By Jordan King-Lacroix
Award-winning actor Clive Owen will be returning to Australia to co-star with Jason Statham in big budget action film The Killer Elite.
The film will start shooting in Victoria next month and marks the first time Owen and Statham will star opposite one another on the big screen. It is the second film starring Statham to be produced by Omnilab Media’s production arm, Ambience Entertainments, after the highly successful The Bank Job.
That film grossed $US64.8 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo and has been Omnilab's most successful to date.
The Killer Elite tells the story of a group of former members of the SAS (Special Air Service) who are being hunted by a close knit team of assassins lead by Statham’s character, Danny Bryce, a former Navy Seal who is forced out of retirement to carry out the series of assassinations to save the life of life long friend.
Owen’s character, Spike, is part of a clandestine group whose mission is to protect ex SAS officers and their families. This group is known as the Feather Men.
Owen also recently shot Scott Hicks' $16 million drama The Boys are Back in Australia. However, it underperformed at the box office last year, grossing just over $US2.6 million wordwide, including $2.12 million in Australia.
Owen was recently cast in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s Intruders opposite Daniel Bruhl and can next be seen starring in Trust with Catherine Keener and Viola Davis. He has recently been in Duplicity, Closer, Children of Men and Inside Man; his role in Closer winning him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award Nomination.
The Killer Elite is based on Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ 1993 non-fiction novel, The Feather Men. The film will be directed by Gary McKendry and is being produced by Michael Boughen and Tony Winley. The film’s executive producers are Omnilab Media’s Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street and David Whealy, as well as Current Entertainment’s Steve Chasman.
The film is currently in pre-production in Melbourne, with shoots planned for May 13 through July 16, as well as a stint in Wales between July 26 and August 3.
Clive Owen in The Boys are Back