Filmart: Cristal Pictures Developing China Co-Production With ‘Logan’ Producer

China-backed Cristal Pictures is developing a Chinese female action flick with Logan producer Lauren Shuler Donner, the company’s president Scott Einbinder announced Tuesday at Filmart in Hong Kong.

Planned as a China co-production fully financed by Cristal, the project, titled Twin Blades, is based on an original spec script from Ingrid Eskeland-Adetuyi.

“I’ve been looking for an opportunity to break into the Chinese market due to its devoted and passionate audience and have found the perfect partner in Cristal Pictures,” Shuler Donner, who also produced Deadpool, said in a statement. “The slate they are building, along with their strong creative and financial backing from East Light Media, makes them a unique and strong choice for this project. In addition, we have found a fresh and exciting new voice in Ingrid, and her script is a terrific mix of character-driven action with a unique East-meets-West dynamic.”

Twin Blades follows an unlikely pair of alpha females – Zoe, an American tech entrepreneur who relocates her company to China, and Maylin, a local female bodyguard who is hired to protect her – as they struggle to peacefully coexist in their daily routine. When Zoe’s life is threatened, the two must put aside their differences and join forces in order to survive.

Jack Leslie, president of The Donners’ Company, will produce alongside Shuler Donner. Cristal says it is currently floating the project to directors and hopes to start production in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Although based in Los Angeles, Cristal is fully backed by Beijing-based East Light Media. The company is a co-financier and co-producer on the upcoming action-comedy Hitman’s Bodyguard, starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel Jackson, Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek, due in theaters on Aug. 18 via Lionsgate.

“We are thrilled that Lauren and The Donners’ Company, with their enviable track record, are our partners on this project,” said Cristal’s Einbinder.

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