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Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s new strand in which, each fortnight, we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you.

This week we visit French director Xavier Gens’s Thailand-set fight-fest Farang, which has shown independent French action movies can hold their own in cinemas and find international buyers. Released against a real-life background of fury towards the police following the killing of a French teenager during a traffic stop in June, the film has shown there remains an appetite for genre movie in the country.

Name: Farang

Country: France

Distributor: Studiocanal

Networks: Canal+, France Télévisions

Where to watch: Due...

Urban warfare expert John Spencer praises the accuracy of the close-quarters combat tactics used in "The Raid: Redemption". The film accurately portrays tactics that would be used when fighting in a tenement or similar situation, including the importance of staying away from windows and using mouse-holing techniques to move undetected. Spencer rates the film's accuracy a nine out of ten, highlighting the valuable lessons it teaches about building defense and the use of real tactics in urban battles.

Urban warfare expert John Spencer analyzes the action scenes from The Raid: Redemption, praising the film's accuracy to real-world close-quarters combat tactics. Released in 2011, The Raid: Redemption is an Indonesian action film directed by Gareth Evans, starring Iko Uwais as a S.W.A.T. officer whose team becomes trapped in an apartment complex controlled by a ruthless crime lord. The film was praised for its impressive action set pieces and complex choreography.

Now, for a recent video for Insider,...

AMC Networks had made it official that Scott Shooman as been upped to Head of its Film Group which encompasses IFC Films, Rlje Films and the Shudder streaming service.

Shooman has been serving as the interim head in the wake of the shocking exit of IFC Films President Arianna Bocco back in March. Shooman arrived at IFC back in January 2022 as their SVP of Acquistions and Production. Shooman led the acquisitions team in acquiring nearly 30 films annually for both the IFC Films and IFC Midnight slate in all stages of production. He was involved in the pick-ups of Watcher, Skinamarink, The Lost King and Corsage.

In his new role, Shooman will oversee acquisitions, theatrical film distribution, production and development across all three of these distinctive and differentiated film brands, as well as the IFC Center, reporting to Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks.

“Movies are...

IFC has a new leader. AMC Networks has named Scott Shooman the head of its Film Group, encompassing IFC Films, Rlje Films, and films for the Shudder streaming service, the company announced Tuesday.

Shooman nabs the official, full-time role following serving as interim head since the end of March of this year. He was elevated to the interim role in the wake of an exodus of veteran talent from the indie distributor, which included president Arianna Bocco, PR head Laura Sok, senior publicist Kate McEdwards, director of sales Jasper Bach, and IFC Center lead John Vanco, all within weeks of each other.

In his new role, Shooman will oversee acquisitions, theatrical film distribution, production, and development across all three brands, as well as the IFC Center. He reports to Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for parent company AMC Networks.

“Movies are an important focal point for our company,...

It’s a new month, and we’re officially in the back half of 2023. That also means that it’s a new month for streaming. Netflix’s horror offerings might be light when it comes to new releases, the most notable of which is Bird Box Barcelona, set to debut on the streaming service on July 14.

Whether you’re looking for underseen horror gems on Netflix or revisiting spooky favorites, here are ten great horror movies you can stream on Netflix in July.

Apostle

Writer/Director Gareth Evans brings the bone-crunching brutality of The Raid and The Raid 2 to his period folk horror film. The Guest’s Dan Stevens stars as Thomas, a man who travels to a remote island in 1905 to infiltrate the cult that’s kidnapped his sister for ransom. The cult leaders claim that the barren island was made fertile through blood sacrifice, and in his quest,...

When you want action and you want it now, turn to these crowd-pleasing punch-‘em-ups on Netflix, from Chris Hemsworth’s take-charge commando in “Extraction 2,” to Daniel Craig’s jaw-dropping stunts in “Skyfall,” to Patrick Swayze as a one-man army in “Road House,” and maybe a few action flicks you haven’t seen before.

“Skyfall”

From the spectacular opening chase sequence to the emotional ending, this is one of the best Bond films ever made, with one of the best, most vindictive villains in Javier Bardem.

“Road House”

Patrick Swayze is a lean, mean, fighting machine in this ’80s cult classic, with such all-time quotes as “pain don’t hurt” and “I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice.”

“Rrr”

This gonzo, three-hour Indian action epic where two revolutionaries take on British colonizers (and a tiger!) in 1920s-era India has to be seen to be believed,...

Machine guns. Knife-fights. An aircraft carrier doing a handbrake turn in the middle of the ocean. Yep, the Expendables 4 trailer is here at last – or, if you’d rather, the Expend4bles trailer — and you’ll be pleased to note that things have only got more intensely explode-y since we last hung out with Hollywood’s hardest legends nearly a decade ago.

