In Production

PROJECT H Concept Art (Indiegogo)

PROJECT H: Aaron Toney’s Martial Arts Fantasy Pilot Commences Principal Photography

Lee B. Golden III

In an announcement from actor, director and stunt professional Aaron Toney sent to us on Tuesday, Toney revealed the following: “Production has officially kicked off with Aaron Toney and his entertainment company, Halvon Corporation Entertainment. The crew is set to work for three days in the Mojave desert region on the new pilot for Halvon Corps first show “Project H”. Billed as a pilot for a planned series, Project H stems from Toney’s martial arts fantasy-infused indie short, Throne, born from the like minds of Toney along with Toney, Jason Sweat, and Linda Jewell. The concept remained in quiet evolution ever since then, while Toney continued working stunts, most recently retiring the Falcon costume after doubling Anthony Mackie’s character on Falcon And The Winter Soldier, which is now airing on Disney+. Toney revived the project in an official crowdfunding campaign back in December, hailing Project H as the official launchpad for Halvon […]

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BLACK CRAB: Adam Berg’s Noomi Rapace Actioner Casts Up For 2022 Release

Lee B. Golden III

Production is under way for Adam Berg’s new Swedish action thriller, Black Crab with Noomi Rapace leading the cast. Indio’s Malin Idevall and Mattias Montero are producing the film from a script by Berg and by Pelle Rådström, based on the novel of the same name by Jerker Virdborg. Black Crab is a Scandinavian action thriller 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 weapons and 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? Netflix, who are releasing the film in 2022, also unveiled a few cast photos which you can view in the […]

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CARTER: ‘The Villainess’ Director Jung Byung-Gil Returns To Helm Netflix Original Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Kim Min-young, Netflix VP of Content for Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand, took to the public this week to tout the streamer’s ongoing $500 million dollar investment into its own self-funded programing. Par for the course as of last month is Carter, a bold new action thriller from stunt professional-cum-filmmaker Jung Byung-gil. Deadline‘s Tom Grater reported its share of the details on the pic last month, describing the film as a “one-scene, one-cut action pic [sic] will follow a man after he wakes up in a motel room with no recollection of who he is, except for a voice in his ear that calls him ‘Carter.’ Following the voice’s orders, Carter goes on an exhilarating mission to save a kidnapped girl.” Multiple Hallyu entertainment outlets reported last month that actor Joo Won (SBS’s My Sassy Girl, SBS’s Alice) was in talks to star, and thus confirmed by his […]

MONKEY MAN: Dev Patel’s Upcoming Revenge Thriller Wraps Principal Photography

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Dev Patel is currently tapped to appear in David Lowery’s The Green Knight this summer in the U.S. from A24. In the meantime, he’s also completed principal photography on Monkey Man, announced initially back in 2018. Production was reportedly slated for early last year in India, but since relocated to Indonesia due to the Covid-19 pandemic which rocked the world with some territories ramping up safety measures for film production. Cameras reportedly rolled in December, and following a sixty four-day shoot, completed principal photography this past week, according to several sources via recent posts on Twitter, as well as Instagram. Monkey Man, produced in part by Basil Iwaynk (John Wick, Sicario), is penned by Patel along with Paul Angunawela and John Collee (Hotel Mumbai, Happy Feet, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), and marks Patel’s feature directing debut. He also stars in the film which takes […]

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THE ROUNDUP: Don Lee Action Crime Sequel To ‘The Outlaws’ Now Filming

Lee B. Golden III

Production is currently underway for The Roundup, a sequel to Kang Yoon-sung’s 2017 action hit, The Outlaws. Lee Sang-young is making his debut at the helm for a returning cast that currently sees Don Lee (The Gangster. The Cop. The Devil., Unstoppable, Along With The Gods 2: The Last 49 Days, upcoming The Eternals), and the new addition of actor Son Suk-ku (Hit-And-Run Squad), with filming expected to wrap this summer. The first film saw Lee at the wheel as Ma Suk-do, a.k.a. “the Beast Cop”, heading a small anti-crime task force and dispensing justice amid warring gangs and the rise of a vicious crime boss in a South Korean Chinatown district in 2004. The Roundup sees Ma, front and center once more on a mission to Southeast Asia to extradite a suspect where a ruthless killer who has been targeting tourists for years emerges. “Buyers have been telling us […]

