French model-turned-actor Marine Vacth (“Mascarade,” “Double Lover”) is set to headline “Badh,” a “Taken”-style action thriller set in Morocco, from the producers of Coralie Fargeat’s hit debut “Revenge.”
The movie is directed by Canadian filmmaker Guillaume de Fontenay, who previously helmed the popular thriller “Sympathy for the Devil,” and is co-represented by Sabine Chemaly’s Federation Studios banner Ginger & Fed and WTFilms who will present it to buyers at the American Film Market this week.
Vacth stars opposite a raft of well-known French actors, Niels Schneinder (“Heartbeats”) Emmanuelle Bercot (“My King”), Slimane Dazi (“A Prophet”) and Sofian Khammes (“November”). The high-concept movie is produced by Monkey Pack Films and M.E.S Production, who previously delivered two popular thrillers, Coralie Fargeat’s “Revenge” and Frederic Jardin’s “Survive.”
Vacth stars as Alma, a young French woman with a secret past as a lethal secret service agent who has found peace as a surf instructor in beautiful Essaouira, Morocco. She shares her life with Ilias, a local police officer investigating a powerhouse crime family. “When Ilias is shot and left in a coma, Alma must reconnect with her former identity as Badh, a ruthless intelligence operative and skilled assassin. She brutally eliminates members of the Khoury family one by one, unleashing the fury of their leader Mansour, only to discover that Mansour is working with Joana, her former secret service unit officer,” reads the synopsis. Vacth has starred in several director-driven movies, such as Francois Ozon’s “Young and Beautiful” which competed at Cannes, and Nicolas Bedos’ “Mascarade.”
“Marine Vacth is a character a la Jason Statham with a story that’s built like ‘Taken’ and ‘Bourne,'” said Chemaly. “She wants to protect the man she loves, and is caught up by her past,” she said.
The executive also pointed that “Badh” is packed with spectacular stunts, many of which Vacth did herself. The crew also boasts Alexandre Vu, the stuntman of “The Killer,” “John Wick: Chapter 4”). Aside from “Sympathy for the Devil,” de Fontenay has a long track record in commercials.
“Vacth” will be released in France by Pan Distribution during the fourth quarter of 2025.