Alan Ritchson will return to the Australian state of Queensland to begin production on an untitled feature film for Amazon MGM Studios about decorated Navy SEAL hero Mike Thornton, Screen Queensland has revealed.
Principal photography begins this month at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast. The project marks Ritchson’s return to the region following his recent action thriller The Runner, which was filmed in Brisbane and the Gold Coast in 2025.
Australian director Patrick Hughes is helming the project, which chronicles the true story of survival in the South China Sea, for which Thornton was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Ritchson, known for his roles in Reacher and Fast-X, co-stars with Joe Cole (Subversion, A Prayer Before Dawn) and Hua Xuande (The Sympathizer, Avatar: The Last Airbender).
Sylvester Stallone and D. Matt Geller are producing under their Balboa Productions, along with Hidden Pictures’ Todd Lieberman and Alex Young, Ritchson’s Alley Cat Entertainment, and Alan Routbault. Executive producers are Valerie Brace Sharp and Mike Thornton. The screenplay was written by Mark Semos (SEAL Team, Y: Marshalls) and Ritchson Hall and Jason Hall (American Sniper, Thank You).
The film is supported by the Australian Government through location offsets, the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Production Attractions Strategy and the City of Gold Coast’s Screen Attractions Program.
Production was secured in Queensland through the Screen Queensland production strategy and the Federal Government’s location offsets.
Acting Minister for the Arts Tim Nicholls said the project showed there was strong momentum for film production in the state heading into 2026 under the Crisafulli government.
“This latest project from Amazon MGM Studios will create jobs for around 260 local cast and crew, while injecting an estimated A$50 million ($33.5 million) into the Queensland economy and supporting a large number of small and medium-sized businesses,” Mr Nichols said in a statement, adding the government remains committed to keeping Queensland the nation’s largest film production destination.
Screen Queensland CEO Jackie Feeney highlighted the state’s military and aquatic production expertise as a key element in bringing production back to Queensland.
“Queensland’s crew has a world-renowned reputation for delivering complex action films and series, and it’s great to start the new year with such an ambitious production coming to Village Roadshow Studios,” Mr Feeney said.
Mr Hughes said he was excited to bring the project back to Australia. “The Gold Coast offers world-class staff, facilities and locations, making it the ideal location to produce a production of this scale,” said the director of The Hitman’s Wife. “We are thrilled to be working with Screen Queensland to bring this film to life.”
The Mike Thornton project joins Amazon MGM Studios’ growing list of Queensland-based films, including Balls Up, The Bluff, Voltron and Subversion.
