If success is all about finding your niche, then nobody in Hollywood is poised to be as successful as Deon Taylor over the next few years. Taylor has carved out a space for his particular brand of films, a brand that consists of modest budgets, solid action, and trending social issues. Taylor’s “The Intruder,” the Dennis Quaid-starring home invasion film from earlier this year, grossed $36 million worldwide on a budget of only $8 million. Meanwhile, this weekend’s “Black and Blue” cost $12 million and is projected to make $6 million during its opening weekend.
READ MORE: Watch Naomie Harris in the ‘Black and Blue’ Trailer
This combination of modest risk and solid returns has been successful for “The Intruder” and “Black and Blue” distributor Screen Gems thus far in 2019. It’s also caught the eye of Lionsgate, who has decided they want to be in the Deon Taylor business. On Friday, it was announced that Lionsgate had picked up “Free Agents,” an NFL-based thriller from Taylor and his co-screenwriter Joe Bockol. The story is described as a heist film: when a group of professional football players decides that they’re being exploited by team ownership, they take it into their hands to level the playing field. As Deadline notes, this came just weeks after Lionsgate picked up Taylor’s “Fatale,” a noir-tinged thriller starring Hilary Swank.
READ MORE: Dennis Quaid Is Surprisingly Fun in ‘The Intruder’
Like Taylor’s previous work, “Free Agents” taps into a current issue, this time the contentious relationship between NFL owners and their players. While football has always been regarded as a dangerous sport, the past few years have seen a wealth of research supporting the long-term physical and mental effects of sustained impacts in the game. Throw in the ongoing blackballing of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick from the league for his onfield protests against police brutality, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for a tight little thriller. If you ask me, it sounds like the perfect Deon Taylor movie.
