James Franco To Star In Action Thriller ‘Mace’ From Director Jon Amiel, Myriad Pictures Launching Title At Cannes

Diana Lodderhose
·2 min read
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James Franco is set to star in action thriller Mace from The Singing Detective helmer Jon Amiel.

The title, which is the first production from Meyers Media Group, follows the story of two very different kinds of cops. Mace (Franco) is a veteran officer, corrupt and dangerously unhinged, while Virgil Woods is a young rookie who believes that he can change the system that fosters cops like Mace from within. Inspired by the racial injustice on the streets of America, Woods refuses to be bullied and pits his principles against the amoral Mace, risking everything he believes in to stop Mace from destroying the city when Mace unleashes a gang war to cover up his crimes.

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Amiel directs from a script written by David Chisholm while Lawrence Steven Meyers, Randy Dannenberg and John Evangelides will produce. Brendan McDonald and Kirk D’Amico will serve as exec producer with Jonathan Tybel as an associate producer.

The film is in pre-production and expected to begin filming later this year in New Jersey. Myriad Pictures is launching worldwide sales on the title in Cannes next week.

Amiel garnered international acclaim for his work on BBC series The Singing Detective and has directed titles such as Copycat with Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver, The Man Who Knew Too Little with Bill Murray and Entrapment with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

“We are thrilled to be returning to Cannes with this highly original and unique film,” said Myriad Pictures CEO Kirk D’Amico in a statement. “It is a gritty story set in a modern-day police department where nothing is what it seems. We think that this material in the hands of such an experienced director as Jon Amiel will yield extraordinary results.”

Franco is represented by UTA, Agence Adequat, Anonymous Content and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Amiel is repped by Echo Lake Enterainment, The Gersh Agency and Gochman Law Group.

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