xyz films

EFM 2017: Crowdfunded Sci-Fi Short CODE 8 Moves Forward As Feature Film At XYZ Starring Robbie And Stephen Amell And Sung Kang

Filmed in the summer of 2015, filmmaker Jeff Chan had hopes of advancing his 2016 crowdfunded sci-fi shortfilm, Code 8 into a feature film shoot late last year. That’s the proof of concept you now see above having risen more than $1.7 million dollars during its Indiegogo run and with well over 2 million views and already with one feature film under his belt on top of several other short film credits, clearly Code 8 was the next step. Since then, with actor Robbie Amell starring and cousin, actor Stephen Amell serving as executive producer up to this point, thankfully all efforts have not been for naught with word from Deadline that XYZ Films have nabbed international sales rights. Chan will direct the film with the former Amell reprising as a struggling daylaborer taught by a criminal how to use his superhuman powers in a world where “specials” are the […]

Gareth Huw Evans Plots 2017 Start Date For Period Thriller, APOSTLE

Lee B. Golden III

A third outing for stellar crime feature saga, The Raid, still remains on hold in addition to whatever else director Gareth Huw Evans has in tow from here on out. Gladly that hasn’t kept him down from applying himself on paper and with that, he is now poised to begin filming a new period thriller starting in the UK in March. Apostle is the name of the film while in the auspices of XYZ Films will will introduce the film to the American Film Market this week for buyers while producing. THR reports on the film whose story sees a mysterious man on a mission to rescue his sister from a religious cult demanding ransom, digging deeper to uncover its the lies and secrets in the process. The film definitely sounds like a different tone from what Evans is usually known for having applied himself so vehemently with martial arts […]

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TIFF 2016: Bernthal Boards Dagg's Hitman Thriller, SWEET VIRGINIA This Weekend

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a good year for Snitch and AMC’s The Walking Dead co-star, actor Jon Bernthal, after having turned out an unbeatable performance in Netflix’s treatment of Marvel character, Punisher for Netflix series, Daredevil. It’s one of the best things you’ll see and, indeed, more will undoubtedly come for that character while Bernthal awaits other appearances in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver next year and the October 14 release of mathematical crime thriller, The Accountant starring Ben Affleck. In the meantime, the 41st Toronto International Film Festival is just a little over two weeks away from kicking off, and with executive producer and sales agent XYZ Films readying its package, news from Deadline has confirmed the latest on the upcoming production, Sweet Virginia. Cameras start rolling this Saturday with a Black List script by Ben and Paul China, featuring Bernthal in the role of a motel owner with a dark past, […]

Charlie Human's APCOCALYPSE NOW NOW Gets The Big Screen Treatment

Lee B. Golden III

Plunging us back into the deep and whimsical world of the otherworldly is author Charlie Human whose 2013 debut novel, Apocalypse Now Now is being groomed for live-action adaptation according to Variety. The book has already recieved much praise with a likening between Neil Gaiman and Quentin Tarantino, and with source material as rich as this, it’s easy to see why fans of the book and the author would be excited. Check out the summary from Titan Books: I LOVE THE SMELL OF PARALLEL DIMENSIONS IN THE MORNING Baxter Zevcenko’s life is pretty sweet. As the 16-year-old kingpin of the Spider, his smut-peddling schoolyard syndicate, he’s making a name for himself as an up-and-coming entrepreneur. Profits are on the rise, the other gangs are staying out of his business, and he’s going out with Esme, the girl of his dreams. But when Esme gets kidnapped, and all the clues point […]

BUSHWICK: Jane Levy To Star In ‘Cooties’ Directors’ New Disaster Action Flick

Lee B. Golden III

Oh New York City, good grief. It’s a little tough living here depending on where you are, but it’ll be nothing compared to the universe that Cooties helmers Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott are now mapping out for one neighborhood in Brooklyn for their upcoming disaster thriller, Bushwick, from Bullet Pictures and XYZ Films. The film has just announced its leading lady this week in the form of actress Jane Levy with further details on what the plot will involve — basically a worst case scenario for a borough that has quite its history within such a historically substantive city. It’s almost an honor, really. View the press release below courtesy of Rama’s Screen: XYZ Films and Bullet Pictures to produce, with XYZ handling world sales Los Angeles, CA (March 4, 2015) – Jane Levy (SUBURGATORY, EVIL DEAD) has been cast to star in the action thriller BUSHWICK. The film tells the […]

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Unlikely Allies Stand Together In The New Poster For THE DEAD LANDS!

