It’s been a few years since Owen Wilson tackled anything outside comedy or drama (or a blend of the two); you have to go back to Behind Enemy Lines to find his most recent straight thriller.That might explain why he’s dipping a toe back into action with John Erick Dowdle’s The Coup.
Dowdle, who last directed Devil, has written the script alongside brother Drew, who he previously worked with on Quarantine. Wilson will play the patriarch of a family that moves to Southeast Asia and suddenly finds themselves caught up in a coup. With rebels attacking the city, Wilson has to keep his family out of danger.
With financing sorted by Crime Scene Pictures, Dowdle plans to start filming this October. It certainly sounds like a topical tale tinged with (we guess) Taken-style action, especially given what’s happening in the world at the moment. And it’ll give Wilson a chance to stretch his action muscles again.
“We love the relentless energy of the Dowdle Brothers’ script – and their vision for dropping Owen in the midst of the chaos is truly inspired,” Crime Scene’s Adam Ripp and Rob Paris tell Deadline.
Wilson, who would probably prefer us to remember that he appeared in Midnight In Paris rather than The Big Year in 2011, is signed to appear in Matthew Weiner’s coming of age tale You Are Here and cryogenics comedy Freezing People Is Easy.