News and updates on the latest in mainstream and independent global genre cinema

cannes 2019

FIRST LOVE: Takashi Miike’s Cannes Hit Action Thriller Picked Up By Well Go USA For Late 2019

Lee B. Golden III

Takashi Miike’s newest Cannes darling, First Love, is coming to North America, and Well Go USA is all but on-top of things with its acquisition reported on Wednesday from THR. The film had its Directors’ Fortnight run in France and stars Masataka Kubota (Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul: S), and actress Sakurako Konishi with Nao Omori (Ichi The Killer), Shota Sometani (Legend Of The Demon Cat), actress and singer Becky (Eight Ranger, Eight Ranger 2), and actors Jun Murakami (Aircraft Carrier Ibuki), Sansei Shiomi (Beyond Outrage, Outrage Coda) and Seiyo Uchino (13 Assassins).

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REDEMPTION DAY: Go Behind The Scenes Of Actor Gary Dourdan’s New Geopolitical Rescue Actioner From Voltage

Lee B. Golden III

Sales at Cannes last month saw the launch of writer and director Hicham Hajji’s geopolitical action thriller, Redemption Day, from Voltage Pictures and starring Gary Dourdan (CSI), Serinda Swan (Marvel’s Inhumans) and Samy Naceri (Taxi franchise). Production reportedly wrapped its shoot in Morocco with a script reportedly inspired by a true story about a photographer friend killed by a terrorist group during an NGO in Africa. The footage in the player above hails from the first week of principal photography earlier on.

ATTRACTION 2 Looks Scary As F**k. Check Out The Teaser!

Lee B. Golden III

2019’s Cannes Market has emerged proficiently for sci-fi fans with Russia being a front runner since making strides with 2017 sci-fi, Attraction. Director Fedor Bondarchuk is back once again for another round of alien invasion and spectacle with Attraction 2 and as such, Variety’s exclusive report on Thursday also brings us our first official teaser.

PHARAOH’S WAR: Tyson And The Mountain Bring Out The Big Guns In The Official Trailer For Amr Saad’s New Egyptian Action Adventure

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I honestly don’t know what the appeal is in Mike Tyson as an actor apart from seeing him generate chuckles in The Hangover and its sequel, but he’s definitely found his calling overseas as he keeps getting cast in movies.

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JUST CAUSE: ‘John Wick’ Scribe Partners With Constantin To Pen And Produce

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The video game movie trend now continues with news at Deadline for upcoming actioner, Just Cause.

FLIGHT RISK: ‘Pusher’ Director Announces New Action Thriller From Great Point

Lee B. Golden III

Kidnap and Pusher remake helmer Luis Prieto will direct Flight Risk according to Stewart Clark at Variety. Great Point is handling international sales on the project from Automatic Media whose Ray Haboush (The Last House On The Left) and Robert Aaronson (Chocolate City) are producing. Great Point co-founders Robert Halmi and Jim Reeve will serve as executive producers.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, DiCaprio Killed Nazis And Pitt Fought Bruce Lee, All In The Newest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Sony’s campaign for Quentin Tarantino’s ninth venture, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, has been pretty immersive throughout Cannes with posters emulating bygone era westerns – a move hinting respectively at the era during which the film takes place. You’ll find a few at the bottom of the page while we now have an official trailer online upon the film’s star-studded Cannes screening.

STRIKE BACK: China Film Co. And Taihang Ready New Patriotic Actioner For Fall Production

Lee B. Golden III

Fresh out of Cannes and continuing the string of Chinese patriotic thrills of late, a September start is in store for Strike Back, from China Film Group and Taihang Pictures. Arclight Films, home to such hits as Triple Threat, Wu Jing’s Wolf Warrior 2 and Donnie Yen’s S.P.L. and Special ID, is selling internationally and co-financing the new thriller to be shot in the deserts of Xinjiang, northwest China, and Hainan island in the south.

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LANSKY: Keitel, Worthington Lead Cast For Upcoming Gangster Biopic

Lee B. Golden III

Production is set to commence this August for The Abandoned helmer Eytan Rockaway’s gangster biopic, Lansky, based on the life and times of American monster Bugsy Siegel’s close cohort. Harvey Keitel, best known for roles in hit films like Bad Lieutenant and Pulp Fiction will star alongside Emory Cohen, Sam Worthington and Austin Stowell. Alexandra Daddario and Tony Danza are in talks to join.