Lee B. Golden III

Ahead of an official press release back in July, worldwide sales agent and production company XYZ Films debuted the latest official poster for the upcoming period Maori action epic, The Dead Lands. The film’s production at the top of 2014 teased a slate of behind-the-scenes set photos on Instagram and Twitter prior to a release of stills and a first official teaser back in July. On Wednesday, XYZ Films kicked things back into gear ahead of the film’s festival opener with a brand new poster which you can check out below, as well as festival contributor Jane Schoettle’s description of the film: In this dazzling action epic set in pre-colonial New Zealand, the young son of a murdered tribal chieftain seeks vengeance on his family’s killers by learning the ancient Maori martial arts from a legendary warrior. Set in pre-colonial New Zealand — or, as it was known to its […]

Maori Period Action Epic THE DEAD LANDS Reveals New Pics!

Lee B. Golden III

The epic production of director Toa Fraser‘s new film, The Dead Lands, is sparking some amazing new coverage this week since wrapping principal photography earlier this year. The film, which is being handled by international sales agents at XYZ Films is poised to be the latest thrilling new look into a genuine Maori-language period tale of revenge and redemption from writer Glenn Standring, with Maori martial art form Mau rākau, as the backbone of the intricate and exciting new fight choreography from Steve McQuillan (The Gunman, Slow West). SYNOPSIS: Hongi (James Rolleston) – a Maori chieftain’s teenage son – must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains, led by Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared […]

No One Escapes In This NSFW, Explosive, Violent Deleted Scene From THE RAID 2

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been almost a year since the screenshot above was taken from the set of director Gareth Evans‘s new film, The Raid 2, at the halfway mark of his seven-month long filming schedule. Today however, within days of the film’s limited releases in New York and Los Angeles, we now have the complete scene from which that very same shot was taken in its explosive, bullet-ridden, bloody form as the director himself imagined it before it underwent the misfortune of being removed altogether from the final cut. Be advised, if you’ve been following Evans on Twitter throughout the process, you pretty much know that he wanted to get every shot included as best as he could. As is the harsh reality of post-production, sometimes these things happen, no matter how awesome the scene looks, and this isn’t the first time Evans had to take something out of a film in […]

THE RAID 2 Bludgeons The Internet With A New Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

IGN hosted a brand new “internet-exclusive” trailer for anyone and everyone waiting to watch The Raid 2 when it comes out starting in limited releases beginning next week on March 28. There’s some new footage in it that you might not have seen yet unless you’ve been to a film festival or two this year, and probably more than you might be willing to see unless you don’t have an issue spoiling yourself just a teeny bit. Hell, I said it before and I’ll say it again: I can’t wait to see this fucking movie already. SYNOPSIS: He thought it was over. After fighting his way out of a building filled with gangsters and madmen – a fight that left the bodies of police and gangsters alike piled in the halls – rookie Jakarta cop Rama (Iko Uwais) thought it was done and he could resume a normal life. He […]

Part Two Of THE RAID 2: Behind The Scenes Is Here

Lee B. Golden III

With the first of two behind the scenes videos being aired this month, a second one is now up for the upcoming release of The Raid 2, which you can check out below. The new featurette shows a little bit more new footage of the action, and also offers a little more from writer/director Gareth Evans and the cast and crew on the editing process, details and experiences on certain sets, the score, and the “different kind of assassin” fans will see played by returning actor Yayan Ruhian, among other things. The film launches in selected territories around the world, including Indonesia, New Zealand/Australia, and in the U.S. in New York and L.A. on March 28 with further releases thereafter. Honestly, the date can’t come fast enough, and I can’t wait to see this fucking movie already. So… yeah. Check out the new video below!

