EXCLUSIVE: Rhona Mitra (Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans), Famke Janssen (X-Men) and Stefani Martin (The Last Kingdom) have been set to star in sci-fi action horror movie The Experiment, which is underway at Rebellion Studios in the UK.
Set in 2080 in a world recovering from catastrophic nuclear war, The Experiment follows an elite spec-ops team, led by Captain Ava Stone (Mitra), sent on a rescue mission into a top secret military research facility after a rogue employee takes a group of scientists hostage.
The project marks the first for action label Action Xtreme, the genre division of UK arthouse producer-distributor Sovereign Media (Triangle Of Sadness).
Chee Keong Cheung (Redcon-1) is directing. Producers are Andreas Roald, Chee Keong Cheung and Ioanna Karavela and executive producer is Derek Rogers. Script comes from Alistair Cave, Matthew Thomas Edwards and Oliver Morran (Every Last One of Them) from a story by Chee Keong Cheung.
Crew includes Director of Photography Derek Rogers (Resident Evil: Apocalypse) and editor Martin Hunter (Full Metal Jacket). Creature design is by Josef Rarach (Solomon Kane) and his company FX Creator. Casting is by Dan Hubbard and Rory Okey.
Rounding out cast are Raz Adoti (Resident Evil: Apocalypse), Roxanne McKee (Game of Thrones), Michael Parr (Ocean Deep), Ryan Olivia (Angel Has Fallen), Tim Fellingham (Final Destination 5) and Simon Dutton (The Saint).
Sovereign recently helped produce Palme d’Or winner Triangle Of Sadness. The company also produced and distributed Memoria from Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Previous credits include The Tree Of Life while upcoming productions include Inside starring Willem Dafoe and Eureka with Viggo Mortensen.
Mitra’s recent credits include the action feature Hounds of War with Frank Grillo and The Other Me with Jim Sturgess. Janssen’s recent credits include the upcoming Boy Kills World with Bill Skarsgård and Sharlto Copley, action adventure Knights of the Zodiac with Sean Bean and Now You Run, the limited series for Sky from executive producer Ben Chanan. Martini starred in the lead role in Prime Suspect: Tennison and more recently starred in series The Last Kingdom.
The UK’s Rebellion Studios in Didcot is a dedicated 12-acre complex which includes a 25,000 square-foot soundstage. Co-founded by brothers Jason and Chris Kingsley in 1992, the venue has hosted video game projects including Sniper Elite, Zombie Army and Alien vs. Predator. Rebellion is the publisher of the comic book catalogue 2000 AD, home of Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper.
Chee Keong Cheung, director-producer, said: “I am proud and excited to begin production on The Experiment with Action Xtreme, thanks to the support of Sovereign and Andreas Roald. With an incredible cast, strong characters, captivating story, heart-pounding action and an amazingly talented team, I cannot wait for audiences to experience this epic thrill ride. I am delighted to also have the opportunity to work with Jason Kingsley and film at the truly unique Rebellion Studios as the principal location for The Experiment and to utilise the superb facilities on offer. I’m grateful to Jason who is an incredible supporter of independent talent and who was pivotal in making the filming at Rebellion possible.”
Andreas Roald, Producer and CEO of Sovereign, added: “The Experiment is Action Xtreme’s inaugural feature film project and Sovereign are thrilled to support director Chee Keong Cheung’s atmospheric and unique action-packed vision and bring his film to a worldwide audience.”
Derek Rogers, Director of Photography and executive producer, noted: “Chee Keong Cheung is one of the UK’s brilliant new horror/action directors. His work is visually expressive, artful and filled with purpose. It’s what draws DPs like me to his productions. The Experiment, with its delightful and unique blend of horror and action, promises a visual feast to the senses and a sheer audience pleaser.”
Jason Kingsley, CEO of Rebellion Studios, commented: “Chee is one of the UK’s most talented and exciting action film directors, and Rebellion is delighted to be working with him and Action Xtreme on The Experiment. We’ve been talking for a while to find the right project to collaborate together on and I’m very pleased we could make this one work, with hopefully many more to come. Our expansive and varied locations are the perfect setting for projects such as this. We have no doubt that it’s going to be a thrilling action-packed experience for audiences and we look forward to showcasing our unique location and extensive facilities to the world through The Experiment.”
Rhona Mitra is repped by Buchwald, Untitled Entertainment and Accelerate Management. Famke Janssen is repped by The Artists Partnership, Agency for the Performing Arts and Link Entertainment; and Stefanie Martini is repped by 42 and Luber Roklin Entertainment. Raz Adoti by Daniel Hoff Agency and Elixir Entertainment; Roxanne McKee by Curtis Brown Group and Brave Artists Management; Michael Parr by Revolution Talent; Ryan Oliva by Patrick Hambleton Management; Tim Fellingham by Revolution Talent; and Simon Dutton by Gardner Herrity.