“I got this situation where I need your help,” says Stallone’s Expendables head honcho Barney Ross when he knocks on for Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas. Yep, the old gang are getting back together for one more mission: Ross, Lee and their squad of experienced exterminators are on the tail of some nukes which have gone walkabout and ended up in the hands of terrorists who want to razz up some bad vibes between America and Russia. “If these babies go off,” we’re told, “it’ll be World War Three.

At last, we have our first trailer for the long-awaited fourth installment in the action series, The Expendables courtesy of Lionsgate. Once again starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture, The Expendables 4, which has now been officially titled Expend4bles, will bring the titular team of action heroes back to the screen for the first time since The Expendables 3 back in 2014.

A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and...

The London Action Festival has revealed a raft of new events joining the already impressive programme set to burst into London later this month. The one-of-a-kind Festival is year on year proving itself in its ambitions to be Britain’s biggest convention and will bring together influential figures responsible for creating some of the most iconic Action moments in Film and TV history, running from Wednesday 21st – Sunday 25th June.

The extensive program offers professionals and fans alike the opportunity to immerse themselves in all things Action. Every day is ‘action-packed’, with more events to be announced soon, and the program currently boasts:

Three Nights of Special Events – including the return of last year’s sell outs: The Friday Night Showdown – The Festival’s Moving Target Awards’ Show. Award Winner’s announced so far to be honoured for their Outstanding Contributions to Action Film & TV include:

For Direction: Martin Campbell,...

It's safe to assume that Donnie Yen's appearance in John Wick: Chapter 4 was the first time many had seen this amazing action star in motion. While his brawl with Keanu Reeves was a sight to behold, Yen has had a lengthy history in the action genre, pumping out stellar film after stellar film that not only shows off his martial arts prowess but also tells compelling stories on top of it. Arguably one of his most successful ventures is Ip Man, a series chronicling the life of the eponymous Wing Chun grandmaster who famously mentored the late Bruce Lee.

Now spanning over four entries over a decade, the announcement of another mainline Ip Man film both surprised and stunned some. While it'll be a while before we see Yen on the big screen again, there's no better time to invest yourself in the grandiose story of Ip Man.

In what has become a grim reality of the next phase of the streaming era, 60 movies and television shows have left Disney+ and Hulu. That includes Sundance crowdpleasers like “Timmy Failure,” initially-intended for theatrical releases like “Artemis Fowl” and “The Once and Future Ivan,” big-budget IP adaptations like “Willow” and “Y: The Last Man,” and high-concept YA dramedies like “Stargirl” and “Rosaline.” Once such casualty is “The Princess.”

Released in August of 2022, the original high-concept hybrid of “Die Hard” and “The Raid” features Joey King (star of “The Kissing Booth” trilogy) as a princess trapped in a tower having to fight and kill her way floor-by-floor to save herself and her family from a violent coup attempt. It’s the kind of clever genre exercise that might have been a theatrical release a generation ago. Had it been given a theatrical release, however token, it would also have been available on DVD,...

Den of Geek is the Senior Media Sponsor of The London Action Festival

If a lack of quality action movie content is a disease, consider the return of The London Action Festival the cure.

If you’re in the London area or are planning to be between June 21-25, you won’t want to dodge this bullet. The London Action Festival is returning for Year 2 locked and loaded with an impressive lineup celebrating the skills, creativity, talent and bravery required to create the world’s most exciting content across Film and TV.

“The London Action Festival is back and bolder this year, once again championing the incredible talent both in front of and behind the camera,” said Festival Co-Directors Julian Alcantara and Ron Fogelman in a release. “With exciting events already confirmed and more to be announced, festival- goers will be able to immerse themselves in all things Action. 2023 is...

The London Action Festival has revealed a packed program for its second edition.

Highlights of the first round of programming that has been unveiled include:

Anatomy Of A Set Piece where The Raid franchise creator Gareth Evans and others to be announced will break down chosen set pieces from their works; a screening of “The Raid 2” + Q&a with Evans; The Showrunner’s Story, where, in association with World Productions, “Bodyguard” and ‘Line of Duty” Jed Mercurio creator will explore the work of a showrunner in the creation and production of shows; and The Villains of John Wick, in association with Lionsgate, where Mark Dacascos (Zero in “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum”) and Scott Adkins (Killa in “John Wick: Chapter 4”) – two of the most memorable villains from across the John Wick franchise will discuss their work.

Cry Havoc – The Making of a Battle, courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery,...

James Gunn is showing off his geeky side.

