Sam Claflin, Rupert Friend To Star In Thunder Road’s WWII Action-Thriller ‘Perdition’ From Writer-Director Henry Dunham; Mister Smith Launching International Sales At Cannes

Stewart Clarke
·2 min read

Sam Claflin and Rupert Friend will star in Thunder Road Pictures’ World War II action-thriller Perdition. Written and directed by Henry Dunham, principal photography is set for the fall.

Mister Smith Entertainment will launch international sales at Cannes with CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group co-representing North American rights.

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The movie is set in Belgium in late 1944. Claflin (Peaky Blinders) plays a lone American soldier who survives a POW camp execution. Friend (Asteroid City) stars as a ruthless Nazi officer who becomes obsessed with hunting him down.

Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee will produce for Thunder Road. Claflin is exec producing.

Iwanyk said Dunham “is one of the most exciting young filmmakers we have ever worked with.” He added: “His vision for Perdition blew us away. It’s singular, intense, emotional, and visually stunning. We are so thankful to our friends at Mister Smith for going on this journey with us.”

Writer-director Dunham’s 2019 debut feature, The Standoff At Sparrow Creek, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. His new project will be a “highly dramatic classical, visual action thriller about timeless aspects of the human experience,” he promised, adding: “Perdition is a story about a chance survival, the responsibility it imbues, and the need to make it count for something, even while being chased by a seemingly omnipotent force.”

“We are proud and excited to be working with Thunder Road on this incredibly surprising, intelligent and intense thriller, from one of the most gifted new writers and filmmakers in the shape of Henry Dunham,” said Mister Smith Entertainment’s David Garrett. “Shooting on 35mm, it will be a theatrical experience not to be missed.”

Claflin is represented by CAA and Independent Talent Group. Friend is represented by UTA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Dunham is represented by UTA and Anonymous Content.

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