“Agent 86,” a rare China-Tunisia coproduction film, will have its world premiere on Friday in Tunisia, ahead of a commercial release in Tunisian theaters from Sept. 25.
The film is pitched as “a fast-paced action thriller following an international Special Task Force that comes together to fight cross border drug trafficking after a devastatingly addictive drug named Devil’s Breath goes on sale in Hong Kong.”
The driving force behind the movie is Tunisian actor-director Bassem Khayati, who produced and directed the film and also appears as its co-lead.
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Khayati is a veteran of several Jackie Chan movies including “Dragon Blade,” “Kung Fu Yoga” and “Vanguard,” as well as action roles in numerous other Chinese titles including “Fox Hunting,” “Mojin, The Lost Legend” and “Go Away Mr. Tumor.” In the west, Khayati has had various action and stunt roles in the John Cena-starring “Hidden Strike,” the Scott Adkins-starring “Abduction” and the Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen-starring “Outcast.”
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His new film stars Tiger Chen (“The Matrix” “Jet Li’s Fearless”) as a member of the Hong Kong law enforcement team working to bring down a drug ring, and mainland China actor Wu Jingxi (“Be Somebody”), who plays a member of the Chinese task force.
They are joined by Xiang Lianghue, Wang Zhenwei (“The Karate Kid” and stunt double for Simu Liu in “Shang Chi & The Legend of the 10 Rings”), and Temur Mamisashvili, who was for a decade a member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and has credits including Herman Yau’s Moscow Mission, Renny Harlin’s “Skiptrace” and Martin Campbell’s “The Foreigner.” Mamisashvili plays a drug dealer with plans to break into the big-time global drug trade. Another key villain is portrayed by Kevin Lee, whose career also straddles East and West with credits including Chinese blockbusters “Wolf Warrior” and “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” and The Weinstein Co.’s Netflix TV series “Marco Polo.”
“Agent 86” was shot predominantly in Hong Kong and mainland China in 2023, with a few days additionally in Tunisia. Production is by Jiukeyin Film Production Cultural Communication (Co Ltd) from China and by Tunisia’s Ste. Bka Inter Production.
While the release in Tunisia is imminent, the film has yet to receive its Dragon Seal, meaning that release in China is on hold pending regulatory approval.
Hong Kong-based industry veteran Mike Leeder (“Man of Tai Chi,” “Triple Threat”) who served the picture as producer and consultant, told Variety that the producers are in final negotiations ahead of appointing an international sales agent.
