Brian De Palma has signed on to direct the action-thriller “Lights Out” for Arclight Films and Huace Pictures, it was announced Monday.
The story follows a blind Chinese girl who gets caught in a plot to expose a top-secret assassination program.
“Lights Out” will be produced by Jon Chieuw of Huace Media Group, Ying Ye of Aurora Alliance Films and Gary Hamilton, Mike Gabrawy and Elliot Tong, along with Toronto-based Jennifer Weiss and Simone Urdl of The Film Farm. Arclight Films is handling international sales.
Huace Media Group, one of China’s top publicly-traded film/TV financing and production companies, is working with Easternlight to package the film, which is currently in pre-production and in the process of casting a top Chinese actress as the heroic female lead.
“We’re excited and honored to be working with one of the great living film directors, Brian De Palma, on ‘Lights Out,” said Ying Ye, managing director of Aurora Alliance Films. “De Palma is a proven master of suspense; in the hands of the legendary director, ‘Lights Out’ promises to be a thriller for the ages, full of empowering messages, harrowing plot turns and great action sequences.”
De Palma is the acclaimed director of “Scarface,” “The Untouchables,” “Carrie” and “Mission: Impossible.” A documentary about the director, titled “De Palma,” earned rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year. De Palma is represented by ICM Partners and attorney Donald Steele.
Huace Pictures is a subsidiary of Huace Media Group, the largest distributor of media content in China. “Lights Out” will be the first project run through Arclight Films and HMG’s joint venture Aurora Alliance Films.