A simple coffee farmer finds himself in a land war against a notoriously violent drug trafficker.
DIRECTOR:
Russell Mulcahy (in discussions)
GENRE:
Action-Thriller
LOCATION:
San Juan, Puerto Rico
BUDGET:
US $20 Million
START DATE:
2018
SYNOPSIS:
ZANDER is an American whose family has owned a coffee farm in Puerto Rico for generations. He runs the farm with his girlfriend ADRIANA and considers his many employees to be his family.
One day a gentleman named DUTCH pays him a visit, bringing with him an offer that could make Zander rich. Dutch’s boss wants to buy Zander’s farm. Zander insists the farm isn’t for sale. Dutch pleads with him, bargains with him, and when Zander won’t budge, Dutch’s goons grab him and drag him away. As they sling him into an SUV, he watches in horror as – BOOM! – they detonate a bomb that destroys his barn – and his record crop.
They take Zander to meet the boss, ESPERANZA, a cold and ruthless drug lord. Esperanza tries the polite route, but Zander won’t give in. Esperanza holds him down and forces him to sign over the deed to his land. And then his men beat Zander within an inch of his life. Esperanza sends him on his way with an envelope of cash, but he’s too beaten and bloodied to find his way home. He passes out on the sidewalk, and a street urchin named ROBERTO steals his cash.
Roberto takes the cash to his street boss GOMES, who tells him to go back and see if Zander has more. Roberto returns to the streets to find Zander, and strikes up a friendship with him instead.
Zander seeks help from the police, but they scoff at his request and tell him that Esperanza is untouchable. But one cop, a rogue detective named SERGIO tracks him down and offers a way to get even.
They systematically attack and rob several of Esperanza’s illegal casinos, putting a serious dent in his bottom line.
Esperanza gets wind of their robbing spree and comes after Zander and Adriana. Meanwhile, Dutch is in the midst of orchestrating a coup and must put his plans on hold to get rid of Zander.
Zander and Sergio seek protection from an unlikely source: Gomes, Roberto’s street boss. Zander offers to return the money to Esperanza in exchange for the deed to his farm. The meeting is set, and Esperanza’s men descend on Gomes’s turf for the exchange. But the trade never happens; instead a massive shoot out and chase ensue.
In retaliation, Esperanza murders BILSON, Zander’s business partner and closest friend. Zander retreats to his plantation to lick his wounds and prepare for the next phase of the war. But his preparations are cut short when the war comes to him. Zander, Adriana and Sergio, along with Zander’s loyal employees, defend the plantation from wave after wave of Esperanza’s foot soldiers.
Zander is a riveting picture, packed full of wall-to-wall shootouts and exciting chases that showcase the beauty of Puerto Rico.
PRODUCERS:
Richard Rionda Del Castro
Moshe Diamant
Luilo Ruiz
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
René Besson
Cam Cannon
Patricia Eberle
Walter Josten
WRITER:
Scott Windhauser
WORLD SALES REPRESENTATION:
Hannibal Classics