Liev Schreiber (Salt, Repo Men, Showtime series Ray Donovan) is in negotiations to lead The Guns Of Christmas Past, a new action thriller from director Xavier Gens (AMC/Sky Atlantic series Gangs Of London). XYZ Films is launching world sales for buyers at the upcoming Marché du Film in Cannes with cameras set to roll later in the year.
Andrew Hilton wrote the script which is billed as a “genre mash-up described as A Christmas Carol meets John Wick”. Schrieber will play ‘Ebb’, a former hitman for the mob, brought out from hiding when his former best friend and partner (Jacob Marley) is killed. Ebb penetrates the compound of his enemy to exact revenge. The “Ghosts” of Past, Present and Future all arrive to thwart our hero’s plans.
Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen are producing alongside XYZ Films, which is also financing with investment funding coming from IPR.VC.
“I am excited to work with Liev and XYZ Films and bring a modern design style to this unique and original script. I hope to follow in the tradition of classic holiday action movies like Die Hard, and create a really fun film that audiences will come back to year after year,” said Gens.
“Coming from XYZ, and given our experience delivering a fresh approach to action through such films as our RAID FRANCHISE, we see this as an action franchise vehicle akin to the breakout film NOBODY, which was an enormous success,” said XYZ Films.
Schreiber, who will next be seen in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, is repped by UTA and Untitled Entertainment. Gens, a veteran international director also known for Frontier(s), Cold Skin and Timothy Olyphant starrer Hitman, among others, is repped by Anonymous content and Agents Associes. Hilton, who is one of the most sought-after screenplay analysts in Hollywood and shares respective writing and producing credits on such titles as Fatal Trust, Brake and feature documentary Why We Ride, is repped by Craig A. Kessler.
XYZ’s current projects include Cannes Director’s Fortnight title In Flames, Tribeca Official Selection The Seeding, Matt Johnson’s Berlin competition title Blackberry, Flying Lotus’s Eiza González and Aaron Paul starrer Ash, Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils, Sundance selection Run Rabbit Run, Nacho Vigalondo’s Daniela Forever. The slate also includes Nick Cassavetes’ thriller God Is A Bullet, Lorcan Finnegan’s Nocebo, and BAFTA-nominated Boiling Point helmer Phillip Barantini’s Accused. Additionally, the company is in post-production on the Netflix Original action crime thriller, Havoc, directed by Gareth Evans and starring Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker for its 2024 release.