The director has become a staple in the comic book cinematic universe, helming the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films for Marvel and becoming the new creative head for DC Films – but more than anything, Gunn is a film fan.

Speaking with GQ about the final entry in the franchise “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”, the director ranked his favourite comic book movies – even revealing a surprising inspiration for the new film.

Read More: James Gunn Reveals Pete Davidson Secretly Voiced Character In ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’

He named the R-rated “Deadpool” franchise among the list, along with the iconic Korean revenge flick “Oldboy”.

“Now a lot of people don’t know that this is a comic book film, but it’s based on a manga, and it’s a Korean film,” he explained. “It reinvented action and it really...

Tom Hardy’s long-gestating action thriller Havoc is finally gearing up to be released on Netflix. While it’s been in the works for a while, Havoc is getting closer to becoming a reality. Although an exact release date has yet to be announced, Havoc will be arriving in Netflix’s streaming library sometime in 2023. And Hardy isn’t just starring in Havoc; he’s also attached as a producer, so he has even more investment in this project than usual.

Having played Farrier in Dunkirk, SPC Lance Twombly in Black Hawk Down, and “Mad” Max Rockatansky in Mad Max: Fury Road, Hardy is no stranger to playing action heroes in gritty thrillers. With The Raid director Gareth Evans at the helm, Havoc is shaping up to be one of Hardy’s most ruthless and riveting action movies to date. Telling the story of a grizzled detective fighting his way...

Chris Hemsworth's Extraction 2 return is cause for excitement but only highlights why the original's cryptic ending was pointless. While an American remake of Indonesian action classic The Raid never came together, Netflix's Extraction became the next best thing. Extraction's simple but effective story combined with relentless pacing and creative action made it an instant streaming success. The film ended on a seemingly tragic note for lead character Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), where he's shot multiple times and plunges into a river during the final battle.

He at least succeeded in rescuing Rudhraksh Jaiswal's Ovi, but in Extraction's ambiguous ending, a blurred figure - who sure looks a lot like Tyler - is seen watching Ovi from afar. Extraction's story didn't really require a sequel, but given how the movie's writers/producers The Russos love to create franchises for themselves, the final shot was meant to tease a possible follow-up.

Streaming exclusively on Screambox beginning today, Project Wolf Hunting is a hyper-violent South Korean genre bender that packs action, sci-fi, horror, and thriller aspects into a two-hour splatterfest of epic proportions.

It’s a wholly original production, but here are six movies that writer-director Kim Hong-Sun (The Chase) evokes with Project Wolf Hunting.

1. Con Air

Although the plots ultimately diverge in drastic ways, Project Wolf Hunting‘s basic premise echoes that of Con Air. The 1997 action thriller takes place on a maximum security transport plane that’s been hijacked by criminals in an effort to escape. Project Wolf Hunting transplants the action to a cargo ship, wherein convicts coordinate an escape attempt while being transported.

2. The Raid

Project Wolf Hunting‘s merciless violence brings to mind The Raid. While few movies live up to the 2011 Indonesian film’s revolutionary action set pieces, Project Wolf Hunting‘s bone-crunching brutality is supplemented by literal tons of gore.

Exclusive: Actors Iko Uwais, Beulah Koale, and Kate Elliott have signed on to star in Ash, the sophomore feature from producer, rapper, and filmmaker Flying Lotus (Kuso).

The trio round out the cast alongside Flying Lotus, who will now also act in the pic alongside serving as director. As Deadline previously revealed, Eiza González (Baby Driver) and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) lead the project, which comes from an original screenplay written by Jonni Remmler.

Production on the pic began this week in New Zealand, with Nate Bolotin of XYZ Films and Matthew Metcalfe of Gfc Films producing. Neill Blomkamp (District 9) and Echo Lake are onboard as exec producers. XYZ Films is co-financing alongside Ipr.Vc. Flying Lotus is also set to compose an original score for the film.

Plot follows a woman (González) who wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed.

From the gangster story to the period piece to the anti-hero characters, there are some great shows like Peaky Blinders for fans. The series is set in the 1920s following Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and his gang known as the Peaky Blinders as they steal, threaten and murder their way into becoming a powerful force to be reckoned with. For those who are ready to watch another show like Peaky Blinders that will deliver drama and excellent storylines, there are plenty of stellar options to get started on. The post-marathon dilemma does not have to continue, because these shows can hook audiences with some of the best television content from recent years.

With the incredible six-season run of Peaky Blinders ending last year, fans of the series may looking for shows like Peaky Blinders in their streaming services before we eventually get the long-awaited Peaky Blinders movie. While few shows...