KIN: AMC+ Irish Crime Drama Now Shooting In Ireland Starring Clare Dunne, Charlie Cox And More

Lee B. Golden III

Currently filming in Dublin, Ireland, is crime drama series, Kin. The series was announced late last month as one of several series drama projects aimed at premiering exclusively on the premium bundle for subscription service, AMC+. The Irish and international cast for Kin includes Clare Dunne (Herself), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones), Sam Keeley (The Cured), Emmett J. Scanlan (Peaky Blinders), Maria Doyle Kennedy (Outlander) and newcomer Yasmin Seky. Peter McKenna (The Last Kingdom, Red Rock) is serving as showrunner, writer and exec producer on Kin, which “charts the lives of a fictional Dublin family embroiled in a gangland war and speaks to the enduring unbreakable bonds of blood and family.” McKenna co-created the series with Ciarán Donnelly (Altered Carbon, Vikings), with Diarmuid Goggins (Bulletproof) and Tessa Hoffe (Wayne) serving as first and second block directors, respectively. Executive producers also include BRON […]

FOX VOLANT OF THE SNOWY MOUNTAIN Feature Adaptation Currently Underway From ‘Brotherhood Of Blades’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Production is currently under way as of January 3 over at Hengdian World Studios for Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain, based on the classic novel and IP of the same name by late renowned Chinese writer Louis Cha (a.k.a. Jin Yong). IQIYI is producing the film with director Lu Yang at the helm, marking the novel’s first adaptation for the silver screen. The story centers on Hu Fei, a talented young swordsman who ventures into deep cover among the gang of Eight Villains in order to avenge his father’s death. Acording to IQIYI’s announcement, the film aims to apply a modern take on a traditional martial arts tale for a “refreshing action-fantasy piece,” as well as “feature exhilarating martial arts and stunning visual effects,” having brought aboard the VFX team behind blockbuster hit, The Wandering Earth. Rao Xiaozhi (Cool Fish) is serving as co-producer with Ji Peng (The Untamed) […]

LOST PHOENIX Teaser Introduces A Look At James Couche’s Indie Action Feature Debut

Lee B. Golden III

Independent filmmaker James Couche is moving forward with efforts to bring his feature debut, Lost Phoenix, full circle in the new year. It was last month when we showcased the first major stills of the project, building a story off the backdrop of 2020 through a palpable lens and vision with a touch of escapist thrills, and you can check those out here. As for all else, read on: An amnesiac (Wan DraL) awakens from a coma in the summer of 2020 with no memory of his past and no proof of his identity. The only world he knows is one of pandemic and social unrest. He desperately searches for his true identity all the while dodging the virus and ICE detention. The situation goes from bad to worse in his search for the truth, with every revelation putting him in more and more danger. He soon finds himself on […]

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EL PUÑO DEL CONDOR (THE FIST OF THE CONDOR): Details On The New Martial Arts Series From Chilean Action Duo Marko Zaror And Ernesto Diaz Espinoza [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

In the years since placing himself firmly on the martial arts action fandom radar with Ernesto Diaz Espinoza’s 2006 debut, Kiltro, one fact remains is that fans can’t get enough of Marko Zaror. It’s been fifteen years since then, with the two having already done three movies together with the latest being monastic action thriller, Redeemer (2014), and now they’re back together once again with the wheels turning for the new digital series, El Puño Del Condor (The Fist Of The Condor), which is currently in production in Chile. Extenuating plot and story details are under wraps for the series, but what I can report is that the crux of the series deals with martial artists from around the world, all in search of a book containing ancient secrets on overcoming the limits of the human body. That book and its very knowledge is protected by its most impenetrable gatekeeper, […]

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BLACK FRIDAY: Now Filming In With Bruce Campbell, Michael Jai White And Devon Sawa

Lee B. Golden III

Director Casey Tebo’s latest narrative sci-fi, Black Friday, is now filming in Boston with word from Deadline‘s Tom Grater. The film hails from Warner Davis Company and MFW Productions with a script by Andy Greskoviak, and actor Bruce Campbell headlining the film alongside Michael Jai White and Devon Sawa. Set on the busiest shopping night of the year, Black Friday, the story follows a group of disgruntled toy store employees who have to defend themselves from legions of holiday shoppers when a mysterious alien parasite sends them on a murderous rampage. The cast also includes Ivana Baquero, Ryan Lee, and Stephen Peck. Campbell made the festival rounds here as the central figure in Steve Villeneuve’s most recent documentary, Hail To The Deadites, which will release on a date TBA from Indiecan. White, among other pending titles, recently wrapped up Christian Sesma thriller, Take Back, and can currently be heard voicing […]

THE FABLE: CHAPTER TWO Returns Junichi Okada Back To Legendary Action Comedy Thrills This February!

