Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh is set to do some ass kicking in scrubs as the lead in newly-announced stylized action film “The Surgeon.”
The feature — hoped to be the first in a franchise — is being introduced to buyers in Cannes by Patrick Wachsberger‘s 193.
“The Surgeon” comes from writer/director Rohsan Sethi, who also happens to be a physician, and extends a history of successful action collaborations for Wachsberger and producer Basil Iwankyk, who previously combined on “John Wick,” which Iwankyk produced and Wachsberger distributed as chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.
In the film, Yeoh will play a retired surgeon who is abducted and forced to operate on a mystery patient. Though greatly outnumbered, her captors have overlooked her greatest weapon: 35 years of surgical experience, leading to what the synopsis describes as an “explosive and brutal confrontation” during which she outwits and cuts down her enemies “in a visual style that defies anything you have seen before.”
“I’m so excited to bring something brand new and innovative to the action genre based heavily on my medical background,” said writer/director Sethi. “I cannot think of a better partner than Michelle, the iconic queen of action who will be using her skills in a different and surprising way in this film, and the producing teams at Thunder Road, 193 and NeoText.”
Iwanyk and Erica Lee are producing “The Surgeon” for Thunder Road, alongside John Schoenfelder and Russell Ackerman for Neotext, Adam Kolbrenner for Lit Entertainment, and Steve Klinsky for Untravelled Worlds. Executive producing are Lit Entertainment’s Patrick White and Jay Schuminsky.
“Roshin wrote an incredibly complex and compelling character that was able to excite one of the world’s great actresses in Michelle Yeoh,” said Iwanyk. “I can’t wait to see what that collaboration cooks up. And to work again with Patrick, who was so instrumental in getting the ‘John Wick’ and ‘Sicario’ franchises made, is a great thrill for Thunder Road.”
“Michelle is a cinematic force and a perfect match for this role,” added Wachsberger. “She blends grace and power, bringing emotional depth to even the most physical sequences. With her leading the cast and Roshan drawing on his singular perspective to tell a story only he could, we have a captivating franchise coming to life, and we look forward to bringing it to audiences around the world.”
Sethi won a Film Independent Spirit Award in 2021 for his debut feature, “7 Days.” A radiation oncologist-turned-filmmaker, he first leveraged his medical experience on the CBS series “Code Black,” before co-creating “The Resident,” which ran for six seasons on Fox.
In addition to an Academy Award, Yeoh’s performance in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” earned her a Golden Globe, Film Independent Spirit Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. She also starred in the massive hit “Wicked,” “A Haunting In Venice,” “Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” and “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.” She has “Wicked: For Good” upcoming, as well as the fourth and fifth installments in the record-breaking “Avatar” franchise.
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