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10 DOUBLE ZERO Clocks In Nicholas Cage For Christian Sesma’s Latest Cop Actioner

Lee B. Golden III

AWOL-72 helmer Christian Sesma is reteaming with Vigilante Diaries team, screenwriters Nick Vallelonga and Paul Sloan for Nicolas Cage action thriller, 10 Double Zero. Andreas Wiseman reported the news out of Cannes over at Deadline with news that Wonderful Global is selling the film internationally.

UNDISPUTED To Continue Boyka’s Story On Television, Production Begins Next Year

Lee B. Golden III

The award-winning Undisputed franchise is coming to television as of Thursday’s exclusive out of Cannes from Alex Ritman at THR. The martial arts action franchise is currently selling at the market for London-based Empire Films, the company now behind its small-screen reboot alongside Millenium Films.

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THE DOORMAN: Lionsgate Nabs New Ruby Rose Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Actress Ruby Rose is riding high this week having emerged in Thursday’s trailer for the Fall premiere of Batwoman on The CW. She’s also remained consistent in her big screen endeavors following roles in xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, John Wick: Chapter Two and shark thriller, The Meg, now staking her claim with her latest action role in The Doorman with a release now being planned thanks to Lionsgate’s U.S. acquisition of the film at Cannes.

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ATLAS COMICS: Steven Paul, Weed Road Partner To Mine Bygone Superhero Banner For Paramount

Lee B. Golden III

A new comic book universe is potentially on the horizon with the trades all reporting that Steven Paul acquired a majority stake in Atlas Comics. Paul’s SP Media Group will finance, co-produce and with Paramount Pictures in a first look development and distribution deal with Paramount Pictures announced out of Cannes on Thursday, along with word that the Ghost In The Shell producer has tapped Akiva Goldsman to oversee a writers’ room through his Weed Road Pictures banner.

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WANTED MAN: Dolph Lundgren Road Actioner Acquired By CineTel Films

Lee B. Golden III

Fresh from the Rocky fray, Aquaman co-star Dolph Lundgren will star in Wanted Man. Michael Worth wrote the script from a story he and Lundgren put together.

BATTLE OF JANGSARI: Check Out A Shot Of The New Korean War Epic Now Selling At Cannes

Lee B. Golden III

Just below we now have what appears to be a first look at Kwak Kyung-taek (Dark Figure Of Crime, RV: Resurrected Victims) and Kim Tae-hun’s new Korean war epic, Battle Of Jangsari – that’s the current working title from Warner Bros. Pictures Korea and Taewon Entertainment. Finecut is currently at Cannes and repping international sales rights on the project which stars SHINee member Choi Min-ho (Illang: The Wolf Brigade), Kim Sung-cheol (Prison Playbook – TV) and Megan Fox (Transformers, Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen).

VIOLENCE OF ACTION Casts Chris Pine For Fall Action Thriller Shoot

Lee B. Golden III

The title itself is as apt for an action thriller feature as one could be with actor Chris Pine’s newest role in Violence Of Action. Heading to Cannes for sales courtesy of STXinternational with CAA Media Finance repping the U.S., cameras roll this Fall with The Nile Hilton Incident helmer Tarik Saleh directing from J.P. Davis.

BECKY Shoots This Summer From ‘Bushwick’ Duo, Casts Simon Pegg And Lulu Wilson

Lee B. Golden III

Of course nowadays contemporary action persona John Wick is gonna be the go-to persona for someone selling a concept. Such is the case for Becky, headed to Cannes from the respective international and US rights holders, Highland Film Group and UTA Independent Film Group.

Liam Neeson To Bring The War To The Cartel In THE MINUTEMAN

Lee B. Golden III

Far from any talk of retirement, actor Liam Neeson is back for another action role in The Minuteman which rolls cameras this September. Directed by Robert Lorenz, Neeson will play a retired Vietnam veteran who finds himself caring for a young boy being hunted by the cartel.

STRAPPED: Scott Adkins And Isaac Florentine Reunite For The New MMA Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

It’s the action romance that won’t die with actor/director duo Scott Adkins and Isaac Florentine back for a ninth outing together called Strapped. Production begins later this year with Adkins starring as a former MMA fighter forced to confront the heart of his dark past following a brutal robbery and the theft of his championship belt.

Dark Comedy FATMAN Shoots Next Year Starring Mel Gibson

Lee B. Golden III

If you’ve been keeping score with all things Cannes, you’ve likely come across news about Mel Gibson’s new dark action comedy, Fatman, which shoots early next year following the release of his next thriller, Boss Level, featuring Frank Grillo.