Joe Carnahan Is Back With A New Action Movie, And Omar Sy And Kerry Washington Are Starring

Brace yourselves for incoming action: Joe Carnahan is bringing violence to a screen near you! The filmmaker, known for penning "Bad Boys For Life" and helming stylish action flicks like "Smokin' Aces," has just lined up his latest feature, a Lionsgate-produced action-thriller called "Shadow Force." Just by name alone, this film fits pretty snugly with the rest of Carnahan's filmography, which consists of titles like "Point Blank" and "Death Wish." Perhaps its the ominous two-word title or the ultra-violence it implies, but "Shadow Force" sounds right up Carnahan's alley — especially when you consider the premise. Deadline reports that the film will follow "an estranged couple with a bounty on their heads who must go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a shadow ops unit that has been sent to kill them." While it would certainly be a warm and fuzzy story were this couple to get away unscathed, Carnahan has co-written the script (with "Spinning Out" scribe Leon Chills), which means these two will fending off the shadow ops with guns blazing.

Last year, Carnahan gifted action fans with two back-to-back releases. One of these was the video-game inspired "Boss Level," which /Film's Hoai-Tran Bui aptly described as "Groundhog Day meets Edge of Tomorrow meets Deadpool." The film starred Carnahan's frequent collaborator Frank Grillo, who also took on a lead role in his second 2021 release, "Copshop." So far, there's no sign of Grillo getting in on the "Shadow Force" action, which is set to star Kerry Washington (of "Scandal" fame) and "Lupin" breakout Omar Sy. This marks a couple of changes for "Shadow Force," which was first announced in 2020 with Sterling K. Brown starring opposite Washington and Victoria Mahoney ("Yelling To The Sky") attached to direct. Now Washington remains with a new director and co-star, a team-up that Lionsgate president Nathan Kahane expressed his excitement for in a statement:

"Omar is at the top of his powers – combined with his global stardom, he's ideally suited to co-lead this action-drama with Kerry, whose talent as an actress and a producer is unbounded. We're thrilled to be working with the production team of Stephen, Kerry, Sterling, and Pilar, who have shepherded this story of a family in peril from the beginning, and with Joe, who will bring a unique, visceral style to the film."

Indeed, Sy is a leading man to watch. He won the Best Actor Cesar Award in 2011, for his star-making role in "The Intouchables" and now stars as the gentleman thief in Netlix's smash hit, "Lupin." He also has an upcoming role in "Jurassic World Dominion" and the Netflix action-comedy "The Takedown." He'll no doubt bring that same suave and dangerous energy to "Shadow Force." Washington will next be seen in the Netflix adaption of "The School for Good and Evil," and will produce "Shadow Force" alongside Stephen "Dr." Love, Pilar Savone, and Sterling K. Brown. In addition to this upcoming film, Carnahan is also set to produce "Felix," a horror thriller starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and a murderous puppet, which has been described as "Super 8' meets 'Child's Play.'"

A release date for "Shadow Force" has yet to be announced.