Actor Gina Carano has revealed plans to produce and star in an as-yet-untitled revenge thriller.
The former The Mandalorian actress will play a woman who hires a long-hauler to track down a notorious serial killer, Deadline revealed last week. Writer Eric Red (known for The Hitcher and Near Dark) has penned the film’s screenplay, which is based on his 2015 novel White Knuckle.
The story follows Carano’s character, who has survived a murder attempt by a serial killer. Traumatised by the attack, and angered by the inadequate police investigation, she decides to take matters into her own hands by hiring a trucker to help her track down the culprit.
Carano is developing the project in collaboration with The Daily Wire, which started life as a website founded by far-right media host Ben Shapiro. The producers’ list also features Bonfire Legend’s Dallas Sonnier (Bone Tomahawk), Amanda Presmyk (Dragged Across Concrete), and Anthony Timpone (Wormhole).
“I’m completely ignited to be creating this thriller with The Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend,” Carano said in an interview with Deadline. “I feel I am exactly where I want and need to be at this moment in my life; it feels as if I have wings.”
This is Carano’s first project since the actress was dropped by Lucasfilm after a series of controversial posts on her social media pages. Most notably, the former MMA fighter shared a post comparing being a Republican in the USA today to the experiences of the Jewish community during the Holocaust.
Although the post was subsequently deleted, screenshots were shared by social media users, and #FireGinaCarano quickly began trending on Twitter.
A Lucasfilm spokesperson subsequently announced that “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.” Carano’s talent agency, UTA, also dropped her as a client.
After the social media backlash and her subsequent firing, the actress teamed up with Shapiro and The Daily Wire to produce the film. The project is part of a slate of film and TV projects in development for the media company.
Production will begin in October and filming will take place in Tennessee, Utah, and Montana. The release date is currently unknown, but the production company is aiming to distribute the film in early 2022.
Words by Federica Battiato
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