Scott Adkins’ Philippines-Set ‘Death March’ Picked Up for North American Release (EXCLUSIVE)
Leading indie distributor Well Go USA has picked up North American rights to “Death March,” an upcoming WWII action film starring and conceived by action star Scott Adkins (“Undisputed” franchise, “John Wick: Chapter 4”).
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In Adkins’ story, scripted by Marc Clebanoff, a British airman washes ashore after being ejected from his plane and becomes a prisoner in a Japanese-run POW camp. While waiting to join the infamous Bataan death march, the airman is tortured by the camp commander and is forced to fight for his life against an array of skilled Japanese warriors. Adkins portrays the airman. Veteran actor Peter Shinkoda (“I, Robot” “Daredevil”) plays the camp commander.
Under the direction of Louis Mandylor, the film has recently wrapped production in the Subic Bay and Bataan region of the Philippines. Release plans have not yet been finalized.
Additional cast members include: Michael Copon (“As Good as Dead,” “Power Rangers: Time Force”), Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (“The Equalizer 2”), Michael Rene Walton (“Reptile”), Gary Cairns (“The Channel,” “Justified”), Shane Kosugi (“Nine Deaths of the Ninja”), Masanori Mimoto (“Baby Assassins,” “Hydra”) and Gabbi Garcia (“Unbreak My Heart”).
The production is a collaboration between Los Angeles-based Odyssey Motion Pictures, Brand in Motion and Filipino partners Myriad Entertainment Corp. and Reality RR Studios. Brandon Menchen of Brand in Motion and Clebanoff are the lead producers. Doris Pfardrescher and Brennan Lane will be executive producing for Well Go USA.
The film was inspired by real events that have become some of the most notorious in WWII history, a forced march of some 60,000 Filipino and 15,000 U.S. prisoners of war following the Japanese victory at the Battle of Bataan. It has been reported that 20,000 men died during the 65-mile trek to Camp O’Donnell and thousands more died on arrival at their destination. Philippines director Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr. described the events in his 2013 black and white drama film with the same title.
“Scott’s prowess as an actor and martial artist is evident in every film he touches, and we are especially excited that [the Mandylor-directed] ‘Death March’ allows him the freedom to really showcase his considerable talent,” said Lane, director of acquisitions and production at Well Go USA.
“’Death March’ is a truly international collaboration, complemented by partners and talents hailing from the United States, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand, Canada, the U.K. and Australia,” said writer and producer Clebanoff. “The story we are telling raises the bar for fans of Scott Adkins and the action genre, and it has a unique storyline, strong cultural throughlines and a grand scope that elevates it to appeal to mainstream audiences.”
Plano, Texas-based Well Go USA has a strong library of Asian and action films. Its past acquisitions have included the Donnie Yen-conceived “Sakra” and Soi Cheang’s “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.” It also previously acquired the Adkins-starring sci-fi action comedy “Max Cloud.”
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