Sam Worthington and Taiwanese actress Ke-Xi Wu are tense and pensive in the evocative first look from Midi Z’s upcoming Asia-set crime thriller, The Exiles, currently shooting in Taipei. The image finds the actors during an ominous twilight hour somewhere in coastal Taiwan.
Inspired by true events, The Exiles will tell the story of a desperate Westerner who pursues greener pastures in Asia, instead finding greed, rivalry and ego that ultimately spirals into a shocking murder.
Burmese-Taiwanese auteur Midi Z, a festival favorite known for The Road To Mandalay and Nina Wu, co-wrote the script as his English-language debut. David Duchovny co-stars opposite Worthington and Wu. The film is described as Z’s step into more overt genre filmmaking, without sacrificing his distinctive visual ambition.
Mister Smith Entertainment is launching sales at the EFM this week, with CAA representing U.S. rights.
The producers also revealed a batch of supporting cast members on Friday from the Berlinale. Joining the project in undisclosed roles are Sam Rechner (The Fabelmans, Scream 7, Nicholas Hamilton (It, Captain Fantastic), Sky Yang (Last Days, Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon Part 1), G. Madison IV (MJ: The Musical) and Valerie Laury (The Requiem Boogie).
The film already boasts a multi-Oscar-nominated production team, including cinematographer Ed Lachman (The Virgin Suicides, Carol, El Conde), editor Hank Corwin (The Tree of Life, The Big Short) and composer Lim Giong (Cannes best score winner for The Assassin).
“An unrelenting crime thriller that grips from the first page, The Exiles marks Midi Z’s first English-language feature and a confident expansion of his distinctive visual style onto the international stage,” Shane Kelly, Mister Smith’s senior vp of international sales, previously told THR about the project. “Anchored by an exceptional caliber of cast and creative collaborators behind the camera, the film unites auteur ambition with a muscular genre narrative.”
Producers on The Exiles include Anita Gou (The Farewell), Tom Heller (Foxcatcher), Claudia Tseng and Midi Z, with Killer Films’ Christine Vachon (Materialists, Carol), Gabi Meyers (A Different Man) and Wu executive producing. The film is being made with support and financing from the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA).
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