Saban Films has just announced that they have secured the worldwide rights to American Metal, a new action-thriller starring the Academy Award Nominated acting legend John Travolta. American Metal will tell the story of a struggling family man who is pushed, through pure desperation, to rob a pill mill. However, when the job turns violent, he will find himself hunted by both the police and the mafia ruling over Dixieland. The film is Nicholas Maggio's directorial debut.
Starring alongside Travolta, who has previously played in such classics as Grease and Pulp Fiction, is Stephen Dorff, who previously starred in Blade and Immortals, as well as Shiloh Fernandez (Evil Dead), Ashley Benson (Spring Breakers), and Kevin Dillon. Principal photography on the project recently wrapped in Georgia.
Travolta has had a career spanning five decades, with roles in iconic films such as Saturday Night Fever under his belt, a film which earned him an Academy Award nomination, Get Shorty, and Hairspray. In recent years, Travolta's career has been on a bit of an upswing, with roles in television series such as the FX anthology series American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, in which he played the irascible Robert Shapiro. American Metal is not Travolta's first time working with Saban Films. He has previously collaborated with them on I Am Wrath, Speed Kills, and the upcoming action film Paradise City with Dorff and the recently retired Bruce Willis.
Dorff is perhaps best known for his work in the vampire action film Blade, but he most recently starred in Old Henry alongside Tim Blake Nelson and appeared in the IFC Film Embattled. You may also recognize him from his roles as Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat and Johnny Marco in Somewhere.
In addition to starring in the 2013 remake of Evil Dead, Fernandez is known for his roles in the television series Jericho, Euphoria, and United States of Tara. Benson is a multi-talented performer who starred in the long-running TV series Pretty Little Liars. Kevin Dillion is best known for his role in Entourage.
American Metal is expected to be released in 2023. Saban Films also recently acquired Lives in Secret, the real-life WWII spy thriller starring Hugh Bonneville and Charlotte Gainsbourg.