Cuba Gooding Jr Builds ‘Steam’ Towards Early 2019 Production Start

Cuba Gooding Jr has a title for his second film as a director — Steam — and he is on track to also star in the film he has written, for an early 2019 production start. It is his directorial outing for the Oscar winner, who made his helming debut on Bayou Caviar, released earlier this fall.

“The film is a modern-day thriller about a family man who, after experiencing a life-altering event, must find the courage to pick up the pieces of the rest of his life,” Gooding Jr. told Deadline. “In doing so he will change the course of events for not only his life, but also for those around him, including the ones he loves.”

Filming will take place in London, a city that the Jerry Maguire and The People Vs. O.J. Simpson star fell in love with.

“Having graced the West End stage in the current revival of Chicago, I was entranced by the wealth of talent surrounding me while on the stage,” said Gooding Jr. “The love of film as a cinematic experience is so embraced within that community I found it to be the perfect place to find a crew of individuals that would help me realize my vision for Steam.”

This is the third project in collaboration with Wudi Pictures CEO, Maxx Tsai, who funded and produced Bayou Caviar and Crown Vic, which is currently in post-production.

Tsai is producing with Peter Heslop, Hilary Shor, and Peter Toumbekis. Gayle Stephens is casting.