by FilmInk Staff
Executive Produced by Westbrook Studios, Highland Film Group is Handling International Rights with Production Underway in Australia
Angus Sampson (Mad Max: Fury Road & Mad Max: Furiosa, Insidious films, “The Lincoln Lawyer”) is set to star alongside Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four, upcoming Maserati: The Brothers) and Tom Hopper (“The Terminal List: Dark Wolf,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Game of Thrones”) in the spy thriller The Mark, it was announced today. The feature film is directed by Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, The Other Boleyn Girl) and written by Ronnie Christensen (Passengers, Incarnate).
The Mark is produced by Jessica Alba under her Lady Metalmark Entertainment umbrella, Arianne Fraser (Land of Bad), Delphine Perrier (Arcadian) and Henry Winterstern (the Underworld franchise) for Highland Film Group, Kia Jam (The Misfits, Lucky Number Slevin) for K. Jam Media, alongside Kosaku Yada for Westbrook Studios (Bad Boys: Ride or Die, King Richard), Tracey Vieira (Land of Bad) for Hoodlum and Peter Jákl (Locked). Will Smith and Miguel Melendez executive produce on behalf of Westbrook Studios, alongside Tracey Nyberg for Lady Metalmark Entertainment, Justin Chadwick, Ceasar Richbow (Protector), Latavius Powell (The Florist), Jason Hope (Ashley), Tracey Robertson (Land of Bad) and Nathan Mayfield (Land of Bad) for Hoodlum, and Jeff Kranzdorf (The Courier), Gevork Semeriyan and Abraham Kesablyan for Falcon Films.
Highland Film Group is handling international rights and co-financing the project alongside Aperture Media Partners, with production underway in Queensland, Australia. The film is supported by the Australian Government through the Location Offset, the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy, and the Local Government through the City of Gold Coast’s Screen Attraction Program.
The Mark follows Eden (Jessica Alba), an enigmatic spy on a covert and dangerous mission. When she pulls single father Ben Dawson (Tom Hopper) into her world of high-stakes espionage, his life is turned upside down. Mistaken for the world’s deadliest assassin, Ben becomes the perfect decoy for Eden. She uses the mix-up to expose a powerful network of corrupt politicians, placing Ben in the crosshairs of ruthless crime syndicates and the CIA, led by the seasoned Special Operative Len Milton (Angus Sampson). With enemies closing in from all sides, Eden must keep Ben alive long enough to complete her mission – while Ben must summon his inner action hero to stay alive and return to the person who matters most: his daughter.
“I knew of Angus for his standout performances and immense range, but seeing his talent firsthand here on set in his home country, it’s clear why he’s in such demand. We’re fortunate to have him join the cast,” said producer Kia Jam.
Angus Sampson is regarded as one of Australia’s most distinctive and diverse performers, with an extensive body of work spanning film, theatre and television. Angus currently stars in David E. Kelley’s smash hit drama “The Lincoln Lawyer” for Netflix. His feature film credits include George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are, and James Wan’s box-office phenomenon Insidious franchise. Television credits include many prestige series such as Peabody Award winning “Fargo” for FX, “Reservation Dogs” for FX/Hulu, “Our Flag Means Death” for HBO, “The Walking Dead” for AMC, George RR Martin’s “Nightflyers,” “Shut Eye” for Hulu, Stephen King’s “The Stand” for CBS and the Stan hit series “Bump.” Upcoming features include They Will Kill You alongside Zazie Beetz and Deep Water opposite Sir Ben Kingsley.
Highland Film Group’s current slate also includes Brad Anderson’s psychological thriller Moral Capacity starring Dacre Montgomery, Diane Lane, Sofia Boutella and Tim Robbins; the espionage action thriller Stratagem starring Noomi Rapace and Teo Yoo; Martin Campbell‘s thriller Just Play Dead starring Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Green; the action crime thriller Wardriver starring Dane DeHaan and Sasha Calle; Adrian Grunberg’s action-thriller Protector starring Milla Jovovich; and the action crime thriller The Deputy starring Duke Nicholson, William H. Macy, Tiffany Haddish and Stephen Dorff.
Sampson is repped by Creative Representation in Australia and Innovative Artists Entertainment & Ellen Meyer Management in the US. Alba is repped by UTA, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Hopper is represented by Gersh, Range Media Partners, Waring McKenna, 2pm Sharp, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Chadwick is repped by Independent Talent Group and UTA.
