Patrick Wachsberger and Legendary’s JV 193 will launch sales at the Cannes market on action film The Surgeon, which will star Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and be produced by John Wick outfit Thunder Road.
Pic is written and directed by Roshan Sethi, a physician, Indie Spirit winner, and co-creator of hit Fox series The Resident.
The film will follow a retired surgeon (Yeoh) who is abducted and forced to operate on a mystery patient. Though greatly outnumbered, her captors have overlooked her greatest weapon: 35-years of surgical experience, leading to an explosive and brutal confrontation during which she outwits and cuts down her enemies in a visual style that defies anything you have seen before. There are hopes it can become a franchise.
Iwanyk and Erica Lee are producing for Thunder Road alongside John Schoenfelder and Russell Ackerman for Neotext, Adam Kolbrenner for Lit Entertainment, and Steve Klinsky for Untravelled Worlds. Executive producing are Lit Entertainment’s Patrick White and Jay Schuminsky.
The movie continues the collaboration between Wachsberger and producer Iwanyk after they previously worked together on the John Wick franchise, which Iwanyk produced and Wachsberger distributed as Chairman of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.
Sethi won a Film Independent Spirit Award in 2021 for his debut feature, 7 Days. A radiation oncologist-turned-filmmaker, he first leveraged his medical experience on the CBS series Code Black, before co-creating The Resident, which ran for six seasons on Fox.
Yeoh won the Oscar, Golden Globe, Film Independent Spirit Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Everything Everywhere All At Once. She’s also well known for Wicked, Crazy Rich Asians, and action films including Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies.
“I’m so excited to bring something brand new and innovative to the action genre based heavily on my medical background,” said writer-director Roshan Sethi. “I cannot think of a better partner than Michelle, the iconic queen of action who will be using her skills in a different and surprising way in this film, and the producing teams at Thunder Road, 193 and NeoText.”
Added Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk: “Roshin wrote an incredibly complex and compelling character that was able to excite one of the world’s great actresses in Michelle Yeoh. I can’t wait to see what that collaboration cooks up. And to work again with Patrick, who was so instrumental in getting the John Wick and Sicario franchises made, is a great thrill for Thunder Road.”
“Michelle is a cinematic force and a perfect match for this role,” commented Wachsberger. “She blends grace and power, bringing emotional depth to even the most physical sequences. With her leading the cast and Roshan drawing on his singular perspective to tell a story only he could, we have a captivating franchise coming to life, and we look forward to bringing it to audiences around the world.”
The post Michelle Yeoh To Star In Action Film ‘The Surgeon’ For ‘John Wick’ Outfit Thunder Road — Cannes Market appeared first on Deadline.
