The first look at the brand-new action-comedy film The Legend of Baron To’a featuring a stellar line-up of Aotearoa’s best local talent has been released today ahead of its theatrical release in early 2020.
The directorial debut from Kiel McNaughton sees an all-star Pasifika and Māori cast, including Uli Latukefu (Alien: Covenant, Marco Polo), Nathaniel Lees (The Matrix Reloaded), Jay Laga’aia (Star Wars), John Tui (Battleship, Hobbs & Shaw), Shortland Street alumni Shavaughn Ruakere and Fasitua Amosa (Auckland Daze, Fresh Eggs) as well as rising stars Duane Evens Jr (The New Legends of Monkey, Shortland Street) and Lotima Pome'e aka General Fiyah.
The Legend of Baron To’a tells the story of a Tongan entrepreneur who returns to his old neighbourhood and inadvertently causes the theft of his late father’s valued pro wrestling title belt by some ruthless gangsters. When negotiation and diplomacy fail to get it back, he is forced to embrace his father’s legacy to reclaim the title.
The film is produced by Kerry Warkia under the Brown Sugar Apple Grunt banner. Warkia and McNaughton’s credits include the critically acclaimed films Waru and Vai and TV series, Auckland Daze, This is Piki and Find Me A Maori Bride.
The Legend of Baron To’a is funded by the New Zealand Film Commission and will be distributed in NZ/Australia by Madman Entertainment (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, The Breaker Upperers) and is represented in North America by XYZ Films (The Dead Lands, Arctic, Brawl in Cell Block 99).