Fast & Furious 7 cinematographer Stephen Windon will make his directorial debut on DragonSlate’s motorcycle action-thriller Full Throttle, produced by Andrew Mason and set to shoot in the first quarter of 2016.
Mason, executive producer of The Matrix trilogy and producer on Russell Crowe’s The Water Diviner, will lead the Full Throttle production team.
DragonSlate Media CEO LeonTan will also serve as a producer, while Sukee Chew, Andrew Ooi, Harriet Spalding and Robert Lundberg will executive produce.
Full Throttle follows a motorcycle racer who, after a career-ending crash during a race in Singapore, plies his skills as a courier in Kuala Lumpur. After his girlfriend is abducted, he is forced to crisscross the city against the clock, avoiding capture by relentless authorities while being blackmailed to perform escalating acts of crime by a twisted criminal mastermind.
Windon is an Emmy-nominated cinematographer whose 35 years of working behind the movie camera include numerous international accolades and awards. His most recent picture is Universal's $US1 billion- plus grossing Fast & Furious 7, directed by James Wan.
Over the last decade director Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6) and Windon have shared a long standing creative collaboration and are currently in pre-production on Star Trek 3 for Paramount. Past credits also include franchise entry G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation and HBO’s The Pacific, which was Emmy-nominated.
Windon said: “The timing for my transition into the directing seat has been made possible with the confluence of the right material and a great producing team. The strong character driven story loaded with adrenaline fueled action is a perfect project for me to helm.
Leon Tan, CEO of DragonSlate Media, said: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Stephen on board to direct. Stephen is a master at his craft and simply perfect for Full Throttle, and we can't wait to see the action on the big screen under his direction.”
Tan added that Full Throttle brings together top production talents and craftsmen from Hollywood, Malaysia and Singapore, and will shoot throughout Malaysia with additional photography in Singapore.
Mason said: “Steve Windon is a storyteller and I’m excited to collaborate with him on his first time in the director’s chair and with DragonSlate and the dynamic creative talents in Malaysia and the region."
Harriet Spalding has worked in international film development and production for more than 25 years, having worked closely with such noted producers as Samuel and Victor Hadida as well as Gary Lucchesi. Her credits include projects helmed by Roland Emmerich, Christophe Gans and Stuart Beattie. Her collaboration on Full Throttle brings her full circle in working with both Mason and Windon.
Writer Todd Slawsby has written for New Line Cinema, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and others. His 2014 multiple award-winning short The Heebie-Jeebies is being developed as a feature.
Andrew Ooi heads 852 Films, management firm Echelon Talent, and executive produced Sharlto Copley-starrer Open Grave, Ho-Cheung Pang’s Dream Home and Jeffrey Dean Morgan-starrer The Courier.
Sukee Chew produced Toni Collette/Michael Sheen-starrer Jesus Henry Christ, Dark Tide featuring Halle Berry, and the upcoming Barely Lethal starring Hailee Steinfeld, Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Alba, which A24 will release on May 29.
Lundberg was a development executive at Dune Entertainment when the company co-financed Avatar and Black Swan, among many others. He executive produced the first Lionsgate/Pantelion feature Girl In Progress, starring Eva Mendes, and Anchor Bay's thriller The Reckoning, directed by John V. Soto.