Marko Zaror Counts His Blessings With Bullets In The Upcoming Production Of Assassin Thriller, REDEEMER

Lee B. Golden III

Chilean martial arts action superstar Marko Zaror has been one of the most influential cinematic performers of the past decade. And just after recently appearing opposite actor Danny Trejo in Machete Kills, it appears that the Undisputed 3 actor is ready to jump onto that very momentum he has earned since his early days as a stuntman and a trendsetting breakout action hero. Today, it is being announced that Zaror will re-team once more with director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza for a brand new Spanish-language action film titled Redeemer. The film is the second project being executive produced as of late by XYZ Films (the same studio behind The Night Comes For Us, The Raid trilogy and its forthcoming U.S. remake, in addition to Maori martial arts epic, The Dead Lands to name a few) with Zaror as the main lead since it was announced just a few years ago that […]

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'The Expendables 3' Director Being Named To Helm THE RAID Remake!

Lee B. Golden III

Patrick Hughes With writer and director Gareth Evans ramping up efforts to promote the forthcoming March 28, 2014 release of The Raid 2: Berandal, what is still left in the air is the issue of whether or not action star Sylvester Stallone’s August release, The Expendables 3, will actually “raid” The Raid as he so described it on Twitter last year. Regardless though, it seems all the talk of raiding everything has put The Expendables 3 helmer Patrick Hughes in a bigger light as reports indicate that the director is now being tapped to direct Screen Gems’s upcoming remake of The Raid, which is being penned by Out Of The Furnace co-scribe Brad Inglesby. Talk of the American remake has gone on for quite a while since the success of Evans‘s film which released in 2011 and made its way overseas the following year, launching actor and martial arts action […]

Check Out This Bloody Set Photo From THE DEAD LANDS

Lee B. Golden III

The #DeadLandsMovie crew are having a bloody good time in New Zealand pic.twitter.com/Z8z5LULG6A — XYZ Films (@XYZFilms) January 9, 2014 XYZ Films took to Twitter this week to share a new photo above, updating the progress on the New Zealand filming of director Toa Fraser‘s coming-of-age period revenge epic, The Dead Lands. A little help from XYZ executive Simon de Bruyn clarifies the item in the picture is called a “patu parāoa”, one of several types of patu representing the ancient weaponry of the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. Further Googling details that this particular kind of weapon, carved from whalebone, would be used to bludgeon an enemy’s head, or thrust into the ribs or jaw. Weaponry, of course, is one of several elements that will be emphasized in depicting an ancient style of Maori martial arts in Fraser‘s new film, with the aid of stunt coordinator Steve […]

THE RAID 2: BERANDAL Gets A U.S. Release Date!

Lee B. Golden III

The Raid 2: Berandal is all the hype among martial arts action cinema fans. If you have been keeping up with the updates, you have already seen the teaser for the upcoming thriller that succeeds its 2011 predecessor and are looking forward to what the sequel has in store, courtesy from its producers over at Merantau Films and XYZ Films. Let’s hope all the theaters in North America are ready for the bloodthirsty, film hungry onslaught of martial arts action cinema fandom headed its way. March is gonna be a sick month for movies. And I’m sure writer and director Gareth Evans has no complaints. Check out the press release courtesy of JoBlo and look out for the full trailer next week! Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films announced today that they will release THE RAID 2 in the United States on March 28. The film will have its […]

KILLERS Gets A New Trailer For You To Enjoy, You Sick Bastard

Lee B. Golden III

Remember the first teaser for Killers, the latest Indo-Japanese action horror thriller from co-directors Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto (dubbed accordingly as “The ‘Mo’ Brothers”) from October? Well, December is here as we are just weeks away from the film’s upcoming four-night premiere at next month’s Sundance Film Festival, and Twitchfilm just forwarded one of two new posters, in addition to the latest trailer from co-production company Nikkatsu, which, among other things, delivers in terrific, gut-wrenching, skin-slicing, repeat-stabbing, vehicular manslaughtering, freefalling and blood-letting fashion. Killers stars Kazuki Kitamura, Oka Antara, Rin Takanashi, Luna Maya and Ray Sahetapy, and is also produced by PT Merantau and XYZ Films, who are also behind director Gareth Evans’ s next, The Raid 2: Berandal, for which a full trailer may be released on December 31. Killers will premiere in Japan on February 1, 2014 before its currently slated for a domestic Indonesia release on February […]

