Hong Kong-based ACT3 and Philippine production company Blackops Studios Asia have set Cuba Gooding Jr., Luke Ford, Keith Duffy and multimedia artist Qymira in “Lotus,” an international action thriller that marks the first production under the companies’ multi-year, five-film slate deal.
The project was introduced to international buyers and distribution partners at the Cannes Film Market. Principal photography is scheduled to run from September through October in Manila, with additional sequences to be shot in Brazil.
Filipino filmmaker Pedring Lopez, founder of Blackops Studios Asia, directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with his longtime producing and writing collaborator Rex Lopez. Pedring Lopez also produces alongside Rex Lopez and Maia Yambao-Lopez. Leslie Loh serves as executive producer for ACT3.
Gooding Jr. (“Jerry Maguire”), Australian actor Ford (“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” “Animal Kingdom,” “The Black Balloon”) and Irish singer and Boyzone member Duffy headline alongside Qymira, who previously starred in Lopez’s “Shadow Transit.” Also cast are actor-producer Cristian Lavin (“NCIS”) and Brazilian actor Alberto Cowboy, a “Big Brother Brasil” alumnus.
“‘Lotus’ marks my first major project shooting in the Philippines and Southeast Asia,” Gooding Jr. said. “There’s an energy to this project and to Manila that immediately pulled me in. The vision Pedring and the team have for this film is raw, dangerous and global.”
Ford added: “What drew me to ‘Lotus’ was how grounded and unpredictable the world felt. There’s a rawness to the story and the way Pedring wants to shoot the film that makes it feel immediate and immersive. Manila and Brazil are incredible backdrops for this kind of action-thriller, and I’m excited to be part of something that feels both intimate and global at the same time.”
“This film is bigger, darker and even more ambitious, and I’m excited to be part of a story that connects Manila and Brazil in such a visceral way,” Qymira said. “Brazil has also held a special place in my heart especially after having performed at the Salvador Carnival and released several Portuguese and English songs with local artists which topped the Bahia radio charts, so bringing those worlds together in this film feels incredibly personal.”
Sonny Sison, a Filipino-American choreographer and producer, will handle stunt and action coordination, working with his local crew and an international stunt team drawn from the U.S. and Hong Kong. Noel Teehankee will shoot the film, with the production drawing from a crew across the Philippines, Hong Kong and Brazil. Additional Filipino casting is ongoing.
“This is a film designed for a global audience but rooted in the energy and chaos of Southeast Asia and Latin America,” Lopez said. “We want ‘Lotus’ to feel dangerous, emotional and alive, the kind of film that throws you directly into its world.”
“Lotus” is the first of five planned productions under the ACT3–Blackops Studios Asia collaboration. The partnership’s other cornerstone project, the China-set action epic “A Thread of Steel,” is scheduled to shoot in 2028.
