Millennium Plots ‘South China Sea’ With Swedish Helmers Marlind & Stein

EXCLUSIVE: Millennium Films has acquired South China Sea, an action film that will be directed by the Swedish helming team of Mans Marlind & Bjorn Stein.The film is on a fast track, with an offer made today to Tom Cruise to play the lead. I have no idea if he’ll do it but clearly they are aiming high.

The duo directed Underworld: Awakening after creating cutting edge movies and TV in Sweden that includes Bron, the TV series that transplanted to the U.S .in the form of FX’s The Bridge. Freaky Friday‘s Andrew Gunn is producing, and the script is by Kerry Williamson, with Michael Stokes doing the latest rewrite. Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, John Thompson and Mark Gill are exec producers.

Pic is Fast & Furious set on water, a contemporary story of a legendary American pirate who was imprisoned in Hong Kong by his nemesis, a female police lieutenant. She shows up to set him free, with a condition: he must help her take down a formidable pirate gang plaguing shipping lanes across the South China Sea. He has more incentive than freedom; he might have a chance to save his estranged son, who is in the center of things.

Millennium continues to step it up its ambitious fare, about to open the latest installment of The Expendables. The firm develops, finances, produces and distributes approximately 8-10 films per year and is best known for The Expendables series and percolating a sequel to its hit Olympus Has Fallen that’s set in London. Marlind & Stein are represented by Paradigm, Eric Williams at Zero Gravity Management and attorney Karl Austen.