Halle Berry and Djimon Hounsou cast in Red Card

Halle Berry and Djimon Hounsou have both signed up to star in the Africa-set trafficking thriller Red Card.

Halle Berry and Djimon Hounsou are to star in the trafficking thriller Red Card.

The duo have signed up to feature in the Africa-set movie that is being directed by Rust helmer Joel Souza from a script written by Bad Boys creator George Gallo and Green Book scribe Nick Vallelonga.

Djimon plays Max Elmi, a veteran ranger battling poachers in Kenya, who teams up with Dane Harris – a tenacious special agent and a member of a team led by FBI supervisor Amanda Bruckner (Berry) working with international law enforcement to combat trafficking rings overseas.

When Max’s son, a talented footballer, falls prey to a deceitful sports agent and vanishes into the North African criminal underworld – he will stop at nothing to find his child, leaving Dane to decide how far he is prepared to go.

The pair’s odyssey takes them from quiet villages in Kenya to the simmering streets of Casablanca and the film has been endorsed by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

Souza said: “Red Card is a fantastic script, from writers who have created film classics, and Djimon is an actor of uncommon power and depth.

“Together, we all look forward to telling a thrilling story we truly believe will grip audiences worldwide.”

Casting is underway to decided who will play the role of Dane, whilst filming is scheduled to take place towards the end of the year.

Halle became the first – and remains the only – African-American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar in 2002 for her role in Monster’s Ball but previously lamented how the historic success didn’t lead to more satisfying roles.

The 58-year-old star said: “I was very disheartened after winning that gorgeous guy. I was sure the script truck would just back itself up to my front door. That’s what I thought would happen. Like: now I’m going to get all the great parts. But unfortunately for me, that was not my reality. I’ve been continuing to try to make ways for myself. Because it’s hard. I don’t often find great parts that I really, really love to sink my teeth into.”

Despite her lack of satisfaction, Halle is determined to remain positive.

The Moonfall star said: “I’m generally a very positive person. I’m a glass-half-full kind of person. I’m not going to sit around bashing things. I’m here to work. I have more hills to climb as long as I’m here. I’ve got more things to learn. I’ve got more challenges to face. I can continue to get better.”

Halle also played Bond girl Jinx in the 2002 film Die Another Day – in which she starred opposite Pierce Brosnan’s 007 – and admits that appearing in the long-running spy franchise “wasn’t on her wish list” initially.

She said last year: “Bond wasn’t on my wish list, no, to be in one, but I loved the movies, always, but having been in one, I feel like I’m a part of cinematic history. Those movies are iconic. They will forever be a part of our history, and I’m really honoured to have been a part of one, especially with Pierce.”