Lee B. Golden III

Coming in as a delightful surprise to anyone who can’t read Japanese entertainment periodicals but nonetheless tries to follow along, a sequel is currently on the way with The Fable: Chapter Two, following last year’s inaugural hit action comedy based on Katsuhisa Minami’s 2014 manga. Adapted for the screen by Yusuke Watanabe (Joker Game, Gatchman) with action direction by the Jackie Chan stunt team, The Fable follows Akira (Okada), a legendary underworld hitman who, despite being assigned by his boss to hide in a small village under an alias, finds himself challenged to do so when faced with Yakuza thugs, and an expert killer chasing his own glory. The film made the festival rounds and ultimately landed at the 18th New York Asian Film Festival, which allowed me an opportunity to write a review you can check out here. For the sequel, Okada rejoins director Kan Eguchi, and actress Fumino […]

EXILED: THE CHOSEN ONES Rolls Camera, Unveils Key Cast

Lee B. Golden III

If it feels like things have shifted drastically since January, you’re not going nuts. Things definitely have been remapped to an immense degree, and that no less goes for director Ranjeet S. Marwa as he begins the next phase of production for survival thriller, Exiled: The Chosen Ones. Cameras are rolliing in Birmingham in the U.K. as of Monday with Marwa directing from his own script, a cast that reunites The Night Comes For Us actors Sunny Pang and Hannah Al-Rashid in lead roles, and also co-stars and serves as action director. In addition to the aforementioned, producer Djonny Chen took to social media this week to affirm the announcement with an official cast roster that also lists James Jaysen Bryhan, Jon Xue Zhang, Craig Edwards, Carl Wharton, Francois Mequer, Ermar Alexander, Nisaro Karim, Ken Hough, David Blackwell, Jordan Hale, actor and hip-hop recording artist J. Cheung (a.k.a. Cryptik Soul), […]

NO SUDDEN MOVE Begins Covid-Regulated Shoot For HBO Max

Lee B. Golden III

Beholden to strict Covid-19 protocols, production is officially underway in Detroit for No Sudden Move, a new heist thriller from HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures. Oscar and Emmy-winner Steven Soderbergh (Oceans Trilogy, Haywire) is directing from a script by Ed Solomon (Mosaic, Men in Black), with Casey Silver (Mosaic, Godless) attached to produce. No Sudden Move is set in 1955 Detroit, and centers on a group of small-time criminals who are hired to steal what they think is a simple document. When their plan goes horribly wrong, their search for who hired them – and for what ultimate purpose – weaves them through all echelons of the race-torn, rapidly changing city. The ensemble cast is led by Don Cheadle (Black Monday, Ocean’s Eleven), Benicio Del Toro (The French Dispatch, Sicario), David Harbour (Stranger Things, Black Widow), Amy Seimetz (The Comey Rule, The Girlfriend Experience), Jon Hamm (Baby Driver, Mad […]

COWBOY BEBOP: Netflix To Resume Production On Live-Action Series Adaptation Following Extended Hiatus

Lee B. Golden III

Netflix’s long-awaited live-action series adaptation of the animated hit show, Cowboy Bebop, is slated to return to production this Wednesday, according to a Deadline exclusive on Monday. The news comes close to a year after actor John Cho (Star Trek trilogy), who leads the cast, succumbed to a knee injury during production late last year on the New Zealand set, with just a few episodes reportedly shot and completed by then. Hailing from Tomorrow Studios, Midnight Radio and anime staple Sunrise, Cowboy Bebop is based on Cain Kuga’s Kadokawa Shoten manga, and Shinichiro Watanabe’s hit anime series from Sunrise Inc. Described as a jazz-inspired, genre-bending action sci-fi tale, the series centers on Spike Spiegel (Cho) who leads rag-tag crew of bounty hunters on the run from their pasts as they hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals. They’ll even save the world…for the right price. The show also stars […]

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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 […]

