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An urban thriller starring A-list actor Owen Wilson and Reacher star Alan Ritchson has kicked off filming in Queensland, with the making of Runner expected to pump $20 million into the state’s economy.
Set in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Runner follows Hank Malone (played by Ritchson) – a high-end courier facing a life-or-death mission as he is tasked with delivering an organ to a seven-year-old girl in need of an immediate transplant. What begins as a straightforward task quickly spirals into a deadly game of cat and mouse when outside forces intervene, determined to claim the organ for themselves.
Wilson – recognised for his roles in Bottle Rocket, Zoolander and Charlie’s Angels – will play Ben, the medical courier that Ritchson is begrudgingly forced to transport and protect.
The film is being produced by A Higher Standard’s Jeffrey Greenstein and Nickel City Pictures’ Mark Fasano, marking the second Queensland collaboration between the two companies with the first being Russell Crowe film Bear Country set in Los Angeles.
Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney said that making back-to-back productions in Queensland was a great example of the growth in repeat business that the state’s screen production sector is achieving with local and international producers.
“Queensland is a film-friendly state with a highly skilled crew base and an array of locations close to studio and post-production facilities,” Feeney added.
“With the strong backing of state and federal governments through competitive incentives, we are well positioned to deliver outstanding results for productions across a range of budgets and technical requirements.”
Runner is written by Miles Hubley and Tommy White and directed by Scott Waugh?(Need for Speed, Expendables 4). Alongside Greenstein and Fasano, the film is also being produced by Deborah Glover (Sleeping Dogs) of G2 Dispatch, Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions and Dan Spilo of Industry Entertainment.
This is the second Queensland collaboration between Greenstein and Fasano, following action thriller Bear Country, which wrapped filming in March. While set in LA, the film was also shot in Queensland.
Greenstein said that “the location and aesthetic offer incredibly cinematic and diverse landscapes and scenery, so we thought how better to follow up than actually shooting a film here that is set here.”
The film is supported by the Australian Government through the Location Offset, the Queensland Government through the Production Attraction Strategy and the City of Gold Coast.
Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek added that Queensland was fast becoming the film production destination of choice.
“From gritty urban thrillers like Runner to beachside blockbusters like Ticket to Paradise, the sunshine state always looks incredible on the big screen and it’s great that the international producers wanted to feature Queensland as Queensland for this film,” Langbroek said.
“We know Runner will contribute about $20 million to the state’s economy and employ almost 90 local cast and crew during production.”
Other productions made in Queensland during 2025 so far include Anaconda, Fing!, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Season Two), Spa Weekend and Voltron.
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