Martial arts legend Iko Uwais is back in action, and this time, the fight takes place inside a hospital. The Raid and Mile 22 star is set to headline the upcoming action thriller MRI, a new film from director Liam O’Donnell, who previously teamed up with Uwais on Beyond Skyline and the soon-to-be-released Skyline: Warpath.
MRI follows a broken-down hitman with a shattered family and a bum knee who’s undergoing a routine scan when the hospital is suddenly taken over by a ruthless gang.
Trapped in the middle of the chaos, he becomes the only one capable of saving their target, the daughter of a powerful crime boss, while fighting through agonizing pain and impossible odds. The screenplay comes from Russell Hainline, known for Netflix’s Hot Frosty.
O’Donnell shared his excitement about working with Uwais again, saying, “Iko’s sheer charisma, soulful depth and insane work ethic makes him every director’s dream. After such a great experience with Strong Island on ‘Alphas,’ I felt ‘MRI’ would be the perfect project for us all to take things to the next level.”
The movie is being produced by Christopher Tuffin of Strong Island (Freelance, Canary Black, Alphas) and Ryan Santoso for Uwais Pictures. Daniel Baur’s K5 Intl. has picked up international sales rights and will launch the project at the American Film Market next month.
Tuffin described the film as a modern throwback to the golden age of martial arts cinema. “With the dominance of Asian-themed content in the marketplace, we feel ‘MRI’ is an ardent throwback to the classic martial arts films of the 1970s made for audiences born in the 2000s.”
Beyond starring roles in hits like The Raid 2 and The Night Comes for Us, Uwais expanded into producing and choreography through his company Uwais Pictures and his stunt team, Uwais Team. Their debut production, Ikatan Darah, opened Fantastic Fest to strong reviews, and Uwais will soon make his directorial debut with Timur, set to premiere in Indonesia on December 18.
Production on MRI is expected to kick off early next year in Jakarta.
Source: Variety
