As he makes his return to Hollywood, Arnold Schwarzenegger is jumping right back into the genre that made his famous. He’s got the ensemble actioner The Expendables 2, then western actioner The Last Stand, then another Sylvester Stallone actioner The Tomb. His next project has been announced, shockingly another action thriller, which involves the DEA and drug cartels.
In a press release, Open Road Films have announced they’ll distribute Ten, set to be directed by David Ayer of Training Day screenwriting fame. He’s also been behind the much less successful efforts such as Street Kings and Harsh Times, as well as the upcoming Jake Gyllenhaal cop drama End of Watch (whose recently released trailer is here).
The film, written by Skip Woods (Swordfish, The A-Team, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the upcoming A Good Day to Die Hard), follows an “elite DEA task force who deals with the world’s deadliest drug cartels. Specializing in complex mobile operations, the team executes a tactical raid on a cartel safe house. What looks to be a typical raid turns out to be an elaborate theft operation, pre-planned by the DEA squad. After hiding millions in stolen cash, the team believes their secret is safe – until someone begins assassinating them one by one.”
The film is shaping up to be an ensemble, so this is just the first of many casting announcement, as Ayer says the film will be grounded in reality and “an exciting cast is in the works.” It sounds like your standard generic thriller and Ayer’s direction is not something to get excited about, judging by his track record. Add in a script from the man behind the terrible Wolverine movie and it’s hard to drum up interest for this one.
What do you think about this being Arnie’s next actioner?