Zoe Saldaña is taking her working relationship with the Russo brothers beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Guardians of the Galaxy and Avatar star is set to become a part of another potential franchise material as she will be playing the lead in an upcoming action survival film titled The Bluff produced by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo under their AGBO Productions banner, according to Deadline.

The Bluff is an epic adventure that will see pirates and buccaneers face off against each other on a 19th-century Caribbean island. The island is inhabited by Ercell (Saldaña) and her people, a retired pirate herself, she is forced back into her old ways to become the heroine that rises to defend her land and people from these vicious invaders who seek retributive justice for Ercell’s past sins. The project was originally set at Netflix, however, for some unknown reasons a lack of progress saw it reenter the market space at the ongoing EFM in Berlin where the rights were quickly snapped up by Prime Video following a tightly contested bidding round.

Reports say that the project is written as a star vehicle for Saldaña, which comes as no surprise given that the Avatar star has throughout her celebrated career shown a preference for action roles. With the Midas touch of the Russo brothers, The Bluff looks to have all the right recipes for success. It will be the third time that Saldaña and the filmmaking brothers are re-teaming following their production of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame where Saldaña featured as Gamora, a member of the band of misfits that make up the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Bluff will further expand the Russos’ relationship with Prime Video; the producers are already developing spy drama Citadel, as well as a limited series about the FTX Crypto scandal at the streamer.

Joe Ballarini, who is known for his work on A Babysitter’s Guide To Monster Hunting, will be developing the script alongside Frank E. Flowers (Untitled Bob Marley Biopic) who will direct the project. Flowers previously worked with Saldaña on the 2004 ensemble crime drama film Haven, which like The Bluff was set in the Cayman Islands. “For Zoe and I, being from the Caribbean, The Bluff is a chance to blend culture and authenticity with AGBO’s brand of world-class, theatrical-level action, creating a film that audiences have never seen before,” Flowers said.

Also producing under AGBO is Angela Russo-Otstot, and Saldaña will also produce alongside her sisters Mariel Saldaña and Cisely Saldaña for Cinestar. So far, Saldaña remains the only cast announced for the project, however, stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the project as they come.

via Collider