"Oldboy" star Sharlto Copley to topline Bekmambetov-produced “Hardcore”July 12, 2013 - 17:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - After playing the villain in Spike Lee's "Oldboy" and Neill Blomkamp's "Elysium," Sharlto Copley has signed on to play the hero in "Hardcore," an inventive first-person POV action movie that will be written and directed by Ilya Naishuller and produced by his fellow Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, TheWrap said. Naishuller is an up-and-coming director whose short film, "Bad Motherfucker," has already earned nearly 23 million YouTube and Vimeo views since it debuted this spring. He's also the frontman of the punk band Biting Elbows, whose music appears in the short. After garnering the industry's attention, "Bad Motherfucker" caught the eye of Bekmambetov, who is producing "Hardcore" along with Naishuller, Katia Kononeko and Inga Vainshtein. While the project's first-person POV aesthetic is inspired by "Bad Motherfucker," it will be based on Naishuller's original screenplay. Plot details remain under wraps, though the stylized action movie will feature sci-fi elements and find Copley killing a lot of bad guys to save a damsel in distress. "Hardcore" will be shot in Naishuller's (pictured right) and Bekmambetov's native Russia. Since making his acting debut just four short years ago in Neill Blomkamp's 2009 sci-fi hit "District 9," Copley has been in high demand and is poised for further success with a breakout year. He next stars opposite Matt Damon and Jodie Foster in Blomkamp's big-budget sci-fi movie "Elysium," which Sony opens on Aug. 9. The South African actor also terrorizes Josh Brolin in Spike Lee's remake of the classic revenge film "Oldboy," which FilmDistrict will release on Oct. 25. Bekmambetov is the director of "Wanted" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," as well as the hit Russian movies "Night Watch" and "Day Watch." Top stories Ara Aivazian said Azerbaijan continues the traditions of Turkey after seizing territories and forced Armenians out. The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. Partner news | Viva: Armenia's leading technology company introduces a new trademark The updated brand Viva reflects a qualitatively new level of digital services. Turkey restoring 500-year-old Surp Sarkis Armenian Church During the program, Sahak Maşalyan, the Patriarch of Türkiye's Armenians, inspected the historic church and offered prayers. Cumulative deposit on flexible terms: Byblos Bank Armenia's new offer Once the deposit is fixed, it can be topped up at any time, and interest will be accrued quarterly. BSEC Secretary General due in Armenia on July 1 On July 1, the Secretary General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) Lazar Comanescu will pay a working visit to Armenia. |