Gerard Butler in the cast of forthcoming psychological thriller KEEPERS by award-winning Danish director Kristoffer Nyholm.
London, Monday 31st October 2016: Gerard Butler (London Has Fallen, How to Train Your Dragon, Coriolanus, 300 ) joins fellow Scot Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur, War Horse, Trainspotting) and rising star Joe Alwyn (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, The Sense of an Ending), for the psychological thriller Keepers, inspired by a true unsolved local mystery.
On an uninhabited island 20 miles from the rugged Scottish coast, three lighthouse keepers arrive for their six week shift. As Thomas (Mullan), James (Butler) and Donald (Alwyn) settle into their usual, solitary routines, something unexpected and potentially life-changing occurs- they stumble upon something that isn’t theirs to keep. Where did it come from? Who does it belong to? A boat appears in the distance that might hold the answer to these questions… What follows is a tense battle for survival as personal greed replaces loyalty – and fed by isolation and paranoia, three honest men are led down a path to destruction.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan and Joe Alwyn leading the cast of KEEPERS- great actors who are deeply committed to this project, and who will go the distance. These men are the strong and unique characters at the heart of this story, which is a journey from innocence to animalistic survival. KEEPERS was great to read, will be an adventure to make, and terrifying to watch,” Kristoffer Nyholm said.
Co-writers Jones and Bone, who conceived the idea for KEEPERS whilst starring together in biographical drama, Castles in the Sky, said that their objective was to create a unique script that Kristoffer wanted to direct, great actors wanted to perform and a wide audience will want to see. They wanted to say something poignant about trust and the frailty of the human condition.
The film will be fully financed by Cross Creek Pictures (Hacksaw Ridge, Black Mass, Black Swan, Rush, Everest).Production Company Mad as Birds confirmed that the film is set for an early 2017 shoot in the UK. Protagonist Pictures will introduce the project to buyers during AFM this week.
Protagonist Pictures CEO Mike Goodridge said: “This project has been close to our hearts for a couple of years now, so it’s exciting to see it come together with such a perfect cast. We have been waiting for Kristoffer Nyholm to commit to his first feature film, so are thrilled to be presenting this heart stoppingly suspenseful package to international buyers at AFM.”
KEEPERS will be produced by Andy Evans, Ade Shannon and Sean Marley for Mad as Birds, Butler and Alan Siegel for G-BASE and Brian Oliver for Cross Creek Pictures. The project was brought into Cross Creek by Jason Seagraves who will serve as Executive Producer. The film is cast and co-produced by Reg Poerscout-Edgerton