The Big Picture

  • Russell Crowe set to star in action flick Bear Country directed by Derrick Borte, facing off against cartel bosses and a mysterious newcomer.
  • Bear Country reunites Crowe and Borte after their work on the thriller Unhinged, with filming to take place in Los Angeles and Australia.
  • Producer Jeffrey Greenstein praises Crowe and Borte's ability to create a thrilling and suspenseful storyline in the upcoming film.

Of all the things to say about Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, one thing is for sure: he never seems to be gone from the silver screen for long. Deadline has just confirmed Crowe’s recent casting in the upcoming action flick Bear Country directed by Derrick Borte.

The film will star Crowe as an older club owner whose dreams of selling his club and finding a more peaceful life with his girlfriend are interrupted when he is robbed by an anonymous criminal. Crowe’s club owner Manco Kapak quickly finds himself backed into a corner by a menacing ring of cartel bosses and by a town newcomer with a suspicious eagerness to buy the club. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Kapak’s ultimate fate is anyone’s guess.

Bear Country will mark a reunion for Crowe and director Borte, who both previously worked together on the 2020 thriller Unhinged. Borte wrote the script for the upcoming film with the help of fellow screenwriter Daniel Forte, reportedly basing it off the novel Strip by Thomas Perry. The project is set to be backed by production companies Nickel City Pictures, A Higher Standard, Life & Soul Pictures, Latigo Films, and Gramercy Park Media.

What Has Russell Crowe Done Lately?

Russell Crowe looking puzzled on the poster for Sleeping Dogs
Image via The Avenue

From the sound of it, action thriller Bear Country strikes a tonal similarity to some of Crowe’s most recent films, which include the 2024 crime thriller Sleeping Dogs and 2024 war drama Land of Bad. Some of Crowe’s most prominent roles, including Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator, often center a character who must fight against all odds to achieve retribution. It may just be that Bear Country will follow a similar storyline.

Bear Country will reportedly be set in Los Angeles. Shooting for the film is set to commence on the Gold Coast of Australia this October. As the project begins development, Crowe’s creative reunion with Borte seems to be one of the factors most stoking anticipation for the film.

“The way Russell and Derrick took such a simple concept and turned Unhinged into a nonstop white knuckle ride is exactly what excites me about re-teaming the two for this sophisticated and fun ride through the sexy and seedy streets of Los Angeles,” producer Jeffrey Greenstein from A Higher Standard remarked to Deadline. “In addition to having action and comedy, this one allows Derrick to do what he does best, ratcheting up the suspense via a highly castable ensemble cast of characters.”

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on Bear Country and any other casting-related news.