tiff 2019

THE KILLER’S GAME: Sales Launch In Toronto With Late 2019 Production Start

Dave Jeremy Kay reports at Screen Daily that D.J. Caruso’s new novel adaptation, The Killer’s Game, will commence principal photography in December. Actress Morena Baccarin (Deadpool, Deadpool 2) and actor Kris Wu (xXx: Return Of Xander Cage, Valerian) are both up for roles joining Ice Cube (Ride Along, Ride Along 2) and lead actor Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049). Inspired by Jay Bonansinga’s 1997 novel, the action adventure thriller sees Bautista as a principled veteran assassin who learns he is dying. Thinking his days are numbered and refusing suicide as it goes against his Catholic principles, he stakes a multi-million dollar prize on his own life, only to realize two things: One – that he’s been misdiagnosed and is still in perfect health, and Two – his girlfriend is preganant. Now the two will have to race across Europe in order to outrun the cadre of hungry gamesmen now out […]

UK’s GFM, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Producer Partner To Develop Quartet Of Martial Arts Films Starting In 2020

Lee B. Golden III

Reasurring the martial arts action cinema fandom for years to come, producer Shannon McIntosh is reportedly pairing up with UK-based GFM Films genre shingle, Evolution Pictures. A four-picture deal is in place with two productions in Thailand, and another two in North America. Details are pending on the respective titles, casting crewing as the team readies for an early 2020 start. Andreas Wiseman brought the exclusive over to Deadline and elucidates the buzzy bits with quotes from McIntosh and partner H. Daniel Gross (Halloween: Resurrection). According to the team, the movies will feature a mix of “new young martial arts talent and well-established American & Asian stars of the genre.” Gross served as Senior VP Programming and Production for Blackbelt TV from summer 2012 through late 2014. McIntosh is coming off of immense success of having produced director Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, which garnered nearly $240 […]

KNUCKLE CITY: Watch The Official Trailer For Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s Pound-For-Pound Coming-Of-Age Boxing Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Decorated South African director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka opened last month’s 40th Durban International Film Festival to great ceremony with his fourth feature, Knuckle City. The film is now officially poised to continue its festival run with an international premiere in the Contemporary World Cinema section for the Toronto International Film Festival next month. An aging, womanizing professional boxer and his career-criminal brother take one last shot at success and get more than they’ve bargained for, in South African director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s slick, gripping new film. Much is ado with Qubeka after well over a decade directing numerous projects. He’s packed in several nominations from various festival outings, among which he won Best Director at the South African Film and Television Awards for his 2013 film, Of Good Report; Knuckle City was nominated for Best Film for the International Competition at Durban. For Knuckle City, Qubeka filmed the boxing drama […]