Principal photography is underway in Biloxi, Mississippi for action thriller, Vanquish, from director George Gallo (The Comeback Trail, Midnight Run). Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) and Ruby Rose (The Meg) are starring from a script by Gallo and co-scribe Samuel Bartlett who also storied the pic.
Strict Covid-19 protocols are in place for the production which sees Freeman in the role of a retired police commissioner who blackmails his caretaker (Rose), by kidnapping her daughter (Journey Brener), forcing her into helping him double cross his team of dirty detectives in an attempt to clean up the city and cleanse his soul before it’s too late.
March On Production’s Richard Salvatore and David E. Ornston (upcoming The Comeback Trail) are producing with Chassy Media’s Nate Adams. Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Group is co-financing the project alongside Gary Leff’s Southland Equity. Mercuri and Leff will exec produce.
“With the state of the Covid world, we set out to make a contained thriller that could be made with the new protocols and wound up creating a non- stop action thriller with two amazing actors that are bringing our characters to life in a way we never had dreamed was possible.“ said Salvatore.
“As Indie filmmakers for the last 25 years, we thought we’ve faced every obstacle we could. But as seems to be the case…there is always a new challenge. Covid has made us rethink every aspect of our shoot. What has remained intact is a great cast, director and crew all cooperating as a team to make this terrific film,” added Ornston.
“I have always wanted to do a tight and stylish action thriller. This is going to be a real fun ride and with performances by Morgan Freeman and Ruby Rose, the film is elevated to a higher leve,” commented Gallo.
Capstone’s Blue Box International banner is handling worldwide rights and will present the film to buyers during Virtual TIFF.
Freeman is best known for roles such as his 1989 Academy Award Best Picture winner Driving Miss Daisy and 7-time Oscar nominated The Shawshank Redemption, as well as Lean On Me, Se7en, Million Dollar Baby, Nelson Mandela biopic, Invictus Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight franchise, and more.
Rose can next be seen in Lionsgate’s action thriller The Doorman out in October. She most recently starred on the CW’s “Batwoman” as the first LGBTQ superhero, and made her U.S. TV debut in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Her recent film credits include xXx: Return of Xander Cage, John Wick: Chapter 2, and The Meg.
Decorated director and writer George Gallo created the storyline and characters for the box-office hit franchise Bad Boys starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. His classic narrative of buddy/cops and robbers date back to his first two films: Wise Guys starring Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo, and Midnight Run starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Additional credits include Warner Brothers’ See Spot Run, Twentieth Century Fox’s 29th Street, and Paramount’s Middle Men.
Morgan is repped by CAA and Rose is repped by UTA, Carol Bodie at Art2Preform and Howard Fishman. Gallo is repped by Sarah Bottfeld and Tracey Murray at Industry Entertainment.