Written by Dan Casey (Fast and Furious 9), Leo From Toledo tells the tale of a former hitman for the Kansas City mob who is now living in witness protection and having trouble with his memory. Per MadRiver’s logline: “What he does remember he wants to forget. But what he has forgotten has now made him a hunted man with precious little time to save the one thing he has left: his estranged daughter and granddaughter.”
Lawrence Grey is producing through his Grey Matter Productions banner, alongside Carnahan and Grillo through their WarParty Films shingle. The producers are looking to begin shooting in the first quarter of 2020.
Leo From Toledo is the latest team-up for the trio, who are currently in postproduction on Boss Level, a sci-fi action-thriller starring Gibson and Grillo and helmed by Carnahan. WarParty produced.
“Leo is the kind of movie I love to make, it’s funny and heartfelt with a ton of great action,” Carnahan, best known for thrillers such as The Grey and The A-Team, enthused Monday in a statement. “Being able to work with Mel, and Frank again is a real gift. It rarely happens that you get to make films with the people you love and respect, so I consider myself blessed. I feel like Leo is a ‘return to form’ of sorts for Mel. The script allows him to be both funny and dramatic at different turns and I can’t wait to see what he does with that character.”
Gibson was equally as enthusiastic: “I’ve seldom had more fun than sitting in a writers room with producer Lawrence Grey and writer-director Joe Carnahan, while we spitballed on this story. It’s a tight, fast thriller, but its quirky observations had me in stitches.”
Gibson is next set to direct a remake of The Wild Bunch, although the project doesn’t have a start date. Grillo is best known for his appearances as a villain in Marvel movies and for starring in the Purge franchise. He is currently starring in Screen Gems’ Black and Blue with Naomie Harris.
Carnahan and Gibson are repped by CAA; Grillo is repped by CAA and Management 360.
