Copper Island has delivered on its promise to bring high profile film productions to Cyprus. Academy Award® nominee and Hollywood A list star, Clive Owen, known for Closer, Children of Men and Gemini Man - is in Cyprus to shoot Scorpion, a high-stakes action-thriller.
Owen is joined by Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike, The Butler, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare) and Reda Elazouar (Sex Education, The Family Plan), alongside Ronan Summers (Guardians of the Galaxy), Jake Ryan (War Machine), Mark Rhino Smith (Creed), Joey Ansah (The Bourne Ultimatum), Alex Cooke (Blacklight) and Luke Bouchier (The Enforcer).
The production is produced and financed by Copper Island and has one of the largest per day budgets for a film produced in Cyprus. Filming commenced on the 6th of July and will conclude in Bulgaria at the end of the month.
A Formidable Force in International Filmmaking in Cyprus
Filming Scorpion in Cyprus is proof that international productions starring top tier talent can be produced locally, paving the way for many more higher budget International films in the future.
Scorpion lands in the middle of an exciting year for Copper Island. The company's slate now spans recent premieres at Tribeca Film Festival (The Leader) and the worldwide release of Dead Man's Wire (directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Bill Skarsgård, Al Pacino and Colman Domingo) & Eden (directed by Ron Howard and starring Jude Law, Ana De Armas, Sydney Sweeney). Copper Island’s Matt Murphie is also an executive producer on the upcoming Anxious People starring Angelia Joile. Copper Island has also assisted with local productions, including financing and creative development on Apart (Stelana Kliris), now seeking international distribution, and The Well (Mario Piperides), currently completing post-production at Copper Island's Limassol facilities.
Company founder Matt Murphie stated;
"We're delighted to be producing Scorpion in Cyprus. We'd like to thank the Cyprus Film Commission for its support and the exceptional local crew helping bring this project to the screen."
Clive Owen stated;
“Shooting Scorpion in Cyprus was a great experience. Copper Island created an outstanding production environment, the local crew were incredibly professional with a great attitude, and the island offers an amazing variety of locations. I hope I get the opportunity to come back and shoot more projects there.”
Making this production in Cyprus was made possible in part through collaboration with the Cyprus Film Commission, whose support continues to make the island a viable base for productions of this scale.
The Story
In Scorpion, Jason (Reda Elazouar), a young police officer, takes his first assignment with an elite tactical unit of Afghanistan war veterans. A nighttime raid on a remote farmhouse turns into a deadly trap: cut off from all communication and sealed inside the building, the squad is confronted by an ominous voice with an ultimatum - every thirty minutes, someone dies unless one of them confesses to what really happened during a classified operation years earlier.
As the countdown ticks down, trust inside the squad collapses. Paranoia spreads, survival becomes the only law, and brothers-in-arms turn on one another. Trapped among men he once idolised, Jason realises they were never heroes - only survivors of a truth none of them can outrun.
Production Credits
The screenplay was written by Richard Hughes and Bennett Fisher. The film is produced by Copper Island’s Matt Murphie, David Mansfield and Luke Bouchier. WestEnd Films is handling international sales and will present first footage to buyers at Toronto International Film Festival this September.
About Copper Island
Copper Island is active in the development, production and post-production of film projects with international reach. Headquartered in Limassol, with a significant presence in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia, the company has built an extensive international network of partners, producers and distributors, and makes substantial investments in international productions. Other recent collaborators include Ron Howard, Simon West and globally acclaimed actors including Sir Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode, Ana de Armas, Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, and Shia LaBeouf.
