Frank Grillo And A DCU Co-Star Go Full-Throttle In A Sci-Fi Thriller Where Upgrade Meets Crank

Frank Grillo is back in bruiser mode, teaming up with his DCU co-star Maria Bakalova for a sci-fi survival thriller called 'Override'. It just kicked off production, it sounds nasty in the best way, and yes, the influences are loud and proud.

What is 'Override'?

The hook is simple and mean: Bakalova plays a futuristic soldier left for dead after a battle, bleeding out on a clock. Grillo is not a guy with a gun this time but a synthetic 'angel' — essentially a battlefield A.I. designed to guide and protect soldiers. With minutes to spare, she has to fight through enemies and lean on that tech to survive. The movie is being pitched as fast, intense, and high-energy — very much a race-the-reaper setup.

Why it feels like 'Upgrade' smashed into 'Crank'

The DNA here is pretty clear. You get the gadget-heavy sci-fi angle, and you get the do-or-die momentum where every second counts. If you need a cheat sheet:

• 'Upgrade' (2018), directed by Leigh Whannell, sits at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s about a technophobe who becomes a high-tech instrument of revenge after an implant turns him into a lethal weapon.
• 'Crank' (2006), directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, holds a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a wild sprint where a hitman has to keep his adrenaline up or drop dead.

'Override' seems to fuse those two modes: advanced tech literally in your ear and a brutal countdown that never lets up.

Who is making it

Jordan Downey is directing and co-writing. If his name rings a bell, he has a knack for lean, dark survival stories like 'The Head Hunter' and 'The Cycle'. He wrote 'Override' with Jackson Murray and Kevin Stewart.

Where it stands now

Production recently started in Belfast. The film is also heading to the American Film Market — the annual bazaar where distributors shop for upcoming titles — so expect sales chatter to start soon.

The backing

Tea Shop Productions is behind this one; they’re the folks who produced 'Fall', '47 Meters Down', and 'Obsession'. Financing comes via Christian Mercuri’s Capstone, which is a solid signal that the movie is built to travel.

The reunion angle

Grillo and Bakalova aren’t strangers — they’re both part of James Gunn’s adult animated superhero series 'Creature Commandos' for the DCU. Swapping voice booths for a hard-charging sci-fi thriller is a fun pivot, and the 'human on a timer + A.I. guardian' pairing has real potential if the action delivers.

Bottom line: 'Override' sounds like a slick, tech-forward panic attack with two game leads and a filmmaker who likes to keep audiences squirming. That’s a good combo. More when we see footage out of AFM.