According to Deadline, a new action project is moving quickly into production with a cast led by Anthony Mackie and Dafne Keen, under the direction of Neil Burger.
The film, titled “Barracuda,” is set to begin shooting this week in New Mexico, adding another entry to Burger’s catalog of high-concept thrillers.
A High-Speed Story Anchored by Anthony Mackie and Dafne Keen
The premise centers on Karl, played by Mackie, a former smuggler pulled back into violence when he storms a nightclub in Mexico to rescue a kidnapped teenager named Jodie, portrayed by Keen.
What begins as a targeted extraction quickly escalates into a sprawling pursuit after Karl kills a powerful figure’s brother and takes off in his coveted 1973 Plymouth Barracuda, triggering retaliation from a network of criminals. From there, the film unfolds as a relentless chase across desert terrain, with the pair racing toward the U.S. border while being hunted.
Burger, whose previous credits include “The Illusionist” and “Limitless,” returns to familiar territory that blends stylized action with character-driven stakes. His work often emphasizes psychological tension as much as spectacle, suggesting “Barracuda” may aim for more than straightforward genre thrills. The supporting cast includes Steven Bauer and Anthony Del Negro, with a script written by Adam Mason and Simon Boyes.
That casting also arrives at a moment when both leads are operating from positions of heightened visibility. Mackie is currently carrying significant weight within the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Sam Wilson, stepping fully into the Captain America mantle with the 2025 “Captain America: Brave New World.” Keen, meanwhile, has been steadily solidifying her screen identity after her breakout in “Logan,” most recently reappearing as X-23 in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
