Russell Crowe is set to go from his role as an Air Force drone pilot in Will Eubank’s Land of Bad to a former homicide detective that is forced to confront his past in Adam Cooper’s Sleeping Dogs, with the latter slated to begin shooting in Australia early next year.
Adapted from E.O. Chirovici’s novel The Book of Mirrors, the story centres on Roy Freeman (Crowe), who is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case after a death row inmate he arrested ten years prior proclaims his innocence.
Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory in the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, Roy enlists his former partner to help him revive the investigation and discover the truth. As he uncovers a tangled web of contradictions and secrets, Roy is forced to face a horrific reality that changes his world forever in the blink of an eye.
Cooper, who makes his directorial debut, wrote the screenplay alongside Bill Collage, with the pair joining Nickel City Pictures’ Mark Fasano and New Leaf Literary’s Pouya Shabazian as producers.
Matthew Goldberg, Cliff Roberts, Highland Film Group’s Arianne Fraser, Delphine Perrier, and Ford Corbett executive produce.
Highland Film Group has already announced a string of distribution deals for the film, securing agreements with Signature Entertainment for the UK, Rialto Distribution for Australia/NZ, California Filmes for Latin America, Key2Media Audiovisual for Spain, Spentzos Film for Greece, Blue Swan Entertainment for Italy and Eagle Films for the Middle East.
The company is also a co-financer on Land of Bad, currently shooting in Queensland with Crowe, Milo Ventimiglia, and Liam and Luke Hemsworth.
Fraser, Highland Group CEO, said working with Crowe had exceeded expectations.
“He is perfectly cast in Sleeping Dogs, bringing a unique and thoughtful intensity to the character of Roy, the once brilliant detective whose memory has failed him,” she said.
Perrier said the company was looking forward to “introducing global audiences to the fantastic story seen through Adam’s compelling vision as well as his close collaboration with Russell to bring this intriguing character to life”.
Worldwide sales for the film continue at the American Film Market.