James McAvoy Stars, Robert Schwentke Helms ‘Control’; Action Thriller From Studiocanal & The Picture Company To Shoot In Summer In Berlin

EXCLUSIVE: James McAvoy is set to star in Control, a high-concept action thriller that will be directed by Red helmer Robert Schwentke and backed by Studiocanal and The Picture Company. Shooting will begin in Berlin this summer.

Pic puts McAvoy back in action mode, where he has shone in films from Wanted to the X-Men installments to go with M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and Glass. McAvoy just signed on for the Blumhouse thriller Speak No Evil.

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Control is adapted from the award-winning podcast Shipworm from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie into a tense ticking-clock thriller revolving around a doctor who awakens one morning with an untraceable device planted in his head. He must follow a mysterious voice’s instructions or devastating consequences will unfold.

The Picture Company’s Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will produce under their long-term overall deal with Studiocanal. It will be the fifth film the two companies will have shot in Berlin in association with Studio Babelsberg.

The script was written by Akers, with the latest revision by Andrew Baldwin. Bronkie will also serve as EP.

Aside from the Red action films, Schwentke directed Flightplan and two in the Divergent film series. He just directed John Malkovich’s Seneca, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, and he also recently directed the German film The Captain.

Ron Halpern and Shana Eddy will oversee Control for Studiocanal.

McAvoy is repped by UTA, United Agents, and Sloane, Offer. Schwentke is repped by WME, LBI Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

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