ACÉRÉ: First Images From Ross Peacock’s New Short Sears With A Violent Air

Lee B. Golden III

Parlez-Vous Francais? Well, I suppose it may not really matter at this stage, but the first official images from the new action short, Acéré (which translates to “Sharp“), is making the rounds with Jean-Paul Ly and Law Plancel front and center after wrapping Covid-safe photography a day ago. Plot details are scant on the project as well but it hails from YouTube film essayist, Ross Peacock (a.k.a. Rossatron) who’s been a filmmaker for a while, but has definitely upscaled some having penned the script for action thriller, Killing Field, aspart of a three-picture deal for Bruce Willis at Emmett/Furla as reported in June. Ly and Plancel have been a distinct presence in the last five years with their involvement on short films and features, namely Dead End and proof-of-concept, The Division. The two shared a fight scene moment in Ly’s lead acting debut, Jimmy Henderson’s Cambodian hit film, Jailbreak, in […]

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Cameras Roll On SATRIA DEWA: GATOTKACA, Cecep Arif Rahman And Yayan Ruhian Join Indonesian Superhero Franchise Installer

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a long-time coming for the Satria Dewa franchise’s transition to the big screen, and now Variety’s Vivienne Chow has the latest on production for the first installment, Gatotkaca, which will open in 2021. Cameras are now rolling as of August 6, after a two-month delay with strigent Covid-19 safety protocols currently put in place for cast and crew. Hanung Bramantyo is directing the project from a script by Night Bus scribe Rahabi Mandra and featuring Rizky Nazar in the title role of Yuda, “a young man with superpowers”. The film also stars John Wick 3 actors Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman, the latter who’s been involved with the project since etching out last year’s proof-of-concept short from Juara director Charles Gozali who is no longer attached to the project. The Satria Dewa universe series draws on Indonesian folklore ideas that can be traced back more than 700 […]

THE LAST MERCENARY: Jean-Claude Van Damme Headlines New Action Comedy Shooting In France

Lee B. Golden III

Jean-Claude Van Damme has talked a great deal recently with Daily Mail about what would be his final martial arts film. That currently remains to be seen, while it now seems that he’s far off from that goal as he continues with his latest project in France with David Charhon’s new Netflix action comedy, The Last Mercenary, with Samir Decazza, and Lucky and Inséparables actor Alban Ivanov. Being shot in France, the film sees Van Damme plays a mysterious former secret service agent who must urgently return to the country when his estranged son (Decazza) is falsely accused of arms and drug trafficking by the government, following a blunder by an overzealous bureaucrat (Ivanov) and a mafia operation. Van Damme’s career has seen something of a rollercoaster over the last twenty years, having gone from Hollywood hit maker to direct-to-video obscurity, much like Steven Seagal following Half Past Dead. The […]

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AMERICAN RONIN: Who Is Casting That Ominous Shadow? [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

In April, we first broke the news of a new proof-of-concept in the works for James Moten Black’s American Ronin, described as “a contemporary martial arts piece cosigning his love for classic jidaigeki cinema and anime”. Production ultimately had to take a back seat as the United States landed right into a lockdown with California, where Black and his production is based, under curfew for a time due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The state is currently staggering in its efforts to ween itself into a new “normal”, with various independent creatives working around the pandemic to meet safety guidelines in order to carry out their own projects. Such is the case for Black and his team as they forge ahead with production on American Ronin, with plans for a feature film that will hopefully rejoin him with select cast members of actor, filmmaker and cinematographer Choice Skinner’s multi-awarded 2017 Black […]

THE RAGE PEAKS AT NIGHT: Keep Forward Indie Actioner Stays Onward From ‘Instrument Assassins’ Director [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Zero-budget film projects are always an acquired taste. They don’t all sit well with every audience, but there’s no question that some of them definitely deliver, and Matt Merritte is currently poised to deliver his own with freshman feature, The Rage Peaks At Night. The independently-produced thriller hails from Merritte’s Keep Forward Productions, and centers on Julia (Lauren Biazzo), a woman searching for her brother with the help of an ex-Triad, whilst being pursued by her former occult crime family, The Apostles, led by Judas (Tom Caserto). As far as tone and vision descriptions go, Merritte’s definitely been by the Southeast Asian film bug. In chatting with FCSyndicate, he credited the influences of directors like Gareth Evans and Timo Tjahjanto, and even Malaysian director James Lee for his recent Sunny Pang action drama, Kill-Fist. The project’s team responsible for the fight action and stunts are largely a cast effort. Caserto, […]