The first look at director Shaun Paul Piccinino’s new film The Island has been released by MSR Media. The closeup image features actor Michael Jai White and Edoardo Costa engaged in high-octane hand-to-hand combat while the latter holds a knif, which gives the audience a taste of the upcoming action crime thriller.
The feature, which is currently in post-production, is based on an original story by Philippe Martinez, who co-wrote the script with Michael Cassie. It follows an LAPD officer (White) who takes down drug traffickers until his brother dies under mysterious circumstances. He then returns to his island home, to seek answers and gets into trouble with the corrupt tycoon who has taken over the island paradise he once called home. Along with White and Costa, the cast also includes Jackson Rathbone and Gillian White.
Piccinino is known for features like American Fighter, Netflix hits like That’s Amor starring Riley Dandy, and Isaac Gonzalez Rossi, and A California Christmas and its sequel A California Christmas: City Lights. Jai White is known for features like, Spawn The Dark Knight, and also played the titular role in the blaxploitation parody film Black Dynamite. Costa’s credits include features like Fox’s Live Free and Die Hard, MSR Media’s Christmas in the Caribbean, Black Tulip, and Harold Guskin’s independent thriller Down the Shore starring alongside James Gandolfini and Famke Janssen.
Rathbone is perhaps best known for playing Jasper in The Twilight Saga, he was last seen in Valerie Weiss’ Mixtape starring alongside Gemma Brooke Allen, Nick Thune, and Julie Bowen. He’s also seen as Blue Scream in Netflix’s The Guardians of Justice, a satire of DC Comics and the Justice League. White, who often shares screen space with Jai White has features like Christian Sesma’s Take Back, Never Back Down: No Surrender, and Welcome To Sudden Death, to her credit.
Earlier this year The Island was announced by MSR Media as part of its upcoming slate that includes titles like, Black Noise, Liza Bolton’s mystery thriller Ocean Deep, Damian Hurley’s directorial debut, Strictly Confidential, among others. The feature is produced by MSR’s Philippe Martinez and Highfield Grange Studios’ Alan Latham.
No release date has been set for the feature yet, you can check out the film’s synopsis, and our conversation with White below:
The Island recounts the story of LAPD officer (Michael Jai White) who takes down drug traffickers with his wise-cracking partner Phil (Jackson Rathbone) until his brother dies under mysterious circumstances. He returns to his island home, to seek answers and ultimately vengeance, in a bloody battle with the corrupt tycoon who has taken over the island paradise.