Sometimes, this job can give you the honor and privilege of drawing attention to all kinds of underseen gems from the wide breadth of cinema that the world has to offer. Other times, you end up writing about a newly-announced schlock-fest of a movie described as, essentially, "John Wick" meets "A Christmas Carol." In either case, it's an undeniable win-win for me, your local /Film writer who absolutely lives for chaos.

From the production company that previously brought you genre hits like "The Raid," "Mandy," and "Anna and the Apocalypse" comes "The Guns of Christmas Past," the latest film directed by French filmmaker Xavier Gens and written by Andrew Hilton. As you hopefully put together by now, the incredibly serious prestige picture and likely Oscar-bait film follows the recent trend of mashing up classic stories and IPs that are now up for grabs for reinterpretation as part of the public domain,...

Tony Jaa uses a wide collection of martial arts in the Ong Bak trilogy. Tony Jaa began his career in action movies as a stuntman, before achieving his big break with 2003's Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, which shot Jaa to international stardom. Ong Bak is widely beloved for Jaa's showcasing of Muay Thai in the movie's enthralling fight scenes, with Jaa and the cast also performing incredible stunt work throughout the film. Meanwhile, the Ong Bak franchise would later go back in time with two prequels, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning and Ong Bak 3.

In the Ong Bak prequels, Jaa expands his repertoire of martial arts significantly, blending a variety of different fighting styles and weapons into an eclectic approach to fighting, enabling his protagonist Tien to adapt to and overcome any opponent. Tony Jaa has frequently cited Bruce Lee as one of his major influences, and Lee's own philosophy...

Stars: Sean Earl McPherson, Yasmine Alice, Ellie Pickering, Ian Curd, Adam Fox, Sarah Whitehouse, Miranda Heath, Nathan Haymer-Bates, Natalie Reed | Written and Directed by Ed Kirk

Every now and then a director comes along with a movie that honestly feels like they have sat me down and said “Hey Kev, what do you wanna see? If you could make a movie, what would it look like?” Then they go off and make that movie like some goddamn movie idea stealer. Today Ed Kirk was the director and Future Soldier was that movie. A movie that almost systematically works its way down the checklist of ‘how to make a badass retro-feeling cyberpunk world-building adventure that could convince you it was made on a big budget’.

I saw the trailer for Future Soldier and kinda lost my sh*t, this just looked like it had a bit of everything I would normally go in for.

Happy May Day, the traditional halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It celebrates new life, specifically harvests and the oncoming warm summer months. May Day festivities include Maypole dancing, bonfires, and gathering wildflowers. All things that become so much more sinister in horror – just ask Ari Aster about that one.

We’re celebrating May Day with five folk horror movies you can stream now, from foundational classics to modern frights. Here’s where to watch them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Apostle – Netflix

Writer/Director Gareth Evans brings every bit of the bone-crunching brutality of The Raid and The Raid 2 to his period folk horror film. The Guest’s Dan Stevens stars as Thomas, a man who travels to a remote island in 1905 to infiltrate the cult that’s kidnapped his sister for ransom. The cult leaders claim that...

Only a few films from James Gunn's DC Universe plans have been announced, but the franchise should revive several canceled DC movies. The official unveiling of Chapter 1 of the DC Universe came in early 2023 as Gunn and Peter Safran, the new co-CEOs of DC Studios, announced five movies and five shows that are in development. The DC Universe movies include reboots of known characters, such as Batman and Superman, after their significant roles in the DC Extended Universe. Gunn and Safran also plan to utilize other comic heroes that have not been done properly or seen before, including Booster Gold, Green Lantern, Swamp Thing, and The Authority.

The new DC Universe slate comes after a decade of Warner Bros. and DC struggling to launch a cohesive cinematic universe involving the iconic comic characters. There have been several changes in leadership over the decade, with Zack Snyder, Jon Berg, Geoff Johns,...

(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, it's time to take a look at the bone-crunching brutality of the extended hallway sequence in Gareth Evans' "The Raid: Redemption.")

There has never been one "right" way to film action. Hong Kong cinema has obviously made its mark on multiple generations of directors and 1980s filmmaking may have popularized the musclebound, quasi-superhero lead who can take even more punishment than they dish out. (Don't worry, we will absolutely get around to "Die Hard" in this column at some point.) In more recent vintage, you have the frenetic, shaky-cam chaos of the "Bourne" movies that somehow managed to coexist along with the almost balletic precision of "John Wick."

Somewhere in that wide-ranging spectrum, Gareth Evans' "The Raid" movies carved out their own unique space as one...

Former Film Factory executive Manon Barat joins company as dedicated sales executive.

Heading into Cannes XYZ Films has launched New Visions, an initiative to champion bold global voices, kicking off with Directors’ Fortnight entry In Flames.