[UPDATED] FAN ART: Julie Estelle As "Hammer Girl" In THE RAID 2: BERANDAL

Lee B. Golden III

UPDATE – 12/16: It has been confirmed that the artist behind the fan poster is Lloyd Stas. Special thanks to XYZ Films own Simon de Bruyn for the head’s up! Fan art continues to be a driving force for fans and followers of many popular properties such as movies, and director Gareth Evans‘s upcoming urban martial arts thriller epic, The Raid 2: Berandal is no exception, having seen its own fair share of unofficial fan-originated artwork from time to time. A lot of this kind of artwork simply goes viral without mention of its creator, which is kind of unfortunate considering that I would love to credit the person who forwarded this latest bit of art onto the internet to ultimately land in the hands of XYZ Films’s own, producer Nate Bolotin, which you can check out below, emulating actess Julie Estelle as “Hammer Girl” XYZ Films is currently in […]

Updates On XYZ With The Raid 2, Killers And The Dead Lands

Lee B. Golden III

This week, Deadline is reporting that writer and director Gareth Evans’s upcoming film, The Raid 2: Berandal, will be joining the line-up for this year’s events at the Sundance Film Festival, which will be held at Park City, Utah between January 16th and the 26th of next year. In light of the news, the folks over at Comic Book Movie also forwarded a new image of from the film which you can view below featuring actress Julie Estelle as “Hammer Girl”. The Raid 2 follows up the epic, action-packed story from its 2011 predecessor, The Raid (a.k.a. Seruban Maut) starring Iko Uwais reprising his role as a rookie tactical officer who now must go deep undercover to fish out the corruption in his own police force. Currently tapped for a March 2014 release prior to a third film as part of a preiously announced trilogy tentatively set for 2017, the […]

THE NIGHT COMES FOR US Sells Worldwide!

Lee B. Golden III

Just six months away from principal photography, actors Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, and fight choreographer Iko Uwais are running the numbers on the action sequences for producer Gareth Evans’s latest return to the set with director Timo Tjahjanto for upcoming martial arts crime thriller The Night Comes For Us. But even so, the prospects for the folks at Indonesia’s PT Merantau Films and L.A.’s XYZ Films are looking brighter and brighter. Toward the last leg of this month’s event at the American Film Market, XYZ Films have apparently closed distribution deals worldwide for the upcoming film, according to a new report from Screendaily on Wednesday, with rights sold to eOne in the UK, Madman in Australia and New Zealand, Koch Media in Germany, Wildside in France and HGC in China. Also, further deals were closed for Shooting Stars in the Middle East, Daisy in South Korea, Pictureworks in India, […]

Fight Choreography Begins For THE NIGHT COMES FOR US

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Timo Tjahjanto shot off a few tweets on Monday after a completing the first day of choreography for the upcoming production of The Night Comes For Us. Following his previous collaboration with The Raid 1 and 2 helmer Gareth Evans now in the producers chair since scribing Tjahjanto’s Safe Haven segment in the summer 2013 horror anthology, V.H.S. 2, The Night Comes For Us brings lead actor Joe Taslim and co-star Yayan Ruhian back together in a reunion that is likely to be one of the most celebrated after their stellar performances in Evans’ The Raid, featuring the two in one of the film’s most brutal, solid and most pulse pounding action sequences ever put on film, a signature quality of the work coming from Indonesian production platform PT Merantau Films. Described as a story of vengeance and redemption, the current synopsis for The Night Comes For […]

Iko Uwais To Direct Fight Action For THE NIGHT COMES FOR US

Lee B. Golden III

Hours after Killers co-writer and director Timo Tjahjanto delivered the brand new sales poster for his next directorial effort, The Night Comes For Us, Twitchfilm founder and writer, and XYZ Films executive producing partner, Todd Brown brought exclusive updates for the film, regarding credits and a new synopsis. The film made plenty of headlines within the last few years as the script was being developed with PT Merantau’s own, The Raid and The Raid 2: Berandal helmer Gareth Huw Evans reported to direct. Further reports indicated he would be serving as action director and producer. Sunday’s report from Brown, whose company is producing The Night Comes For Us with PT Merantau, confirms that international action star Iko Uwais will be directing the action sequences tailor made for lead actor Joe Taslim to showcase a hybrid blend of MMA, Silat, and Judo, the latter of which Taslim shares the accolades of […]