The last few years have proven crucial to actor, martial artist and author Stephen DeGenaro. We first caught wind of him under the direction of John Balazs with shortfilm thriller Night Shift starring Adele Elasmar, and now he’s at the helm for his own venture with Aussie brawler, Raging Jake, underscoring its world-building potential.
“The focus is on delivering a powerful first film that stands on its own,” says DeGenaro, who describes the movie as “a project built on real martial artists, practical action, and a commitment to keeping fight storytelling raw and honest.”
Effectively, Raging Jake will also stand as an adaptation of a novel which Degenaro released in 2022 through Leogon Publishing. Official details on the film’s logline remain pending, while a description of the book on which the film will be based reads as follows:
Jake’s mother is dead under suspicious circumstances, his brother is missing, and his estranged father is hiding something…
Jake walked away from a nightmare to become a professional cage fighter. His demons make him difficult to work with—he’s angry, self-destructive, and is consumed by his inner rage. No one wants to fight him or manage him, and when he receives a call that his mother has died in a mysterious car accident his life goes from miserable to worse.
Jake must return home to attend her funeral and run the family pub.
He quickly learns that his family have spiraled out of control. His estranged father hides a dark secret Jake can’t figure out, his brother is missing, and when he finds stashed money… his suspicions deepen. He’ll have to unravel everything to learn the truth behind his mother’s untimely death as well as the parts his father and brother played. Jake must keep his rage in check, save his brother, and learn his father’s secret… before it’s too late.
DeGenaro’s vision further extends to the multiple drafts he’s worked on for the script, as well as a campaign pitch he’ll be presenting for the project’s final round of fundraising ahead of a hopeful production start later in the year. Both the pitch and concept trailer feature a look at DeGenaro in the title role, with various sequences punctuating the type of grounded, kinetic style of action he and his team are aiming for.
“Raging Jake has evolved over time, but it really took shape in recent years leading into the pitch trailer. The project went through multiple drafts and was expanded into a novel, which helped refine the characters, tone, and world” Degenaro tells FCSyndicate.
“From there, the focus became very clear-build a contained, grounded action film that could be executed at a high level on an indie scale, which led directly into producing the trailer.”
Degenaro and his team filmed the concept trailer for two days back in December 2024, joined by a cast of forty performers including martial arts screen legend Richard Norton, prior to his sudden passing last March at the age of 75.
“Working with Richard Norton was a real privilege. He was the very first cast member attached to the project, and I couldn’t see anyone else playing Jake’s father, Richard Campbell” DeGenaro added.
“We were fortunate to capture his scenes during the pitch shoot. Like many, his passing had a deep impact – both personally and on the film. There were definitely further plans for his involvement, so the project has since been carefully reworked to honour what was established, while allowing the story to continue in a respectful and grounded way.”
The film is a long term effort that DeGenaro hopes will lead to frahchise potential in the years ahead.
“Raging Jake is designed as a contained, character-driven story first, but the world extends beyond a single film,” he says.
“There’s strong potential for expansion into sequels or a broader series, particularly through the family dynamics, criminal network, and wider world hinted at in the story.”
DeGenaro will commence the final round of crowdfunding for Raging Jake on April 8. Fans of action and folks keen on DeGenaro’s new thriller are invited to follow the film’s progress at its official website, as well as its Instagram page which his hosts to reels like the one below: