Come 2016, the expedition yacht SuRi will have a role on the big screen. The 208-foot (63.4-meter) SuRi is currently being filmed in Thailand as part of the action movie Mechanic: Resurrection, starring Jason Statham.
The movie, about a master assassin (played by Statham) who must pull off three near-impossible killings and make them look like accidents to save the love of his life, recently began filming in and around Phuket. Part of Mechanic: Resurrection takes place in the Gulf of Thailand, which is where SuRi comes in. The producers approached Yacht Solutions, the superyacht-consultancy agency based in Thailand. Gareth Twist, managing director of Yacht Solutions, says he and his team have collaborated with filmmakers as well as TV and advertising production companies previously. Yacht Solutions has sourced megayachts to be filmed—including filmed aboard—and provided other marine-related assistance tailored to their needs.
In regards to Mechanic: Resurrection, Twist says Yacht Solutions has been in talks with the production team since June. “We have been discussing and looking at options to ensure that what needed to be shot actually can be shot, and sourcing an appropriate yacht for the film,” he explains. Initially, the producers wanted to use a sailing yacht— “as large as possible,” Twist says. When they changed their minds to a motoryacht, big size was still a factor, with the added requirement of an expedition-style yacht.
Why an expedition-style—and why ultimately SuRi? Pretty simple. For one, “as this is an action film, there will be fight scenes on the top deck,” Twist reveals. Expedition yachts clearly have more open deck space than traditional motoryachts. It’s due to the number of toys they tote and, typically, their former lives as broad-shouldered commercial craft. SuRi fits that bill well, with a 38-foot (11.6-meter) beam. She was originally built in 1978 by Halter Marine in the USA and converted for yacht service in 2007. As a yacht, she has a good deal of open space on the sundeck and helideck. The helideck in particular is about as long as her adjacent skylounges (one a glass-enclosed, teak-laid area). In addition, and most fitting, SuRi was in the area. She arrived in Bangkok in late summer for a refit with Yacht Solutions.
The specific role that SuRi plays in Mechanic: Resurrection is not publicly known at this point. “We know that there will be some fight scenes onboard, as these have been rehearsed while she was in the dock,” Twist says. “But we can’t reveal any more of the plot than that!” Twist does add, however, “Jason Statham came to the yacht in Bangkok to check it out before they took the yacht out to sea for filming.”
Here’s hoping you—and the rest of the movie-going crowd—get to see the flotilla of toys toted by SuRi in action, too. Among others, she has a Stan-Craft speedboat, a sportfisherman, plenty of PWCs (including QuadSki models), and a landing craft. Too bad the submarine her owners ordered isn’t onboard yet; it arrives sometime next year.
For now, even though filming only recently started, Twist is convinced that SuRi and her surrounding scenery are ideal ambassadors. “This is a great opportunity for the marine industry in Thailand, enabling us to showcase what filming opportunities are available here, both on land and sea. Blockbusters such as these will help to promote the country as an exotic, beautiful, and friendly location for filming.”
You’ll get to see SuRi when Mechanic: Resurrection is released in January 2016. Other stars in the movie include Jessica Alba and Tommy Lee Jones.
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