[press release from Film Source]
Film Source is pleased to announce the signing of film and TV star US American actor, Roger R. Cross to the cast for the upcoming feature film “The Ninja”.
Roger is the 3rd and final US actor to join an impressive list of actors who have committed to the production, including Emmy winner John Wesley Shipp, local Aussie star Tania Zaetta and a yet to be announced US star. The Ninja tells the tale of Rob Reeve (Rob Baard) and Jenn Summers (Tania Zaetta) who go head to head against a corrupt corporate company CEO and group of deadly ninja assassins in action sequences filled with explosions, fight scenes, plot turns and special effects.
Born in Jamaica and moved to Canada at the age of 11 and then later moved to LA to pursue his career, Roger is best known for his role as secret service agent Curtis Manning in the popular television series “24” from 2005 to 2007.
Recently he was seen on the big screen opposite Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes and Diane Keaton in Mad Money. Roger will also soon to be seen in the new Keanu Reeves summer blockbuster “The Day The Earth Stood Still”
In 2007 Roger was nominated for the screen actor’s guild award of “Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series” for 24.
Commenting on the latest star to join the production, Rob Baard says “Roger is the third US actor to come on board, we’re searching for the best actors with credit and selling power in the style of genre film that we’re making, Roger, John and Tania all bring various elements crucial to making the production a success. We also have a 3rd US actor with star power that we’re not announcing until pre production next year. It’s very rewarding for all of the Geelong team working on this to have such a talented cast attached.”
The 39 year old will be playing a leading role in one of the film’s central characters, Detective Nicolas Ryan, sharing the films narrative tone with actor John Wesley Shipp. The character of Detective Ryan follows classic mythological archetypes which the film is based around fulfilling the role of a doppelganger; the question to be answered is Detective Ryan a good guy or a bad guy? Something only the audience will find out in the final scenes of the film.
To be filmed in Victoria with an estimated budget of $6 million, The Ninja will be an action genre thriller targeted at the core demographic of male 13 – 35+ years old.
Further information about The Ninja is available at www.hewillrise.com