26/10/2009

British star Ray Winstone (44 Inch Chest [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) will join New Zealand star Temuera Morrison (Once Were Warriors) on the sets of Tracker, which begins principal photography in that country next week. The unit will relocate to mountain locations near South Island in mid-November until the film wraps in early December.

The 1903-set film is an action-thriller where grizzled bounty hunter Winstone lands in colonial New Zealand in search of Morrison, a Maori seafarer accused of killing a British soldier. A tense cat and mouse game ensues.

Tracker is an UK/New Zealand co-production by Eden Films and T.H.E. Film in association with Phoenix Wiley & Liberty Films. Backers include the UK Film Council, the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, with financing by Natixis Coficine.

Ian Sharp (Mrs Caldicot’s Cabbage War), who is best known for television’s Robin of Sherwood and Tess of the D’Urbervilles and who was action director for Goldeneye and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, will direct from a script by the late Nicolas van Pallandt.

Producers are David Burns and Trevor Haysom and executive producers are Stephanie Pettigrew, Sue Cook, Gareth Wiley and Richard Fletcher. Director of photography is Harvey Harrison, production designer Rick Kofoed, editor Sean Barton, sound Matthew Gough, music David Burns and post-production by Molinare, London.

International sales are being handled by Independent Film Company and the film has been pre-sold to Square One for Germany and Transmission Films for Australasia.