{"id":501587,"date":"2026-05-25T09:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T09:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/501587\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T09:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T09:35:08","slug":"cuba-gooding-jr-luke-ford-keith-duffy-and-qymira-board-lotus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/501587\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuba Gooding Jr., Luke Ford, Keith Duffy and Qymira Board ‘Lotus’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tHong Kong-based ACT3 and Philippine production company Blackops Studios Asia have set Cuba Gooding Jr.<\/a>, Luke Ford, Keith Duffy and multimedia artist Qymira in \u201cLotus<\/a>,\u201d an international action thriller that marks the first production under the companies\u2019 multi-year, five-film slate deal.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe project was introduced to international buyers and distribution partners at the Cannes Film Market<\/a>. Principal photography is scheduled to run from September through October in Manila, with additional sequences to be shot in Brazil.<\/p>\n

\n\tFilipino filmmaker Pedring Lopez, founder of Blackops Studios Asia, directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with his longtime producing and writing collaborator Rex Lopez. Pedring Lopez also produces alongside Rex Lopez and Maia Yambao-Lopez. Leslie Loh serves as executive producer for ACT3.<\/p>\n

\n\tGooding Jr. (\u201cJerry Maguire\u201d), Australian actor Ford (\u201cThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,\u201d \u201cAnimal Kingdom,\u201d \u201cThe Black Balloon\u201d) and Irish singer and Boyzone<\/a> member Duffy headline alongside Qymira, who previously starred in Lopez\u2019s \u201cShadow Transit.\u201d Also cast are actor-producer Cristian Lavin (\u201cNCIS\u201d) and Brazilian actor Alberto Cowboy, a \u201cBig Brother Brasil\u201d alumnus.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c\u2018Lotus\u2019 marks my first major project shooting in the Philippines and Southeast Asia,\u201d Gooding Jr. said. \u201cThere\u2019s an energy to this project and to Manila that immediately pulled me in. The vision Pedring and the team have for this film is raw, dangerous and global.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFord added: \u201cWhat drew me to \u2018Lotus\u2019 was how grounded and unpredictable the world felt. There\u2019s a rawness to the story and the way Pedring wants to shoot the film that makes it feel immediate and immersive. Manila and Brazil are incredible backdrops for this kind of action-thriller, and I\u2019m excited to be part of something that feels both intimate and global at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis film is bigger, darker and even more ambitious, and I\u2019m excited to be part of a story that connects Manila and Brazil in such a visceral way,\u201d Qymira said. \u201cBrazil has also held a special place in my heart especially after having performed at the Salvador Carnival and released several Portuguese and English songs with local artists which topped the Bahia radio charts, so bringing those worlds together in this film feels incredibly personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSonny Sison, a Filipino-American choreographer and producer, will handle stunt and action coordination, working with his local crew and an international stunt team drawn from the U.S. and Hong Kong. Noel Teehankee will shoot the film, with the production drawing from a crew across the Philippines, Hong Kong and Brazil. Additional Filipino casting is ongoing.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is a film designed for a global audience but rooted in the energy and chaos of Southeast Asia and Latin America,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cWe want \u2018Lotus\u2019 to feel dangerous, emotional and alive, the kind of film that throws you directly into its world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLotus\u201d is the first of five planned productions under the ACT3\u2013Blackops Studios Asia collaboration. The partnership\u2019s other cornerstone project, the China-set action epic \u201cA Thread of Steel,\u201d <\/a>is scheduled to shoot in 2028.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hong Kong-based ACT3 and Philippine production company Blackops Studios Asia have set Cuba Gooding Jr., Luke Ford, Keith…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501588,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[263],"tags":[33991,205679,218004,18,117,19,17,218005,327],"class_list":["post-501587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-boyzone","tag-cannes-film-market","tag-cuba-gooding-jr","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-lotus","tag-movies"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}