Just a few days ago, we heard that Reacher star Alan Ritchson is teaming up with Need for Speed and Expendables 4 director Scott Waugh for an action thriller called Runner, and now Deadline reports that Ritchson has also signed on to star in an action film called Painter, which will team him with Prey star Amber Midthunder and John Wick writer Derek Kolstad. The project is set up at FilmNation Entertainment‘s productionInfrared, and FilmNation will be launching distribution sales at the upcoming American Film Market in Las Vegas.
Former stuntman Garrett Warren, who served as stunt coordinator on the likes of Logan, Avatar, Alita: Battle Angel, and Road House, will be directing the film. Although Warren is also attached to direct a true crime drama called One Man’s War, it looks like Painter will turn out to be his feature directorial debut.
The story Kolstad has crafted for this film centers on a young woman, trained from a young age, who must employ every skill in her arsenal to rescue her father after he is kidnapped. Midthunder will, of course, be playing that highly skilled young woman. The hope is that this will end up launching a franchise, much like John Wick. The Kolstad-scripted Nobody also has a sequel coming our way, so he’s good at launching franchises.
Ritchson and Kolstad are producing Painter alongside Drew Simon of Infrared, Josh Adler of Circle of Confusion, and Dan Spilo of Industry Entertainment. Infrared is providing the funding. Simon gave the following statement: “Painter will be a seminal action hero film, making Midthunder into this generation’s Sarah Connor (Terminator). We loved Kolstad’s high-octane script, and we know with Garrett Warren at the helm this film will kickstart an exciting new franchise in the world of action.“
Ritchson will be reporting to the set of Runner next March. It’s not clear when Infrared plans to get Painter into production. It’s also not clear who Ritchson will be playing in Painter, but he could make a formidable villain if he’s not someone who’s on Midthunder’s side.
Does Painter sound interesting to you? Would you like to see a whole franchise of Amber Midthunder taking down bad guys? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.