Djimon Hounsou and Halle Berry have signed on to lead Red Card, a tense new thriller inspired by real-life events and set across the sweeping landscapes of Africa. The film will take audiences from Kenya’s Maasai Mara to the port city of Casablanca, Morocco, as it explores the global crisis of human trafficking through a deeply personal lens.
Directed by Crown Vic filmmaker Joel Souza and penned by George and Nick Vallelonga, Red Card follows Max Elmi (Hounsou), a veteran wildlife ranger in Kenya whose world is upended when his son—an aspiring soccer star—is lured by a shady sports agent and vanishes into North Africa’s underworld. In his desperate search for answers, Max joins forces with special agent Dane Harris and Amanda Bruckner (Berry), a seasoned FBI supervisor working with international task forces to dismantle trafficking rings.
As Max’s personal mission becomes entangled with a larger global operation, both he and Dane must face moral and physical limits in a high-stakes rescue mission that spans continents.
The original story comes from Ava Roosevelt, Robert Menzies, and Michael J. Hershman. The project has been endorsed by the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and is backed by the Soloviev Foundation.
Hounsou, a two-time Oscar nominee (Blood Diamond, In America), brings decades of depth to the role, with credits including Gladiator, A Quiet Place: Day One, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Berry—an Academy Award winner for Monster’s Ball and a Golden Globe and Emmy winner for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge—returns to the thriller space following action-packed turns in X-Men, Die Another Day, and her directorial debut Bruised.
Souza praised the project, saying, “Red Card is a fantastic script, from writers who have created film classics, and Djimon is an actor of uncommon power and depth. Together, we all look forward to telling a thrilling story we truly believe will grip audiences worldwide.”
Casting is underway for the role of Dane Harris, with production set to begin in Q4 of this year.
The film is produced by Anjul Nigam (Crown Vic, Growing Up Smith), Robert Menzies (Fatman), and Ava Roosevelt (The Racing Heart). Executive producers include Ryan Winterstern, Brandon Burrows, Nat McCormick, and Danny Gusman. Range Select and Stoic will co-represent North American sales, while Stoic handles international rights.