Advertisement

Timur Bekmambetov-Produced Screenlife Thriller ‘Resurrected’ Starts Shooting With Dave Davis (EXCLUSIVE)

Timur Bekmambetov, the Russian writer-director-producer behind such pics as 2004’s “Night Watch” and 2008’s “Wanted,” has just kicked off the shoot of his latest production, the English-language sci-fi thriller “Resurrected” in L.A. with Dave Davis (“The Vigil,” “True Detective”).

Up-and-coming Russian director Egor Baranov, whose credits include the Russian B.O. hit trilogy “Gogol” and Netflix’s “Sparta” series, is directing the film.

More from Variety

Bekmanbetov is producing “Resurrected” with Maria Zatulovskaya through the banner Bazelevs, with David Meadeb at Logical Pictures (“The Deep House,” “Petrov’s Flu”), in association with Aleksandr Fomin at Pulsar Content, the sales banner launched by Gilles Sousa and Marie Garrett.

The film is being made using Bekmanbetov’s pioneering Screenlife storytelling and technology, revolving solely around the screen activity of characters who are seen through their digital devices. Bekmanbetov previously delivered several hit films in this Screenlife format, notably “Searching” which was released worldwide by Sony, as well as the “Unfriended” franchise released by BlumHouse and Universal, and “Profile,” which won awards at Berlin and SXSW, and was released by Focus Features in the U.S..

“Resurrected” is set in a dystopian future, where the Vatican has discovered how to resurrect people. Davis stars as Stanley, an ordinary man who became priest following a personal tragedy and discovers a series of random murders committed by resurrected people. Stanley starts to investigate the crimes and unveils a conspiracy built around the resurrection process that soon threatens his life and the life of his young son, Nicholas.

Davis is repped by Greene & Associates Talent Agency. Pulsar Content handles international sales on the hot project will pursue sales on it during the pre-Cannes Screenings event this week.

“Screenlife movies from Bazelevs studio deliver a new narrative device and a novel way to experience cinema. These productions have shown their great theatrical appeal amongst audiences of all ages even though they’re made in a different format than traditional films,” said Garrett and Sousa.

Pulsar Content has already secured deals with topnotch distributors around the world, including The Jokers for France, Belga for the Benelux, Koch Media for Germany and Switzerland, CDC for Latin America, Salim Ramia for the Middle East, Noori for South Korea, Captive for the Philippines, Shaw for Singapore and MCF for Former Yugoslavia.

On top of being critically acclaimed at major festivals, Bekmanbetov’s Screenlife movies have been highly profitable. “Unfriended” was produced with a $1 million budget and it grossed $64 million worldwide. “Searching,” which was also produced with a low budget, grossed over $75 million worldwide.

Pulsar Content’s sales roster at Cannes also includes “Nightride” a Belfast-set thriller from BAFTA-nominated helmer Stephen Fingleton (“The Survivalist”), starring Moe Dunford (“Vikings,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”) and Joana Ribeiro (“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”). The company is also repping Elie Grappe’s coming-of-age drama “Olga” which will open at Critics’ Week, as well as Kike Maíllo’s “A Perfect Enemy,” and Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s “The Deep House.”

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.