Among the many badass women who are known to run the Hollywood streets, Kate Beckinsale is among those I wouldn't want to cross. One time, while waiting to interview Milla Jovovich at New York City Comic-Con, Beckinsale powered past me in a narrow Madison Square Garden hallway. Dressed all in black, with over-sized shades to match, Beckinsale walked with purpose toward the end of the corridor. As I'd stepped to the side to let her pass, I caught a whiff of what smelled like lilac, fire, and brimstone. For a brief moment, I'd imagined her going full-Beckinsale on the out-of-shape journos lining the corridor, my nerdy ass included. Truth be told, I could have died a happy man that day, though I'm rather thankful that she'd allowed me to continue breathing beyond that fateful day.
Today Deadline has exclusively revealed that VACANCY and UNDERWORLD franchise alumna Kate Beckinsale will star in JOLT, a female-driven action-comedy from director Tanya Wexler (HYSTERIA, GIRL WITH NO NAME). With a screenplay penned by MADE IN BERLIN scribe Scott Wascha, JOLT follows Lindy, a badass bouncer with a slightly murderous anger-management problem that she controls with the help of an electrode-lined vest she uses to shock herself back to normalcy whenever she gets homicidal. After the first guy she’s ever fallen for is murdered, she goes on a revenge-fueled rampage to find the killer while the cops pursue her as their chief suspect.
David Bernardi and Les Weldon are producing via Millennium Media, with Sherryl Clark also serving as a producer on the Beckinsale brawler. Production for the project is expected to kick off in the UK and Sofia, Bulgaria in July, with Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Jeffrey Greenstein and Jonathan Yunger all producing for Millennium Media.
“Jolt is a kick-ass and painfully funny script,” Wexler said. “When I saw that Kate Beckinsale was attached to play the lead, I jumped at the opportunity to make the movie. This is the movie for right now — a revenge-action film for every woman (and man) who wants to turn their inner ‘Thelma & Louise’ up to 11.”
Right on! I have to admit, I do like a filmmaker who recognizes the awesome power of both THELMA & LOUISE and THIS IS SPINAL TAP in the same sentence. And is anyone else getting something of a CRANK vibe from the film's pitch? Fisticuffs of fury? Electrode-fueled mayhem? Could Lindy's old flame be none other than Jason Statham's Chev Chelios? Probably not, but it sure is a funny thought.
When commenting on the upcoming film, Millennium’s Greenstein added: “Jolt is just that: a shock to the system, and this film promises to be a wicked cocktail of action, humor, and style. I believe that this is the start to a fun franchise, and I am eager to see our director Tanya Wexler and star Kate Beckinsale bring this badass character and story to life. And it’s great to team up again with our friend and talented producer Sherryl Clark.”
We'll be sure to bring you more updates on JOLT as the project shapes up.