We got a look at Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury in the trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier earlier today, but now a first-look image from another Jackson films casts the actor in a different light. Jackson plays the President of the United States in Big Game, which revolves around a 13-year-old boy named Oskari (Onni Tommila) who stumbles upon a crashed Air Force One in the wilderness and subsequently aims to get the President to safety. Jalmari Helander directs the action adventure pic, and along with the first image, it has been announced that Felicity Huffman, Victor Garber, and Ted Levine have been added to a cast that also includes Jim Broadbent and Ray Stevenson.
Hit the jump to take a look at the image and to read the full press release. Big Game is currently in production in Bavaria.
Click on the image to enlarge.
London, 24 October 2013 … The first image from the set of Jalmari Helander’s BIG GAME features Samuel L. Jackson as “The President” and Onni Tommila as his 13-year old sidekick “Oskari” as captured on location in Bavaria.
Joining the cast in the final weeks of the shoot are Felicity Huffman (Transamerica, Desperate Housewives) playing “The CIA Director”, Victor Garber (Titanic, Argo) playing “U.S. Vice President” and Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs, American Gangster) as “General Underwood.” Samuel L. Jackson and Onni Tommila (Rare Exports) take the leading roles and other previously announced co-stars include British talent Jim Broadbent (Iris, The Iron Lady) and Ray Stevenson (Thor, GI Joe: Retaliation) and, from Germany, Mehmet Kurtulus (Short Sharp Shock).
An adrenaline-fuelled action adventure, BIG GAME is written and directed by Jalmari Helander (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) and is nearing the end of its eight-week shoot on locations across Bavaria and at Bavaria Film Studios.
When Air Force One is shot down by terrorists leaving the President of the United States stranded in the wilderness, there is only one person around who can save him – a 13-year old boy called Oskari.
In the forest on a hunting mission to prove his maturity to his kinsfolk, Oskari had been planning to track down a deer, but instead discovers the most powerful man on the planet in an escape pod.
With the terrorists closing in to capture their own “Big Game” prize, the unlikely duo must team up to escape their hunters. As anxious Pentagon officials observe the action via satellite feed, it is up to the President and his new side-kick to prove themselves and survive the most extraordinary 24 hours of their lives.
Based on a story by Jalmari Helander and Petri Jokiranta, BIG GAME combines the universal rite-of passage theme of iconic 80's films, such as E.T. and The Karate Kidwith the visceral thrill of high-concept action classics such as Die Hard and Taken. The Director of Photography is Mika Orasmaa (Rare Exports, Iron Sky) with Scanline VFX (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Iron Man) on board for all special effects.
As director and co-writer, Jalmari Helander comments: “BIG GAME is an action adventure story on an epic scale. I’m delighted to be taking this genre on as it has always been very close to my heart, as action-packed adventure stories contain the elements that I believe make movies that are worth watching.”
A Finnish-German-UK co-production, Petri Jokiranta produces under the Subzero banner, alongside Will Clarke and Andy Mayson for Altitude Film Entertainment, with Jens Meurer of Egoli Tossell Film as the German producer. Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Dredd) is executive producer. Financiers include: Finnish Film Foundation; YLE; Nordisk Film & TV Fond; Visionplus Fund; Bavarian Film Partners; Bavarian Film and Television Fund (FFFBayern); German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), along with Comerica Bank Entertainment Group and KfW Bankengruppe.Development and bridge-financing has been provided by Headgear, Film House Germany and Merg Films. BIG GAME is the first international project to have received backing from FFF Bayern’s special programme for international co-productions.
Altitude Film Sales is handling worldwide sales, with Altitude and WME jointly representing the North American rights. Entertainment One has taken all rights to the film for the UK, Ascot Elite for all German-speaking territories and Nordisk for Scandinavia.