A couple months ago, it was announced that Best Actor Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) and Lily James, who was recently nominated for an Emmy for her performance as Pamela Anderson in Pam & Tommy, had signed on to star in the thriller Relay for director David Mackenzie, whose credits include Outlaw King, Under the Banner of Heaven, and Best Picture nominee Hell or High Water. Production on Relay is now officially underway, with filming taking place in New York and New Jersey, and it has been announced that Ahmed and James are joined in the cast by Sam Worthington of the Avatar franchise.
Worthington and Mackenzie previously worked together on Under the Banner of Heaven. Details on his Relay character have not been revealed.
Mackenzie wrote the screenplay for Relay with Justin Piasecki, whose only previous credit is a 2008 short film. The story Mackenzie and Piasecki crafted together will see Ahmed taking on the role of Tom, a world class “fixer” who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from potential client Sarah (James), needing Tom’s protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.
Mackenzie is also producing Relay alongside Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk, Sigma’s Gillian Berrie, and Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman. Black Bear’s Michael Heimler and John Friedberg executive produce with Thunder Road’s Erica Lee and Charlie Morrison. Black Bear is also fully financing the film, with Black Bear International handling international sales and presenting the project to potential buyers at the European Film Market. CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group, which worked together to arrange the film’s financing with Black Bear, are co-representing the domestic rights.
Relay sounds interesting to me and I’m a fan of Hell or High Water, so I look forward to seeing how this is going to turn out. Does Relay have your attention? What do you think of Sam Worthington joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.