Charlize Theron stars in Amazon indie to film at CSC

Charlize Theron

Amazon Studios will be in filming in Chicago this year in a big way, starting with an indie feature starring Charlise Theron filming in part at Chicago Studio City, followed by Steve Conrad’s thriller/dramady series at Cinespace.

Amazon execs have set up offices at CSC on the West Side for what’s currently titled “The Nash Edgerton Project” (formerly “American Express”) for a nine-day shoot in early March.  From Chicago, the crew travels to Mexico.  Story details haven’t been revealed as yet.

What is known is that Amazon will finance and distribute actor/stuntman/director Edgerton’s film that Theron is producing through her company; Edgerton also will produce under his company’s banner. 

The cast currently includes Amanda Segfried and Joel Edgerton (Nash’s actor brother), with the expectation of David Oyelowo joining the ensemble. 

Steve Conrad wrote and will direct the “The Patriot’s” nine-episode series that will roll from May through September at Cinespace and locations.  It was described as “a gleefully deranged, dark comedy thriller” by a film critic who viewed the pilot.

Michael Dorman (“The Water Diviner”) and Kathleen Munroe (“Resurrection”) have the leading roles. 

The plot revolves around US State Department intelligence operative John Tavner (Dorman), whose latest assignment to prevent Iran from going nuclear requires him to forego all safety nets and assume a Non-Official-Cover as a mid-level employee at a Milwaukee industrial piping firm.

Also starring are Kurtwood Smith (“That ‘70s Show”) as Tavner’s boss; Terry O’Quinn (Locke from “Lost”) as his father, the State Department’s Director of Intelligence and Michael Chernus (“Orange is the New Black”) as his older folk-singing brother.

Sidebar: With many hungry hours of airtime to be filled, the networks are ordering production of an estimated 45 pilots. One of them is “Chicago Law,” the planted hour spinoff of “Chicago PD,” that will join Dick Wolf’s three other “Chicago” network shows at Cinespace.  Stay tuned for specific details about the show.