Shogun Films, a busy UK-based indie genre studio, has announced a new focus on British crime thrillers.
Shogun founder Jonathan Sothcott has a significant pedigree in the space having made the We Still Kill The Old Way and White Collar Hooligan series, Vendetta, Top Dog, Fall of the Essex Boys and entries in the Rise of the Footsoldier and Bonded by Blood series amongst many others.
“Over the years I’ve worked with virtually every star name in the space,” says Sothcott, “Ray Winstone, Danny Dyer, Craig Fairbrass, Nick Nevern, Billy Murray, Nick Moran, Dexter Fletcher, Alan Ford, Frank Harper, Geoff Bell, Steven Berkoff, Vincent Regan, Kierston Wareing and Martin and Gary Kemp – and that’s the tip of the iceberg. And I see the new generation of fans Ian Ogilvy has won in this space. I know the love and nostalgia they all engender in the audience and I think it’s time to introduce some new faces to the line up too. We are lucky to have so many amazingly talented working class actors in this country who aren’t getting as many opportunities as they should. I look at the continuing public affection for films like We Still Kill The Old Way and Vendetta and I see the appetite is very much there for new iterations. Not a week goes by when I’m not asked for more films in that style.”
First on the new slate is Lionheart, in which a once-notorious elderly London gangster is fatally mugged for his watch in London, drawing his criminal son out of exile on the continent to reassemble his old crew and seek brutal revenge on the perpetrators and their paymasters. The intention is to cast with 90s stars rather than 70s and 80s ones this time out. Dominic Philpot (Guy Fawkes: Blood & Fire) is writing the screenplay.
Killer Instinct, a gritty action thriller, sees a European special forces soldier drawn into a shady underground fighting tournament in order to save his sister from a brutal human trafficking ring. Simon Cluett (We Still Steal The Old Way) has written the script.
“I think there’s a lot of people fed up with the very sanitised versions of these stories we see on the streamers now,” says Sothcott, “they want gritty takes, steeped in the real world we live in, and populated with authentic actors. I think Marching Powder proved these films can have a real theatrical life and we’ll make these films accessible: live events, lots of screenings, tie up clothing and merchandise. There’s a lot of snobbery about these movies but the audience is film-literate and intelligent and needs to be catered for. Lionheart is going to really hit home with people – big but believable characters, quotable dialogue and non-stop action.”
Filming is expected to begin on Lionheart in early 2027.
About Shogun Films
Founded by veteran producer Jonathan Sothcott in 2020, Shogun has become one of the UK’s premium producers of quality low budget indie genre movies including Nemesis, Renegades, Helloween and the forthcoming Knightfall. The company has been nominated for 4 National Film Awards and worked with stars such as Lee Majors, Danny Trejo, Martin Kemp and Patsy Kensit. For more information please visit www.shogunfilms.com