I pretty much already have my Friday night planned for the week of February 2. This comes with the newest trailer for series reboot, Strike Back over at Cinemax following its run in the U.K. late last year and with a fresh new unit facing down the world’s evils whatever it takes.
Hit Cinemax series Strike Back is making a stellar return amid a slate of fresh new serial content for the network in 2018. A new cast sets things in order for the rebooted show which has already begun airing in the U.K. at Sky One and will succeed its rollout for North America on February 2.
Disavowed and disbanded, the Section program is restored in order to track down a notorious terrorist following a brutal prison break. Tasked with covert military intelligence and high-risk operations, the resurrected unit embarks on a lethal manhunt that will uncover a vast web of interconnected criminal activity. As the team journeys across the Middle East and Europe, they uncover a deadly conspiracy that threatens to overwhelm them all and change the face of modern warfare forever.
Headlining are actors Warren Brown and Daniel MacPherson, and actresses Roxanne McKee and Alin Sumarwata with Nina Sosanya, Katherine Kelly and Trevor Eve also starring. The first official teaser arrived back in September while Cinemax now brings the sex, guts and attitude now on full display with military might in the first official trailer below.
A return to action-packed television is exactly what the doctor ordered for fans keen on the hit Cinemax series, Strike Back since announcing a fifth season late last year. A 2018 premiere date will likely be the case as things usually go while we now have an official teaser to whet the appetite with a new set of badasses shepherding the heroic counterterrorism unit of Section 20.
Infini and Gabriel helmer Shane Abbess’s latest, The Osiris Child, has reportedly landed a U.S. distributor in RLJ Entertainment by way of a new press announcement this week. Abbess co-wrote the film with Infini scribe Brian Cachia per the film’s production start in 2015 under the working title, SFv1.
Twilight franchise co-star, Extraction and Java Heat star Kellan Lutz makes his return to the leading man forefront as Sy Lombrok an interplanetary drifter with a haunted past who forms an unlikely alliance with Kane, an off-world military contractor to save Kane’s daughter amid an impending global crisis created by Kane’s company, Exor. Daniel MacPherson joins in as Kane next to the role of Indi, played by debut actress Teagan Croft with Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Knight of Cups), Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith) and Rachel Griffiths (Hacksaw Ridge, Six Feet Under) also starring.
“We’re excited to be releasing this action-filled, science fiction film,” RLJE Chief Acquisitions Officer Mark Ward made the announcement on Tuesday. “Writer/director Shane Abbess is a true visual talent who cleverly applies his knowledge of filmmaking to bring a futuristic action-packed, adventure-filled story to the big screen.”
“We wanted to bring back a type of movie that seemed all but extinct – the old school sci-fi action/adventure from the 80’s with monsters, prison planets, sky battles and a host of fun, colorful characters. It’s a big universe with a huge story arc and we’re ecstatic to introduce it to the world with this first installment,’” said Abbess.
The film, which is planning for a theatrical and VoD Fall release, is produced by Matthew Graham, Brett Thornquest, Sidonie Abbene and Abbess via their Storm Alley and Eclectik Vision banners, in association with Phonetic Images and executive produced by Steven Matusko. The producing team previously collaborated on Infini and Terminus and most recently the upcoming thriller Better Watch Out.
RLJ Entertainment’s Ward and Jess De Leo negotiated the deal with XYZ Film’s Co-Founder Nate Bolotin on behalf of the filmmakers.
After ending its four season run on Cinemax in the Summer of 2015, my guess was as good as anyone else’s on what would become of the hit Cinemax/Sky series, Strike Back, if anything. Actors Sullivan Stapleton and Phillip Winchester led the show in its evolution as one of the most widely received military spy dramas to date and with uncertainty in the midst late last year, news broke last December of the show’s reboot with a fresh new cast roster, character breakdowns and possible story details.
That reboot is officially taking shape as of the last several days and with Wednesday marking the first photo reveal of all four new Section 20 agents: Warren Brown (“Luther,” “The Dark Knight Rises”) as “Mac” McAllister, Daniel MacPherson (“Infini”) as Samuel Wyatt, Roxanne McKee (“Game of Thrones,” “Crossfire”) as Natalie Reynolds and Alin Sumarwata (“Burning Man”) as Gracie Novinas. Also joining the cast for production in Jordan and Hungary are actresses Nina Sosanya (“David Brent: Life on the Road,” “Love Actually”) as Adeena Donovan, Katherine Kelly (“The Night Manager,” “Happy Valley”) as Jane Lowry and actor Trevor Eve 66 as Morgan Ives.
From L to R: Daniel MacPherson, Roxanne McKee, Warren Brown and Alin Sumarwata
Disavowed and disbanded, the Section program is restored in order to track down a notorious terrorist following a brutal prison break. Tasked with covert military intelligence and high-risk operations, the resurrected unit embarks on a lethal manhunt that will uncover a vast web of interconnected criminal activity. As the team journeys across the Middle East and Europe, they uncover a deadly conspiracy that threatens to overwhelm them all and change the face of modern warfare forever.
Per the press release unveiled on Wednesday, the cast will also be doing most of its own stunts. In addition, the show’s confidential military consultants have also returned to aid the show’s progress and authenticity in all the essential aspects of counterterrorism, espionage and Black Ops.
“STRIKE BACK has been critical to defining CINEMAX as a destination for adrenalized, combat-based dramas with spectacular production values,” notes Kary Antholis, president of CINEMAX. “This rebirth of the series will undoubtedly satisfy the show’s loyal fans, and our new ensemble cast promises to attract a new generation to the show.”
“We are so thrilled to be welcoming a new cast to Section 20 and the four actors are a fantastic addition to the STRIKE BACK family,” says Sharon Hughff, executive producer for Left Bank Pictures. “The STRIKE BACK series is still going strong and we can’t wait to see this new season on screen with the intensity and high action that fans have come to expect from the show!”
Strike Back was hailed in 2015 by Forbes as “one of the best shows on television.” with TV Guide hailing it as “TV’s most explosive action series”. The A.V. Club praised its aptitude to deliver “the thrills of an action movie blockbuster on the small screen.” This new season also marks Sky’s sixth installment in the Strike Back franchise with Cinemax airing Sky’s first season of the series as Strike Back: Origins back in 2013.
Strike Back hails from Cinemax in association with Sky whose Cameron Roach is executive producing the series with Left Bank Pictures’s Andy Harries and with Sharon Hughff. Director/Executive Producer Michael Bassett and Showrunner/Writer Jack Lothian are also returning with the latter executive producing and Pete Coogan joining as production executive. Bill Shephard is the series producer with Nuala O’Leary and Lawrence Cochran producing.
Director Shane Abbess is making another return to the sci-fi genre this week following his recent intergalactic thriller, Infini. Filming is now underway for the new movie, SFv1 with actor Kellan Lutz now making headlines in joining Abbess‘s pot of familiar faces right in the director’s backyard in Australia, including Infini co-stars Daniel MacPherson and Bren Foster.
A teaser went viral last year and now we have a full trailer for the film’s upcoming May 8 limited release from Vertical Entertainment. Daniel MacPherson and Grace Huang are joined by Luke Hemsworth, Bren Foster, Luke Ford star with Abbess writing as well as producing with Sidonie Abbene, Matthew Graham, and Brett Thornquest.