{TB EXCLUSIVE} “John Wick” Directors Set To Helm SWAT Film Produced By Dan Lin

 EXCLUSIVE
 〉The John Wick directing duo will helm the SWAT period piece produced by Dan Lin. 

Chad Stahelski and David Leitch have signed on to direct the currently untitled SHANGHAI SWAT PROJECT , which follows the true story of the world’s first SWAT team created in the 1920’s. Studio 8 Worldwide and Dan Lin‘s shingle Lin Pictures are producing the project. Lin and Jonathan Eirich are set to produce, with Jon Silk overseeing the project for the studio. 

The story follows William E. Fairbairn, a British soldier that became a legendary police officer. Between the World Wars, Fairbairn was sent to Shanghai as an outside officer to clean up what was one of the most dangerous places on Earth in the 20’s and 30’s. While on duty, he was attacked, stabbed twelve times, and left for dead. Upon a miraculous recovery, Fairbairn assembled the world’s first SWAT team, with operatives from around the globe, to go up against the gangsters in control of Shanghai. Fairbairn is famous for his hand-to-hand combat skills, developing a unique fighting style called Defendu. He is believed to be an inspiration for many aspects of the James Bond series created by Ian Flemming.

Stahelski and Leitch have worked in the stunt department on numerous studio films over the past two decades, including The Matrix series, The Wolverine, 300, V For Vendetta, The Hunger Games series, The Bourne Legacy, The Underworld series and the upcoming blockbuster Jurassic World. The two have made groundbreaking achievements in Hollywood stunt choreography, often acting as stunt doubles and choreographing major sequences. The duo shared the director’s chair for the first time with the 2014 hit action film John Wick, which starred Keanu Reeves. The film was critically and financially successful and the duo will be returning to direct the upcoming sequel. 

Lin has produced a number of successful studio films, including the Sherlock Holmes series with Robert Downey Jr., Terminator Salvation with Christian Bale, and The Lego Movie, which was directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. He is set to produce the upcoming Lego Movie sequel and the third Sherlock Holmes film. 

Stahelski and Leitch are repped by WME and Kelly McCormick. 

—TO SEE ALL THE PROJECT DETAILS CLICK HERE— 

Lou Chase | Staff Writer