Anthony Mackie and Dafne Keen are teaming up for a new action thriller titled Barracuda, with filming set to begin this week in New Mexico.
The movie comes from Neil Burger, the director behind Limitless, The Illusionist, and Divergent. Barracuda also has Robert Zemeckis on board as an executive producer.
Steven Bauer and Anthony Del Negro are also part of the cast.
What Barracuda is about
Barracuda follows Karl, played by Mackie, a former smuggler with a dark past who storms a nightclub in Mexico to rescue Jodie, a kidnapped teenage girl played by Keen.
Things spiral fast after Karl kills the brother of a ruthless club owner and steals his prized 1973 Plymouth Barracuda. From there, the movie turns into a violent chase across the desert toward the U.S. border, with criminals hunting them every step of the way.
The official synopsis describes it as a nonstop race filled with blood, bullets, and deadly roads stretching more than 100 miles.
Filming begins in New Mexico
Principal photography is scheduled to start this week in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Barracuda will use 828 Productions as its New Mexico production partner, with the company providing studio space, infrastructure, and production support from its Las Cruces campus.
Highland Film Group is handling worldwide rights and is also co-repping domestic rights with UTA Independent Film Group.
Neil Burger teases a wild ride
Via Deadline, Burger said he has wanted to make a nonstop action thriller for a while and believes Barracuda is the one.
He also said the movie never lets up and called it a real-time sprint to the border. Burger added that he has wanted to work with Anthony Mackie for some time and said he is developing new visual techniques for the film to make it feel like a truly wild ride.
Producers praise Anthony Mackie
Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser praised Burger’s visual style and pacing, saying Barracuda will be another showcase for his filmmaking.
COO Delphine Perrier also praised Mackie, calling him the ideal choice to play Karl. She said he brings the right mix of intelligence, physicality, and human vulnerability needed for the role.
Strong team behind the movie
The screenplay comes from Adam Mason and Simon Boyes.
The producing team includes Arianne Fraser, Delphine Perrier, Henry Winterstern, Jack Rapke, Aaron Rapke, Kia Jam, Todd Lundbohm, Peter Jákl, and Joe Di Maio.
Executive producers include Robert Zemeckis, Isaac Lilly, Mark Holder, Christine Holder, Bryan Coyne, Kyle Fox, and Walter Josten.
With Mackie leading, Keen coming off Deadpool & Wolverine, and Burger behind the camera, Barracuda sounds like it is aiming to be a lean, high-speed action thriller built around a simple setup and a lot of chaos.
