Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan and Joe Alwyn are to head the cast of psychological thriller Keepers - to be shot in the UK early next year.
They will play a trio of lighthouse keepers pitted against each other on a remote Scottish island in the film, directed by TV director Kristoffer Nyholm (The Killing, The Enfield Haunting) and written by Celyn Jones, who previously co-wrote Set Fire To The Stars, and Joe Bone.
The action, inspired by a true incident, takes place on an uninhabited island, where three lighthouse keepers arrive for their six-week shift.
On an uninhabited island 20 miles from the rugged Scottish coast, three lighthouse keepers arrive for their six week shift. As Thomas (Mullan), James (Butler) and Donald (Alwyn) settle into their usual, solitary routines - they stumble upon something that isn’t theirs to keep. Where did it come from? Who does it belong to? A boat appears in the distance that might hold the answer to these questions… What follows is a tense battle for survival as personal greed replaces loyalty - and fed by isolation and paranoia, three honest men are led down a path to destruction.
Nyholm said: “I feel incredibly fortunate to have Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan and Joe Alwyn leading the cast of Keepers - great actors who are deeply committed to this project, and who will go the distance. These men are the strong and unique characters at the heart of this story, which is a journey from innocence to animalistic survival. Keepers was great to read, will be an adventure to make, and terrifying to watch.”
Co-writers Jones and Bone, who conceived the idea for the film while acting together in Castles In The Sky, added: “Our objective was to create a unique script that Kristoffer wanted to direct, great actors wanted to perform and a wide audience will want to see. We also wanted to say something poignant about trust and the frailty of the human condition. Keepers has all the shock and awe life can offer, wrapped up in a film that we hope will cling to its audience well after the last reel stops turning in the cinema.”
It will be produced by Andy Evans, Ade Shannon and Sean Marley for Mad as Birds, Butler and Alan Siegel for G-BASE and Brian Oliver for Cross Creek Pictures. Protagonist Pictures are selling international rights and will be launching sales at the American Film Market.
