Luke Evans is joining Sympatico thriller Emergency in a lead role and will also be an executive producer on the six-hour spy story, set in the dark days of the Malayan Emergency of 1951.
Sympatico, the co-production label established in 2023 by Richard Johns’ Argo Films and Double Vision, the Malaysian prodco headed by Min Lim, is in advanced development on Emergency.
Based on true events, the story is told from three perspectives: a female Malayan Chinese guerilla fighter for the Communist Terrorists (CTs) trying to overthrow the British; a conflicted young Malay policeman who’s charged with infiltrating the Communist ranks and the British army officer he reports to, a man with his own demons but who’s seeking a dramatically different route to end the conflict.
Luke Evans will play Brigadier ‘Mad’ Mike Calvert, the closeted homosexual and highly controversial British commander in charge of the elite Malayan Scouts, leading the military response against the CTs. He ventures deep into the jungle, spending time understanding the rural communities that protect the enemy. But with the Communist cell closing in, he finds himself in a dramatic race against time to protect his men and win over ordinary citizens before the British deploy a new secret weapon – the herbicide which will later be known as Agent Orange.
Richard Johns, co-founder of Sympatico says: “His talent, intelligence and physical presence make him the perfect actor to bring ‘Mad’ Mike Calvert to our screens, while his passion for telling this fascinating, little-known true story makes him a valued member of the team as an executive producer.”
Min Lim, co-founder of Sympatico adds: “Emergency is set to be a tense, gripping and truly international production, with all the right ingredients to attract a lot of interest from global broadcasters and streamers. As witnessed with the recent ground-breaking Emmy success of Shogun, the world is more than ready for authentic, beautifully produced dramas out of Asia – and I’m delighted to report that we are having positive conversations with various international broadcasters and platforms that fully endorse this.”
Luke Evans comments: “Mike Calvert’s actions in Malaya laid the foundations for the politico-military strategy of winning the hearts and minds of the people during war – a counter-insurgency doctrine used the world over ever since. He is one of the least-known yet most important and influential military leaders of the past century and it will be an honour to work with Richard and Min to help bring his incredible story to international audiences.”
Sympatico was established to develop and produce bold, authentic, and entertaining film and television content that smashes stereotypes and shines a light on Southeast Asia while organically integrating East and West for global audiences. Sympatico’s first feature film, Mojo, directed by Min Lim, was announced in August 2024. Emergency will be its first TV series.
Emergency will be filmed in Malaysia. It is being written by International Emmy Award nominee Chi-Ren Choong (Saladin the Animated Series, The Bridge) from Malaysia and by BAFTA-nominated Brit Tom Williams (Kajaki / Kilo Two Bravo, Chalet Girl). The series will be produced by Richard Johns (Shadow of the Vampire, The Shepherd) and Min Lim (showrunner on the award-winning Malaysian adaptations of The Bridge and Liar).
Luke Evans is represented by United Agents in the UK, CAA in the US and is managed by Anonymous Content.
Pippa Considine
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