Jack Kesy (“Deadpool 2”), Julio Cesar Cedillo (“The Harder They Fall”) and Kate Del Castillo (“Trap House”) are set to star in “The Black Demon: Atlantis,” a shark survival actioner that Highland Film Group is bringing to the EFM.
The sequel follows “The Black Demon” which starred Josh Lucas and was released in theaters in 2023, followed by a launch on Amazon Prime Video where it topped streaming rankings for seven consecutive days.
Ben Hernandez Bray (“The Lincoln Lawyer”), a leading action stunt coordinator who’s worked on David O. Russell’s “The Fighter,””The Grey” and the “Transformers” franchise, is directing “The Black Demon: Atlantis.” The script is written by Aaron Benjamin and Boise Esquerra, who had also penned the first installement.
Highland Film Group is handling worldwide rights “The Black Demon: Atlantis” and also financed and is co-producing the film which starts shooting in May.
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The movie was produced by Javier Chapa and Phillip Braun at Mucho Mas Media (“The Long Game”), Jon Silk (“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”) at Silk Mas, and Highland Film Group.
“The Black Demon: Atlantis” is executive produced by Sherrese Clarke Soares for Harbourview Equity Partners and Robert Muñoz, Simon Wise, Bruce Barshop and Vincent Cordero for Mucho Mas Media.
The sequel follows undercover DEA agent Jerry Simms (Kesy) who teams up with his cellmate, Chato (Julio Cesar Cedillo), in a maximum-security prison stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to dismantle a massive drug operation run by the notorious crime boss Diego Nunez. “Their mission quickly becomes one of survival when the legendary creature, ‘The Black Demon,’ tears through the prison, which sits atop a decaying desalination plant polluting the ocean. In a desperate move to protect his empire, Diego unleashes his own giant sea predators to take down the beast. What follows is an epic clash of monsters, where only the strongest will prevail,” the synopsis reads.
“We look forward to introducing this sensational new installment to audiences around the world,” said Highland Film Group COO Delphine Perrier, who praised the “fantastic ensemble cast led by Jack Kesy.
“Helmed by the action and stunt maven Ben Hernandez Bray, ‘The Black Demon: Atlantis’ will feature stunning action sequences – the scale of the project is quite immense and even bigger than the first film!” Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser continued.
Producers Javier Chapa, Phillip Braun and Jon Silk in a statement. “Expanding the mythology and adding new creatures from the pantheon of Aztec monsters makes this chapter even more thrilling—we can’t wait for audiences to dive into this new adventure,”
Kesy recently wrapped production on “The Pickup” for Amazon alongside Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, and Keke Palmer; and stars in “Hellboy: The Crooked Man.”
Cedillo’s recent films include “The Black Demon,” Amazon Studios’ “A Million Miles Away” with Michael Peña.
Del Castillo is best known for her starring role in Telemundo’s long-running series “La Reina del Sur.” She currently stars in the Fox hit series “The Cleaning Lady” and will next be seen in the upcoming Ridley Scott produced feature “Trap House.”
Highland Film Group’s current slate also includes Martin Campbell’s action-thriller “Dedication” starring Daisy Ridley; and Adrian Grunberg’s action-thriller “Protector” starring Milla Jovovich.
Kesy is repped by Paradigm and Range Media Partners; Cedillo is repped by Spellbound Entertainment and Buchwald; Castillo is repped by Sweeney Entertainment, Buchwald, and Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan; Esquerra is repped by Sandra Avila at Inclusion Management.