Back in October, we heard that Josh Lucas (The Forever Purge) had signed on to star in The Black Demon, a shark thriller coming to us from Rambo: Last Blood (watch the extended cut of that HERE) director Adrian Grunberg. Now Variety has revealed the names of some of the actors who make up the supporting cast, starting off with Fernanda Urrejola (Cry Macho) and Julio Cesar Cedillo (The Harder They Fall). Also in the cast are Jorge A. Jimenez (Machete Kills), Héctor Jiménez (Nacho Libre), Raúl Méndez (Narcos), Edgar Flores (Sin Nombre), Venus Ariel (DMZ), and Carlos Solórzano (Flamin’ Hot).
The Black Demon marks the first feature writing credit for Boise Esquerra. The story Esquerra crafted begins when
oilman Paul Sturges (Lucas) takes his family on vacation to Bahia Azul. There, the coastal town he and his wife once knew has mysteriously crumbled and the locals are nowhere to be found. Paul starts off his day with a routine visit to inspect his nearby oil rig, but before he knows it, his entire family has landed with him on the rotting metal tower. From the depths of the ocean rises a massive megalodon known only by its name: the Black Demon. Under constant threat from this primeval species of shark, Paul must find a way to get his family back to shore alive.
Filming started in the Dominican Republic last month and is expected to wrap by the end of this month. The Black Demon is being produced by Javier Chapa of Mucho Mas, Jon Silk of Silk Mass, and Petr Jákl of R.U. Robot. Mucho Mas’s Phillip Braun, Simon Wise, Bruce Barshop, and Vincent Cordero, Highland Film Group’s Arianne Fraser, Delphine Perrier and Henry Winterstern, The Avenue’s JJ Caruth, and R.U. Robot’s Martin J. Barab serve as executive producers. Highland Film Group is financing the project with R.U. Robot and represent the worldwide rights.
Grunberg had this to say about the cast:
Talented, committed, and with an open heart and soul — that is what all directors search for in a cast. And every one of these actors bring the building blocks of the cultural mosaic that makes up The Black Demon. I am thrilled, humbled, and lucky to have them take my image to the next level.”
Highland Film Group’s CEO Arianne Fraser described The Black Demon as “a captivating survival thriller with a fantastic ensemble cast”, while COO Delphine Perrier promised “This is a fresh and exciting take on the fabled deep-water predator.”
I’m already sold on this one, I’m hyped to watch Josh Lucas deal with a megalodon in an Adrian Grunberg film.