EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions and Saban Films have teamed to acquire North American rights to Rod Davis Lurie‘s (The Last Castle, The Contender, The Outpost) WWII action thriller Lucky Strike.
Lucky Strike will open in theatres June 26.
Pic stars Scott Eastwood (The Outpost, Fury), Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Colin Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Band of Brothers), and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (King Richard, Exhibiting Forgiveness). Taylor John Smith (Where the Crawdads Sing, Sharp Objects, The Outpost) rounds out the principal cast.
Roadside Attractions
The project reteams Lurie, a West Point alum, Millennium Media’s President Jonathan Younger, producer Frydman and Eastwood following their movie The Outpost. The deal was negotiated by Co-President of Roadside Attractions Howard Cohen, Co-President of Saban Films Jonathan Saba, President Jonathan Yunger and JJ Nugent on behalf of Millennium and the filmmakers.
Based on research by co-writer and producer Frydman, Lucky Strike follows one soldier who is trapped behind enemy lines during the last major German offensive during WWII, The Battle of the Bulge. Armed only with his Motorola SCR-300 radio, a new technology only battle-ready near the end of the war, he must use his wits and spy craft to thwart the advancing Nazi Panzer army and find his way back home.
Roadside Attractions Co-Presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff commented, “Lucky Strike brings a thrilling new perspective to World War II, pairing covert missions behind enemy lines with breakthrough radio technology that may have shaped the course of the war. With Scott Eastwood at the center, it’s a high-stakes story for both history buffs and action fans.”
Lurie added “With World War II, you have a certain head start, don’t you? There is no ambiguity in the righteousness of the two sides. So, a filmmaker is required to figure out what will serve as the thematic spine of their film. In Lucky Strike we were always asking not how we survive but rather why do we survive. John Castle’s journey, full of one existential calamity after another, would challenge any human’s resolve. And yet his answer to that question above is the only thing that can possibly keep him alive. All of us involved in this production were damn proud to tell this story of how such a magnificent generation of Americans showed the world the essence of heroic survival.”
“Rod Lurie has a singular gift for placing audiences directly into the heat of battle, capturing the soldier’s experience with unmatched authenticity. Lucky Strike is a visceral, emotionally resonant film that reminds us of the grit and ingenuity required to preserve our freedom,” said Jonathan Saba and Shanan Becker, Co-Presidents of Saban Films. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we are honored to present a story that so powerfully pays tribute to the resilience of the American spirit.”
The feature is a Roadside Attractions and Saban Films presentation of a Millennium Media movie and a Perfection Hunter Production in association with BondIt Media Capital, Grobman Films and Orogen Entertainment. Producers are Frydman, Davis Lurie, Yunger, Les Weldon, and Yariv Lerner with Eastwood, Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Lati Grobman, Anders Erdén, Blair Ward, Lauren Case, Del Mondor, Saba, Shanan Becker d’Arbeloff, Cohen, Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, Tyler Gould, Julie Kroll, JJ Nugent and Lonnie Ramati serving as Executive Producers, and Sam Schulte and Matt Varosky as Co-Producers.
