Better Call Saul star Michael Mando lands next movie role
Better Call Saul star Michael Mando has found his new project in the shape of upcoming true crime drama King Ivory.
King Ivory comes from director John Swab and is based on research involving Oklahoma law enforcement and gang members. The story takes an inside look at the fentanyl trafficking gangs inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
The title refers to the drug's nickname and the drug is 100 times as potent as heroin and is almost undetectable at the border. The film will depict how a task force made up of local, state, and federal operatives try to stop drug trafficking from several gangs.
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Mando will play Ramón, the leader of one gang — the New Generation Mexican cartel. Starring alongside him are James Badge Dale (Iron Man 3), Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand), Rory Cochrane (Black Mass), Ritchie Coster (The Dark Knight), George Carroll (The Square), and Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter).
Shooting on the film was halted at first due to the launch of the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike in addition to the continued writers' strike. However, the project is one of 39 productions that have been allowed to resume work due to the SAG interim agreement.
This agreement applies to projects that belong to "truly independent producers" who have zero affiliation with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Related: Hollywood actors confirm strike for first time since 1980
In a statement to Deadline, producer Jeremy M. Rosen said: "King Ivory is a proudly independent production. We are grateful to SAG-AFTRA for making the Interim Agreement available to us amidst this climate of important change."
Mando is best known for his role in the Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul, in which he played Nacho Varga, a member of the Salamanca drug organisation. He also featured in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Mac Gargan AKA Scorpion, but he hasn't been seen in the MCU since.
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