Dedication: starring Daisy Ridley for director Martin Campbell

Highland Film Group Launching International Sales at the American Film Market, CAA Media Finance repping Domestic Rights

Daisy Ridley (the Star Wars franchise, Young Woman and the Sea, Magpie) is set to star in the action-thriller Dedication for director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye), it was announced today. The screenplay is written by Dan Gordon (Lawrence Kasdan’s Wyatt Earp, Norman Jewison’s The Hurricane). 

Dedication is produced by Gemstone Films Ltd., Phil Hunt (Focus Features’ Tar, A24’s Talk to Me), Valentin Dimitrov (Lionsgate’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard), and Sagiv Diamant (We Die Young starring Jean-Claude Van Damme). The film is executive produced by Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier for Highland Film Group alongside Gaby Whyte Hart, who also serves as the casting director.

Highland Film Group is co-financing Dedication and handling international rights, launching sales at the American Film Market. CAA Media Finance is representing domestic rights. Production is set to begin in spring of 2025 in the Philippines and in Europe. 

“What a thrill to collaborate with a director of Martin Campbell’s pedigree whose eye for big-scale action was on spectacular display in the Bond franchise. Daisy Ridley will perfectly embody the multiple facets of a fallen war hero who is forced into combat mode one last time,” said Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser. “It’s fantastic to have Martin and Daisy teaming up again for Dedication. Martin is the ideal director to bring Dan Gordon’s complex and electrifying script to life. It’s a riveting story loaded with engaging characters and we look forward to introducing this powerful adventure to our global partners,” added Highland COO Delphine Perrier.

Major Billie Jean Parker (Daisy Ridley), a decorated Marine Corps commander, is relieved of duty after a high-stakes mission in the Philippines results in civilian casualties, despite capturing anarchist leader Omar Romatas. Facing the loss of her career, she visits her dying father, Clyde, a former Marine, who asks her to attend a dedication ceremony for a school building named in his honor. The event takes a deadly turn when Omar Romatas's vengeful son, Bento, launches an assault, taking hostages. Forced back into combat, Billie Jean sets traps and executes precise strikes to outwit the attackers. Her tactical instincts and ruthless efficiency shift the fight, as she confronts her past and proves her worth in a relentless battle that will define her legacy.

Daisy Ridley is most recognized for her breakthrough role in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens and subsequent installments: Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. Ridley can currently be seen starring in the feature film Magpie, based on a story she developed and produced. She also earned acclaim for her roles in Young Woman and the Sea, which she executive produced, and Sometimes I Think About Dying. Ridley recently completed filming on two productions. The first being Zak Hilditch’s survival thriller, We Bury The Dead. Ridley plays Ava, a desperate woman whose husband is missing in the aftermath of a catastrophic military experiment. The second is London-set action-thriller Cleaner alongside Clive Owen from filmmaker Martin Campbell. Ridley plays Joey Locke, an ex-solider turned window cleaner, who is sprung into saving hundreds of hostages after a group of activists ambush an energy company’s annual meeting at the Shard.    

Director Martin Campbell is credited with twice rejuvenating the James Bond franchise when he directed Pierce Brosnan's first outing as the famed British spy in MGM/UA’s GoldenEye, and then directing Daniel Craig's debut Bond feature, Columbia Pictures’ Casino Royale. His other directing credits include Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively; Tri-Star Pictures’ The Mask of Zorro which earned Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and launched the international careers of Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones; and Columbia Pictures’ Vertical Limit which was a critical and box office hit; Columbia Pictures’ No Escape and Paramount’s epic romance Beyond Borders starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen. 

Highland Film Group’s current slate also includes Chuck Russell’s horror-thriller Witchboard; the action crime thriller Wardriver starring Dane DeHaan and Sasha Calle; John Stalberg, Jr.’s Muzzle: City of Wolves starring Aaron Eckhart; Allan Ungar’s action-comedy London Calling starring Josh Duhamel and Jeremy Ray Taylor; and Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller Not Without Hope starring Zachary Levi and Josh Duhamel.

Ridley is repped by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern and Narrative. Campbell is repped by CAA.  

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ABOUT HIGHLAND FILM GROUP

Led by founding partners Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, Highland Film Group (HFG) is an award-winning independent worldwide sales, film financing, production and distribution company. Launched in 2010, HFG has had success across a wide range of film genres and platforms, building a reputation for handling high-octane films in the action/thriller/horror space, focusing on cast, director, and filmmaker driven content.

HFG’s diversified production and sales slate includes William Eubank’s action thriller Land of Bad starring Russell Crowe, Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth released on 1,300 screens in February 2024 and recently surged to the #1 spot on Netflix in the US; Benjamin Brewer’s survival action-thriller Arcadian starring Nicolas Cage, official selection at SXSW; Adam Cooper’s crime thriller Sleeping Dogs starring Russell Crowe and Karen Gillan which recently took the #1 spot on Hulu in the US; Dimitri Logothetis’ actioner Gunner starring Morgan Freeman and Luke Hemsworth; Simon West’s action comedy Old Guy starring Christoph Waltz, Lucy Liu and Cooper Hoffman; Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller Not Without Hope starring Zachary Levi and Josh Duhamel; the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut produced by Brad Fuller and starring Kate Mara and Laurence Fishburne; Allan Ungar’s action comedy London Calling starring Josh Duhamel and Jeremy Ray Taylor; and the high-concept horror film Rosario starring Emeraude Toubia and David Dastmalchian.

New projects include the action crime thriller Wardriver starring Dane DeHaan and Sasha Calle; John Stalberg, Jr.’s Muzzle: City of Wolves starring Aaron Eckhart; the action crime thriller The Deputy starring Duke Nicholson, William H. Macy, Tiffany Haddish and Stephen Dorff; and Justin Chadwick’s action thriller Sierra Madre starring Kiefer Sutherland.

Previous titles include Adrian Grünberg’s shark actioner The Black Demon starring Josh Lucas; Joe Carnahan’s Boss Level starring Naomi Watts, Mel Gibson and Frank Grillo; Lin Oeding’s thriller Braven starring Jason Momoa; Scott Mann’s Final Score starring Dave Bautista and Pierce Brosnan; Berlin, I Love You with Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Jim Sturgess, Mickey Rourke, Diego Luna and Jenna Dewan Tatum and Vaughn Stein’s Terminal starring Margot Robbie and Simon Pegg.