Hong Kong-based ACT3 and Philippine production company Black Ops Studio Asia have cast Cuba Gooding Jr., Luke Ford, Keith Duffy and multimedia artist Kimira in the international action thriller Lotus, the first production under the companies’ multi-year, five-film deal.
The project was introduced to international buyers and distribution partners at the Cannes Film Market. Principal photography will take place in Manila from September to October, with additional sequences to be shot in Brazil.
Filipino filmmaker Pedring Lopez, founder of Blackops Studios Asia, is directing from a script he co-wrote with longtime producer/writer Rex Lopez. Pedring Lopez also produces alongside Rex Lopez and Maia Yambao-Lopez. Leslie Law will serve as executive producer of ACT3.
Gooding Jr. (‘Jerry Maguire’), Australian actor Ford (‘Hamunaptra: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,’ ‘Animal Kingdom,’ ‘The Black Balloon’) and Irish singer and Boyzone member Duffy will headline alongside Kimira, who previously starred in Lopez’s ‘Shadow Transit.’ Actor/producer Christian Lavin (“NCIS”) and Brazilian actor Alberto Cowboy, a “Big Brother Brazil” alum, will also appear.
“‘Lotus’ will be my first major project shooting in the Philippines and Southeast Asia,” Gooding Jr. said. “There’s an energy to this project and Manila that drew me in right away. The vision Pedling and the team have for this film is raw, dangerous, and global.”
Ford added, “What attracted me to Lotus was how grounded and unpredictable the world is. There’s a rawness to the story, and the way Pedling wants to shoot this film gives it an immediacy and immersion. Manila and Brazil are great backdrops for this kind of action thriller, and I’m excited to be a part of a production that feels both intimate and global at the same time.”
“This film is bigger in scale, darker and more ambitious. I’m excited to be a part of a story that connects Manila and Brazil in such a visceral way,” Kimira said. “Brazil holds a special place in my heart, especially since I performed at Carnival in Salvador and released several songs in Portuguese and English with local artists, which reached number one on the radio charts in Bahia. So bringing those worlds together in this film feels very personal.”
Filipino-American choreographer and producer Sonny Sison will be responsible for coordinating the stunts and action, working with local staff and an international stunt team drawn from the United States and Hong Kong. The film will be shot by Noel Teehankey and will feature a production team from the Philippines, Hong Kong and Brazil. Additional Filipino cast members are also in the works.
“This film is designed for a global audience, but is rooted in the energy and turmoil of Southeast Asia and Latin America,” Lopez said. “We want Lotus to feel dangerous, emotional and alive, and we want it to be a film that throws you directly into its world.”
“Lotus” is the first of five productions planned under the collaboration between ACT3 and Blackops Studios Asia. Another flagship project of the partnership, the action blockbuster set in China, “A Thread of Steel,” is scheduled to be filmed in 2028.
