Black Bear Pictures announced today that Sam Worthington (Avatar: The Way of Water, Hacksaw Ridge) has joined the cast of Academy Award^® nominated David Mackenzie’s gripping contemporary thriller Relay.  Academy Award^® winner Riz Ahmed and Emmy nominated Lily James star in the film written by Justin Piasecki and Mackenzie. Principal photography commenced earlier this week in New York and New Jersey.

Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Sigma’s Gillian Berrie and Mackenzie are producing alongside Black Bear’s Academy Award^® nominated Teddy Schwarzman. Executive producers include Black Bear’s Michael Heimler and John Friedberg, Thunder Road’s Erica Lee and Charlie Morrison, and Per Melita. Black Bear is fully financing the film, and Black Bear International is handling international sales which launched at the EFM in Berlin earlier this year. CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group, which together arranged the film’s financing with Black Bear, co-represent domestic rights.

In Relay, Ash (Ahmed) is a world class “fixer” who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from potential client Sarah (James), needing Tom’s protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.