John Wick Director Producing '80s-Inspired Action Thriller Bella With Ready or Not Star

By Patrick Cavanaugh

The John Wick franchise might be a flagship of director Chad Stahelski's 87Eleven, but films like Nobody and Violent Night have proven the filmmaker's collaborators can apply their unique perspective of action cinema to entirely different storylines, which they look to prove again with the upcoming action thriller Bella. Ready or Not and Scream VI star Samara Weaving is set to star in the picture, which will see Larysa Kondracki directing a script written by Jesse Wigutow based on an original script from Jason Markarian. Both Stahelski and Craig Flores will serve as producers on the new film.

Deadline describes the picture, "Set against the backdrop of an unprecedented crime wave that gripped New York City in the '80s, Bella is a hyper-stylized action thriller about a cop's daughter who, after her father clings to life following an assassination attempt, goes on a rampage to unearth her father's assassin and weed out deep-rooted corruption in the New York City Police Department."

"Bella cleverly reinvents the female-led action genre pairing a sexy and unapologetic rock n' roll edge with the gritty heightened realism of '80s New York City. Collaborating with Chad Stahelski and 87Eleven whose talent is singular in bringing unparalleled action films to worldwide audiences is a dream for me, Larysa, and Samara," Flores shared with Deadline.

This new film marks only the latest of Weaving's ventures into the genre world, having starred in projects like Mayhem, Ash vs. Evil Dead, and The Babysitter. The actor already has another genre film on the way, having starred in the action-horror Azrael.

That film is described as being "set in a world in which no one speaks and follows a devout female-led community that hunts down a young woman who has escaped her imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, Azrael (Weaving) is due to be sacrificed to pacify an ancient evil deep within the surrounding wilderness -- but she has other ideas."

Azrael was written by You're Next and Godzilla vs. Kong 2 writer Simon Barrett and was directed by The Haunting of Bly Manor and Channel Zero: The Dream Door's E.L. Katz.   

"From the first minute we read it, we were captivated by the world of Azrael and the potential of a film so relentless and action-packed for its genre -- distinguished by its own unique 'voice,' which has so much to say," producer Michael Rothstein shared. "E.L. Katz and Simon Barrett have delivered something truly visionary, which will undoubtedly connect with a global legion of fans. And we couldn't think of a more perfect heroine in Samara Weaving, who's at the peak of her powers right now. We're equally excited to begin working with C2's Jason and David and Dan Kagan on the film, bringing something so sophisticated, elevated, and commercial to the EFM with our friends at UTA and CAA."

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Stay tuned for details on Bella. Azrael does not currently have a release date.  

Are you looking forward to the new movie? Let us know in the comments!

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