DEADLINE – Sam Claflin is set to star in upcoming crime thriller Semper Fi, directed by Murderball’s Henry-Alex Rubin. David Lancaster (Whiplash, Nightcrawler) of Rumble Films and Karina Miller (To the Bone) from Sparkhouse Media are producing, with Sparkhouse also financing.
Cornerstone Films is handling international sales rights for the title, and co-repping U.S. rights with CAA, which packaged and financed the film. Project will be launched to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival this month.
Claflin, who has starred in projects such as Me Before You, Their Finest and The Hunger Games, will play Hopper, a straight-laced cop who fills his downtime as a Sergeant in the Marine Corps Reservists alongside a close-knit team of life-long friends – Jaeger, Daddy and Snowball. A rowdy but inseparable bunch of guys, they look out for each other no matter what, including keeping an eye out for Hopper’s younger, reckless brother Oyster.
When Oyster accidentally kills a man in a bar-room brawl and tries to flee town, Hopper stops him and forces him to face the music, resulting in him ending up in prison. But, after being deployed to Iraq, Hopper feels wracked with guilt when he returns home and he and his friends hatch a plan to break Oyster out of jail.
“I couldn’t be more excited about Semper Fi,” Miller said. “At its core, it’s about what it means to truly stand by the people you love. It’s thrilling and entertaining but also emotional.”
Claflin and Rubin are repped by CAA; Claflin is also repped by Independent Talent Group in the UK.