Former Film Factory executive Manon Barat has joined the company as a dedicated sales executive and will work alongside longtime head of international acquisitions Todd Brown to oversee the slate.

The highly curated New Visions will discover and support the next generation of filmmakers and give established talents room to make smaller, more intimate and challenging work.

Besides Zarrar Kahn’s Pakistani-Canadian horror In Flames,...

Tom Hardy is a bloodied-up cop in new images from Havoc, the upcoming movie from director Gareth Evans, who is best known for The Raid and its sequel. Having starred in the likes of Venom and Mad Max: Fury Road, Hardy is no stranger to the action genre. His upcoming Netflix movie, Havoc, revolves around a police detective who fights his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician's son.

Now, courtesy of the Havoc Instagram account, new looks at Hardy in Evans' upcoming film have been released, teasing the bloody and brutal style of action the director is known for. The carousels of images include a beat-up Hardy in front of a ramshackle cabin, pointing a gun through a broken windshield, and posing on a weight bench, all teasing some of the set pieces to come. In the caption on an earlier post, however, Evans reveals that the...

Iko Uwais' debut movie Merantau poised The Raid films for success in several key ways. Released in Indonesia in 2009 and releasing internationally in 2010, Merantau follows a young man named Yuda (Uwais), who ventures from his tiny village to Jakarta and encounters a human trafficking operation. Armed only with his skills as a Silat exponent, Yuda must fight to stop the ring's overlords Ratger (Mad Koudal) and Luc (Laurent Busan) and save the captive Astri (Sisca Jessica) and her brother Adit (Yusuf Aulia).

Written and directed by Welsh-born filmmaker Gareth Evans, Merantau was a big hit, but it was his and Uwais's follow-up movie The Raid: Redemption that truly shot them both to stardom in 2012, with Evans and Uwais re-teaming again in 2014 for The Raid 2. Everything from the Bruce Lee-based series Warrior to Marvel's Daredevil has been influenced by The Raid's impact on action movies and fight choreography. However,...

The Siege is out now in the UK and Ireland on digital platforms including Google, Apple, Sky, Amazon, Rakuten and Virgin

If you thought the likes of Avengement and The Raid movies were action packed, get ready for The Siege! Starring formidable new action hero Daniel Stisen (Last Man Down), this is a bone-crunching, slam bang knockout featuring heavy weaponry, bare-knuckle bash ups and fights to the death.

Directed by Brad Watson (Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop), The Siege sees Stisen as a Walker, an assassin who teams up with a female hitwoman to take on a gang of ruthless killers. The film also stars action veteran Byron Gibson (Rise of the Footsoldier 4) and Brit tough guy Phillip Ray Tommy (Kingsman: The Secret Service). It’s written by actress Nicole Bartlett (The Bezonians), making her screenwriting debut.

Assault on Precinct 13 with more muscle and a higher body count, The Siege...

When director Gareth Huw Evans introduced star Iko Uwais to the world in Merantau it marked Indonesia's return to martial arts film after a roughly fifteen year absence. Indonesia had a proud tradition of action film for years but, sadly, that tradition dried up with the retirement of Barry Prima. But it looks like it's back now and coming on strong.The Evans / Uwais combination are now hard at work on their second effort together, The Raid, while other directors and other fight teams look to get in on the action as well. And first out of the gate is director Lee Ngan Cheong and his upcoming Fight: City Of Darkness.Shot on a Canon Dslr camera, Fight is the story of four young men...

Indonesia made a return to martial arts film after a long absence with 2009's Merantau. Directed by Gareth Huw Evans the film introduced silat star Iko Uwais to the world, winning fans at PiFan, Fantasia and Sitges while taking an audience award at Fantastic Fest and winning Best Film at the inaugural ActionFest 2010.Well, ActionFest Mark Two is now underway and earlier today the festival unveiled a special treat for audiences there.You see, Uwais wanted to say a little hello and thank you for the award last year but as he's tied up shooting new film The Raid (Serbuan Maut) right now he wasn't able to do it in person. Instead he prepared a little something special from the set of his latest effort.Though...

Over the past few days I've been posting behind the scenes shots from my visit to the set of The Raid - the new martial arts / action film from the team who created Merantau.Well, I'm all packed up and on my way home from Jakarta now but before I went the producers loaded up my portable hard drive with four days worth of behind the scenes shots from their official set photographer. Needless to say the quality is rather a lot better.I've selected my favorites - seventeen in all - for you to check out below. The subjects are a mix of cast and crew and they include the first images of a lengthy fight scene between Yayan Ruhian and former Indonesian National...