Martial arts stars Scott Adkins (Prisoner of War) and Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat II) are teaming up once again, this time for the siege thriller Deadlocked, a new action project set to hit the Cannes market later this month.
The film centers on a routine jury site visit that spirals into chaos when a heavily armed mercenary squad storms the location in pursuit of a secret ledger tied to widespread political corruption. Trapped inside the building, a disgraced former cop turned bailiff must protect the surviving jurors while uncovering a traitor hiding among them. Adkins is set to play the ruthless mercenary leader Hewitt, while Tan takes the lead as the embattled ex-officer fighting to keep everyone alive.
The project will be directed by Roel Reiné, who previously worked with Adkins on Hard Target 2. The screenplay comes from writer Collin Armstrong, with Film Mode Entertainment handling international sales alongside producers from Vault Entertainment, Rebel Entertainment, In Tandem Productions, and Arcana.
Deadlocked marks yet another collaboration between Adkins and Tan following the recently announced MMA thriller Brawler, which also serves as Adkins’ directorial debut. The pairing has quickly become one of the more exciting combinations in modern action cinema, blending Adkins’ long-established martial arts pedigree with Tan’s rising status after projects like Mortal Kombat II, Cobra Kai, and Deadpool & Wolverine.
For Adkins, Deadlocked also continues his recent streak of standout villain roles. While fans know him for leading-man turns in underground action favorites, he has increasingly stolen scenes as an antagonist in films such as John Wick: Chapter 4 and The Expendables 2.
Pre-production has already begun, with Tan overseeing the action design in collaboration with an unnamed fight choreographer.
Stay tuned!
SOURCE: Deadline