EXCLUSIVE: The AFM projects continued to heat up this week as it emerged that Worldview Entertainment has come on to finance and produce the Yakuza thriller previously set up at Silver Pictures.

Takashi Miike will direct the story from a screenplay written by Andrew Baldwin from an idea by Linson Entertainment’s John Linson. QED International will introduce the crime thriller to buyers at the AFM next week.

The Outsider centres on an American former G.I. in post-WWII Japan who joins a Yakuza crime family.

Principal photography will commence in Japan in early 2014. John Linson will produce with Art Linson, Worldview’s Christopher Woodrow and Molly Conners and QED’s Bill Block.

Worldview’s Maria Cestone and Sarah E Johnson will serve as executive producers with Anton Lessine and Sasha Shapiro.

CAA packaged and arranged financing and represents domestic rights.

“The Outsider is an action-packed, hard-hitting thriller with huge commercial potential,” said Worldview CEO Woodrow.

“We are excited to do our second film in less than six months with Tom Hardy and look forward to working with Bill Block and his team at QED.”

“We’re excited to partner with Worldview on this outstanding international thriller,” said QED CEO Block.

“The combination of Tom Hardy and Takashi Miike, along with Andrew’s electrifying script, is exactly the kind of package that our distribution partners are seeking to drive their theatrical business worldwide.”

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