Director Uwe Boll has finished principal photography on the second and third installments of his blockbuster crime film “First Shift” in New York City, with the aim of creating a potential series based on the series.
The 2024 crime drama, starring Gino Anthony Pesci (Shades of Blue) and Kristen Renton (Sons of Anarchy) as newly teamed NYPD cops, was a surprise hit for Paramount+, debuting at No. 2 on the streaming platform despite its low budget and staying in the top 10 for more than 20 weeks.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the huge success and strong fan response of ‘First Shift’ on Paramount+ and Showtime,” Boll said. “So we decided to make two more films, which will also allow us to tell a broader story and hopefully lead into the First Shift series.”
“‘First Shift’ is the kind of movie you don’t see in theaters or on streaming anymore,” added Michael Roche, Boll’s longtime producing partner. “But audiences are nostalgic for the buddy cop movies of their childhood, and we believe that thanks to this film and our strong cast, ‘First Shift’ was a huge success with audiences across the country.”
Boll and Loesch created the second and third installments, “First Shift: Vengeance” and “First Shift: Redemption,” to spec. Stuttgart-based Kinostar has begun international sales with Mipcom and AFM, with all worldwide rights now available.
The original “First Shift” tells the story of veteran Brooklyn cop Deo (Pesci, “Shades of Blue”) who reluctantly agrees to team up with his new colleague Angela (Renton), a TikTok poster. A true partnership is forged as all hell breaks loose during their first shift on the streets of New York.
Pesci and Renton will return for Parts 2 and 3, with Garry Pastore (The Irishman) and Tia Dionne Hodge returning, as well as new co-stars Saul Rubinek (Unforgiven), Joey Russo (The Irishman), Will Roshaar (The Killing Kennedys) and Tasha Telles (The 100).
Pesci joins Boll in writing the script and serving as executive producer on the two new films. Boll, who directed both films, served as producer along with Roesch.
It is co-produced by Anthony Argento’s Brooklyn-based Rollin Studio, with Daniel Solinger serving as line producer.
Boll’s regular director Matthias Neumann returns behind the camera, with Robert Rodriguez alumnus Ethan Manikis (“Sin City,” “Machete”) editing, making this the fourth and fifth feature for Boll and Roesch.
