Nikhil Nagesh Bhat begins filming Hollywood debut Deadlocked in Melbourne, with Jamie Foxx leading Amazon MGM’s courthouse action thriller.
Nikhil Nagesh Bhat has moved into a significant new phase of his career, beginning production on his Hollywood directorial debut, Deadlocked, with Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx in the lead. Filming started in Melbourne in October 2026, turning the project from a high-profile announcement into an active international production.
For filmmakers tracking routes from local-language cinema to global studio projects, Bhat’s transition is especially noteworthy. His Hindi-language action thriller Kill attracted international attention, and he is now bringing that genre experience to a star-led Amazon MGM production.
A courthouse crisis built around Jamie Foxx
Deadlocked follows a grieving former Marine whose jury service becomes a deadly hostage crisis after the defendant’s daughter seizes the courthouse. The contained setting gives the film a focused action premise built around pressure, survival and escalating danger.
Foxx leads a confirmed cast that also includes Sasha Calle, KiKi Layne and Luke Hemsworth. Eric Scot Anderson and Matt Takejiro Bosack are credited as the screenwriters. Trade reporting indicates that the film is intended for global distribution on Prime Video, although no official release date or trailer has been announced.
The project is an original courthouse-hostage thriller and is separate from the planned English-language remake of Kill.
Melbourne transforms into New York
Production is taking place across Melbourne’s central business district, Docklands and Port Melbourne, as well as multiple stages at Docklands Studios Melbourne. During the film’s large-scale action sequences, Melbourne will double for New York.
According to the Victorian government, the shoot is expected to create more than 855 jobs for local cast and crew, employ 1,000 extras and generate work for 370 Victorian businesses. Officials project more than AU$36 million in local economic activity.
What Bhat’s move can signal to African filmmakers
This Filmmaker Spotlight offers a timely case study for Nollywood and other African screen industries. Bhat’s move demonstrates how a director can use a locally produced genre breakout to attract international opportunities without abandoning the filmmaking identity that created that momentum.
The scale of Deadlocked also shows how global productions combine recognisable talent, experienced local crews, studio infrastructure and location incentives. For African directors and producers seeking wider markets, the project underlines the value of strong genre storytelling alongside production systems capable of supporting ambitious action filmmaking.
With filming now underway, Deadlocked places Bhat on a much larger production stage while preserving the action credentials that brought his work international attention.
Join the conversation
Could a locally made action breakout create a similar Hollywood pathway for more Nollywood filmmakers?
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Sources
Source links used to research and verify this article:
Premier of VictoriaVariety Australia
Hindustan Times
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