There’s a chance the Bandito Brothers, the working-title for the production house behind Act of Valor, will become a household name before the year is up. People are bound to be impressed by the Navy SEALs action thriller, which was co-directed by Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh. And buzz on that picture’s so strong, Bandito isn’t wasting any time in announcing its next project, this one set in the world of fast-driving police officers.
Tentatively titled High Speed, the drama – according to Deadline -- follows officers who are trained to race at top speeds specifically to pursue law-breakers operating above the speed limit. Speed reportedly will center on an effort to bring down an underground syndicate that sets up high-speed races through major U.S. cities. Waugh will direct and alo co-produce alongside Bandito partners Max Leitman and Jay Pollak.
And this is the tip of the iceberg for this team. McCoy and Waugh can’t get to High Speed until they wrap Black Sunday, an action fantasy that they plan to shoot with Arnold Schwarzenegger. And because of their unique financial model – where they fronted the costs on Valor before shopping it to studios – they are in line to make a hefty profit if the SEALs picture takes off next weekend (and beyond).
While High Speed sounds a little too much like The Fast and the Furious for my tastes, I’d be more interested if, like Valor, Bandito employs actual police officers over Hollywood actors. This could be a new trend, if audiences come out and support it. We shall see.
