Acclaimed Indian filmmaker Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, who earned widespread recognition for the action thriller Kill, is set to make his Hollywood directorial debut with Deadlocked, an action thriller starring Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx, states Hindustan Times.
The film has been acquired by Amazon MGM Studios for worldwide distribution and will stream globally on Prime Video.
According to Deadline, Deadlocked follows a grieving former Marine serving jury duty whose life takes a dramatic turn when a high-profile court case erupts into a deadly hostage crisis.
The situation unfolds after the defendant’s daughter seizes control of the courthouse in a desperate attempt to free her imprisoned father, forcing the former Marine back into action.
The screenplay is based on an original story by Eric Scott Anderson (The Black Fox) and Matt Takejiro Bosack (NCIS: Hawai’i), who have co-written the script.
The project boasts an experienced production team, with Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger producing for Range, Dave Caplan producing for C2, and Jamie Foxx producing through his banner, Foxxhole Productions.
AJ Bourscheid, Liz Destro, Paul Currie and Corinne Foxx will serve as executive producers.
Foxx continues to expand his slate of high-profile projects.
He was most recently seen in Netflix’s action-comedy Back in Action alongside Cameron Diaz, which recorded 46.8 million views during its opening weekend.
The Oscar-winning actor is also set to star in Netflix’s upcoming boxing drama Fight for ’84, inspired by a true story surrounding the 1984 Olympic Games.
For Bhat, Deadlocked marks a major milestone as his first English-language feature film.
The filmmaker rose to international prominence with Kill, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before securing a mid-seven-figure distribution deal with Lionsgate.
Released theatrically in 2024, the film starred Lakshya and Raghav Juyal and was widely promoted as one of India’s most violent action films.
Kill received both critical acclaim and commercial success, grossing more than ₹47 crore at the box office.
It also won six Filmfare Awards, including Best Debut for lead actor Lakshya, further cementing Bhat’s reputation as one of India’s most promising action directors.
Before Kill, Bhat directed the films Apurva and Hurdang, along with the web series Rasbhari and The Gone Game, showcasing his versatility across genres.
Reports had previously linked Bhat to Parshuram, an action thriller starring Sunny Deol.
However, following the announcement of Deadlocked, it remains unclear whether the Bollywood project will move forward as planned or be delayed.
With Jamie Foxx leading the cast and Amazon MGM Studios backing the project, Deadlocked marks a significant international breakthrough for Nikhil Nagesh Bhat as he takes his acclaimed action filmmaking style to Hollywood.
