EXCLUSIVE: Djimon Hounsou and Halle Berry have signed for Africa-set trafficking thriller Red Card, taking its protagonists on a journey from the rolling grasslands of Kenya’s Maasai Mara to the Moroccan port city of Casablanca.
Joel Souza will direct the movie from a screenplay written by Bad Boys creator and Midnight Run writer George Gallo as well as Green Book Academy Award winning screenwriter Nick Vallelonga.
The original story, based on real events out of Africa, comes from Ava Roosevelt, Robert Menzies and Michael J. Hershman.
Hounsou will star as Max Elmi, a veteran ranger battling poachers in Kenya who joins forces with Dane Harris, a tenacious special agent and part of a team led by FBI supervisor Amanda Bruckner (Berry) working with international law enforcement to fight trafficking rings abroad.
When Max’s son, a talented soccer player, falls prey to a deceitful sports agent and disappears into the criminal underworld of North Africa, Max will stop at nothing to find his child, and Dane will have to decide how far he’s willing to go.
Their odyssey takes them from the quiet Maasai villages of Kenya to simmering streets of Casablanca in Morocco. The film is endorsed by the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and backed by the Soloviev Foundation.
Hounsou is a two-time Academy Award nominee for Blood Diamond and In America as well as Golden Globe nominee for Amistad, with other credits including Gladiator, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, A Quiet Place Part II and A Quiet Place: Day One.
Berry made history as the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Marc Forster’s Monster’s Ball (2002), and won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge in the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.
Her varied acting credits range from action films like X-Men and Die Another Day to the thriller Gothika, while she made her directorial debut with the film Bruised.
Souza was writer and director of LAPD crime thriller Crown Vic starring Thomas Jane, Luke Kleintank and Bridget Moynahan.
“Red Card is a fantastic script, from writers who have created film classics, and Djimon is an actor of uncommon power and depth,” said Souza. “Together, we all look forward to telling a thrilling story we truly believe will grip audiences worldwide.”
Casting is currently underway for the character of Dane, while shooting is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year.
Red Card is produced by Anjul Nigam (Crown Vic, Growing Up Smith), Robert Menzies (Fatman, House at the End of the Street) and Ava Roosevelt (author of ‘The Racing Heart’). Executive Producers are Ryan Winterstern (Land of Bad, Bandit), Brandon Burrows, Nat McCormick, and Danny Gusman.
Range Select and McCormick and Gusman’s Stoic will co-rep North American sales and Stoic will also handle the rest of the world.
Hounsou is represented by Range Media Partners and Buchwald Talent Agency. Berry is represented by Range and William Morris Endeavor. Souza is repped by Independent Artists Group (IAG) and Miloknay/Weiner.
