer), and Nick Wechsler (The Boys, Revenge). Rounding out the cast are SAG Award Nominee Ryan Kwanten (True Blood, Glorious), and actors Anthony Ingruber (Age of Adaline, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Aaron Glenane (Interceptor, Danger Close), Carlos Sanson Jr (Bump, Legacies), Ana Thu Nguyen (upcoming Mortal Kombat 2), Adolphus Waylee (Nautilus), Richard Brancatisano (The Messenger, After the Verdict), Marcus Johnson (Talk to Me, Bring Him to Me) and Jake Ryan (Savage, Underbelly). Sparke will direct from his own script a story […]