Production is now under way in China on “Outcast,” a Chinese-themed action movie starring Nicolas Cage.
The film, repped at AFM by Easternlight, the Asian label of Arclight Films, is the directorial debut of British stunt director Nick Powell, who has won five Taurus awards for his stunt escapades and was action choreographer on “The Bourne Identity.”
Locations include several in Beijing, Hebei province and the exotic region of Yunnan.
The film is structured as a Chinese-Canadian-French co-production and is one of few martial-arts period pieces to be shot in English and targeted at a global market. The most successful of the genre was “Forbidden Kingdom,” which Arclight also handled. Chinese financing for “Outcast” also comes from the Yunnan Film Group, which previously backed Arclight’s “Bait 3D.”
The film’s action follows a mysterious warrior who teams with the daughter and son of a deposed Chinese emperor to defeat their cruel uncle, who seeks their deaths. The other stars are Hayden Christensen and Liu Yifei.
“Nick Powell’s expertise in the world of stunts and martial arts along with his discerning eye are all huge assets to ensuring an authentic and thrilling action film that will resonate with audiences all over the world,” said Ying Ye, managing director of Easternlight.
Producers include Alan Zhang of the Yunnan Film Group, Karine Martin of Mediabiz Intl., Leonard Glowinski of 22h22, Ying Ye and Gary Hamilton, along with Chris Milburn, George Mizen and Tove Christensen. Exec producers include Mark Canton, Jean-Francois Doray, Mike Gabrawy, Mike Nilon and Andrew Mann. Associate producer is Frederic Guarino.
