Sylvester Stallone Action Thriller ‘Alarum’ Acquired by Signature for U.K. (EXCLUSIVE)

Leo Tolstoy once said, “All great literature is one of two stories: a man goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.” The action genre is particularly suited for the latter plot line and the premise forms the backbone of “Trigger Warning,” a new action thriller set to premiere on the Netflix streaming service. READ MORE: Summer Movie Preview: 50 Must-See Films To Watch Directed by Mouly Surya, the director of the Cannes Film Festival premiering thriller “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts,” “Trigger Warning” is led by Jessica Alba (“Sin City” “Fantastic Four”) in her first acting role in nearly four years.

Anne Hathaway– and Jessica Chastain-starring psychological thriller “Mothers’ Instinct” is set for release in Chinese theaters. Directed by cinematographer-turned-helmer Benoît Delhomme, the 1960s film depicts a pair of model homemakers and next-door neighbors whose close friendship is severely undone by sudden tragedy. The film is an English-language remake of the 2108 French-language effort by Belgium’s Olivier Masset-Depasse’s film, which was an adaptation of the 2012 novel “Derriere La Haine” by Barbara Abel. The film will release in China on May 24 on 2,500 screens.

Alex Ritman Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to creature action thriller “Werewolves” from the Solution Entertainment Group. The feature was produced by Myles Nestel (“Blacklight”) and Craig Chapman (“Honest Thief”), with additional producers including Steven C.

Alex Ritman Aaron Eckhart (“The Dark Knight,” “Sully”) is set to return to the “Muzzle” universe in action thriller “Muzzle: City of Wolves.” The actioner marks the sequel to “Muzzle” and will be directed by John Stalberg Jr. (Lionsgate’s “Crypto”), who also directed the first installment. Jacob Michael King (“Caviar”) wrote the script from a story by Carlyle Eubank (“The Signal”) and Stalberg Jr.

EXCLUSIVE: Duke Nicholson (Us), William H. Macy (Fargo), Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), Stephen Dorff (Blade), Jake Weary (Oh, Canada) and Julia Fox (Uncut Gems) are set to star in action-Thriller The Deputy, which Highland Film Group is launching for the Cannes market.

Kevin Costner‘s two-part Western epic “Horizon: An American Saga,” which makes its world premiere in the Out of Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival, has been acquired in France by Metropolitan FilmExport, one of the country’s biggest distributors. Daniel Baur’s K5 Intl. is handling international rights.

Alex Ritman “SAS: Red Notice,” the action thriller from director Laurence Malkin that became a hit for U.K. platform Sky Cinema in 2021, is getting a sequel. Creative details are currently under wraps, but development funding for the sequel was provided by Sky Original Films and the film will be executive produced by Sky’s director of original film, Julia Stuart.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Chile’s Quijote Films, behind Cannes 2023 Un Certain Regard Fipresci Prize winner “The Settlers,” has tied down a powerful alliance of international partners on “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo,” the first feature of 2018 Cannes Cinéfondation top winner Diego Céspedes. An LGBTQ-themed drama, “The Mysterious Gaze” is set in a mining town where a strange illness is said to be transmitted between men who fall in love with each other.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korea’s Barunson E&A has picked up world sales rights to Vietnamese horror-comedy “Don’t Cry Butterfly.” Sales will be launched this week at the Cannes Market. Written and directed by Duong Dieu Linh, the Hanoi-set film follows a housewife who uses voodoo to try and get her cheating husband fall back into love with her, but instead invites a mysterious presence into the house.

EXCLUSIVE: Highland Film Group is launching international sales on the action film Alarum starring Sylvester Stallone, Scott Eastwood, and Willa Fitzgerald, which has just wrapped principal photography. 

Brent Lang Executive Editor Liam Neeson is checking into “Hotel Tehran.” The Oscar-winner turned on-screen avenging angel is joining the previously announced Zachary Levi in the new action-thriller from Guy Moshe. Cameras will start rolling in late summer. The rest of the ensemble will be cast in the coming weeks.

The Oscar nominated actor is set to board Guy Moshe‘s action thriller Hotel Tehran opposite Zachary Levi, who Deadline first told you about. Also joining the Liam Neeson feature to handle worldwide distribution is Rocket Science alongside previously announced Oakhurst Entertainment, Astral Future and Dreamtime Films. The movie will start shooting later this summer.

EXCLUSIVE: Shooting is underway on Son of the Soil, a thriller from Action Xtreme out of Nigeria.

Alex Ritman Bill Murray has joined the cast of “Riff Raff,” the upcoming crime comedy from director Dito Montiel set to feature Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”), Ed Harris (“Love Lies Bleeding”) Gabrielle Union (“The Inspection”), Lewis Pullman (“Top Gun: Maverick”), Emanuela Postacchini (“Robots”), Miles J. Harvey (“American Vandal”) and Pete Davidson (“The King of Staten Island”).

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor London- and Paris-based production, finance and international sales outfit Film Constellation has unveiled a first exclusive clip from Titus Kaphar’s well-received drama “Exhibiting Forgiveness.” Film Constellation will screen the film for buyers in Cannes on Tuesday. The film received glowing reviews after its January premiere at Sundance in the U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: We can tell you that James Franco and Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones are leading the action thriller The Razor’s Edge from producer Corey Large (Paradise City, It Follows, The November Man) and filmmaker Demian Lichtenstein (3000 Miles to Graceland).

EXCLUSIVE: On the eve of the Cannes market, Westbrook Studios and AGC Studios have set Italian filmmaker Stefano Sollima, known for directing Without Remorse, Sicario: Day of the Soldado and hit series Gomorrah, to helm big-budget action-thriller Sugar Bandits.

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the Cannes market, Lionsgate has taken North American rights off the table on one of the bigger-budget new packages that’ll be on sale next week: that’s action-thriller Mutiny, which will star action evergreen Jason Statham (Fast & Furious) and be directed by Jean-François Richet (Plane).

Sam Claflin and Rupert Friend will star in Thunder Road Pictures’ World War II action-thriller Perdition. Written and directed by Henry Dunham, principal photography is set for the fall.

K.J. Yossman Lionsgate will handle U.S. distribution of eagerly awaited “Greenland” sequel “Greenland: Migration,” Variety can confirm.