Lionsgate released the first trailer for the action film The Protégé with Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson and Maggie Q, directed by Martin Campbell, filmed in Romania, and announced its release date: August 20, 2021.
Written by Richard Wenk, The Protégé (the working title was The Asset) is centered on the story of a young woman named Anna (Maggie Q), saved as a child by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) and trained to become one of the the best paid assassins in the world. When Moody is murdered, Anna searches for the killer to get revenge and everything turns into a game of seduction and domination against an enigmatic killer (Michael Keaton).
The production lasted for 10 weeks in Bucharest and Snagov from the beginning of January 2020 until the beginning of the March lockdown, with a team of over 200 Romanian technicians as well as over 100 extras.
In Bucharest, sets from Laos, Vietnam or London were recreated. Part of the action takes place right in Bucharest, for the first time the location for an action film of such caliber.
The cast also includes a series of Romanian actors, among them Florin Piersic Jr, Tudor Chirilă, George Piştereanu and Cosmin Dominte.
The Director of Photography for this film is David Tattersal, who worked with writer/director George Lucas for three of his Star Wars movies (Phantom Menace - 1999, Attack of the Clones - 2002 and Revenge of the Sith - 2005).
The Protégé has a team of internationally acclaimed producers, people who have been behind some of the most successful action films of recent years: Christopher Milburn and Moshe Diamant (Hurricane Heist), Robert Van Norden (Rambo, Last Blood), Arthur Sarkissian (Rush Hour).
From the Romanian side for Frame Film, the producers are: Andrei Boncea (Amen, Callas Forever, Joyeux Noel, California Dreamin', The Wanderers), Dragoș Buliga (Las Fierbinți, The Wanderers) and Gabriel Popescu (Bunraku, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot, Dark is Rising).
Prorom will release The Protégé in cinemas from Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
soon.