The story is described as a “noir of redemption,” centered around Babel “Babs” Johnson (Akinnuoye-Agbaje) who attempts to rebuild his life in bleak Atlantic City and win back the respect of his beloved daughter, while his crazy ex wife Savannah lives with her new young love interest, a punk looking Surfer Girl who is also a local drug dealer. Babs enters this hostile land via his new partner Sheehan, a gregarious and loud Irish detective and his wife Kate, the local celebrity Anchorwoman. Now Babs will have to fight to protect the lives of the people he loves.
Mackie stars as Sam Wilson aka Falcon in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, but in addition to his Marvel duties, Mackie has a slate of smaller-budget, independent, and largely character driven projects in the works. He’s in development with the crime dramedy A Girl and a Gun, the foreign thriller Babylon opposite Paul Giamatii, and untitled Jesse Owens biopic. He’ll also be taking on the role of iconic rocker Jimi Hendrix in an upcoming biopic, Jimi. His choice of roles reflects a savvy insistence to balance his big budget, high-octane superhero franchise with smaller prestige fare.
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who has maintained a strong presence in both features and television over the years, recently appeared in the Will Smith NFL drama Concussion, as well as the Oscar-nominated pic Trumbo. He’ll next be seen in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, and is he’s currently in the process of writing and directing the drama feature, Farming.
Wetlands is currently in pre-production, with an expected start date of April, 2016 in Atlantic City.