Patrick Schwarzenegger, Leslie Grace to Star in Tennis Thriller The Journeyman
Patrick Schwarzenegger will lead crime thriller The Journeyman as a down-on-his-luck tennis pro drawn into match-fixing, Deadline reported. Leslie Grace will co-star as his fiercely loyal fiancee, according to the same report. Match-fixing means players deliberately shape results for betting scams, a crime that carries lifetime bans in professional tennis.
Ángel Manuel Soto will direct the film, Deadline reported. Soto directed The Wrecking Crew, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Directors are usually hired before casting is locked. Here the lead pair is now set.
The script is by husband-and-wife duo The Roberts, with revisions by Bill Dubuque, Deadline reported. Revisions are normal on studio and independent films. A later writer polishes dialogue, structure and pace before shooting.
AGC Studios will fully finance and produce the film, Deadline reported. That means the company provides the budget and oversees the shoot from start to finish. Independent financing means the film is paid for outside the major studio system, then sold to distributors around the world. Stuart Ford, Bryan Haas, Mason Eways and Scott Franklin are listed as producers, with Miguel A. Palos Jr, Zach Garrett and Anant Tamirisa as executive producers, according to the same report. Producers run the day-to-day decisions. Executive producers often arrange finance or key deals.
Shooting is set to begin on 30 November in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Deadline reported. The Pimienta Film Company will supply local production services there, according to the same report. That covers hiring crew, securing locations and handling logistics on the island. Shooting on location means filming in real streets and buildings rather than on a studio lot.
AGC International is handling international rights and will shop the project to distributors at the American Film Market, Deadline reported. The AFM is the yearly marketplace where films are sold territory by territory, well before release. UTA and WME are working alongside AGC on domestic sales, covering the United States and Canada, according to the same report. Splitting sales this way is common for independently financed films.
The Journeyman once had a different team, with Dev Patel attached to star and Tarsem Singh to direct, Deadline reported. Grace previously appeared in In the Heights, according to the same report.
For audiences, the set-up is easy to grasp. A broke player. A dangerous offer. A partner who refuses to walk away.
