“Marked-The Unforgiven” a new television show adapted from the novel by former Hells Angels Ventura President, George Christie, to start filming in Almeria, Spain.
According to Wanda-Halcyon Television executive, Maria Jose Morales – “Almería is dubbed the Hollywood of Spain on account of past iconic Clint Eastwood Western movies filmed there and more recent productions such as Game of Thrones which have made it a favorite for filming. Almeria also has one of the highest tax rebate programs for productions in Europe. The dramatic backdrop of rugged landscapes, vast unspoiled sandy beaches, impressive fortressess and year round sunshine make Almeria a director's dream and an ideal setting to enhance the overall aesthetic and the viewer experience of productions such as “Marked- The Unforgiven”.
According to Pat Andrew, a producer on the show- “George Christie, former Hell’s Angels Ventura President and renaissance man will play one of the lead characters, based on his best-selling novel “Marked”. The working title for the series is “Marked the Unforgiven”. The location functions for the production as the fictitious Jiminez Cartel headquarters. The Cartel is the nemesis of the “Marked-The Unforgiven” Motorcycle Club” in this exciting new television series”
According to script supervisor and producer, Sutish Sharma of New Street Pictures- “The jumping off point for the show in the Pilot episode is the return home to Ventura, California of Jack Crest, a former Marine recon sniper from Afghanistan and protégé of character, Big John, played by Christie. The Crest character links up with Big John who is a Vietnam era sniper and the two form a motorcycle club (MC) made up of only veterans which is a unique twist. The original 12 members of the club are made up of Marine Recon, Green Berets, Navy Seals and a Coast Guard captain. Their backgrounds provide a rich vein from which to mine story arcs. One of the more intriguing story arcs is the long and mysterious connection that Big John has to the Chicago Syndicate (traditional organized crime) and that “Marked-The Unforgiven” MC is representing and operating their gambling and loan sharking for all of Ventura county which provides a never before seen insiders view into how these illegal activities are part of every day life in California. As the character, Big John, tells his crew "there are no victims in gambling, only volunteers, they come to us to place bets and we take them. Things only get complicated when they can't pay".
Pat Andrew explains that "Marked-The Unforgiven" is effectively a soap opera about the life of a unique motorcyle club and the dichotomies between the members of the club and the people they deal with. Flashbacks on all the characters in Season 1 reveal that some come from typical families, some from broken homes and a lot of their personalities are shaped by their combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq. The George Christie character, Big John, is not only dealing with a group of trained killers but also with a group that has issues with opiate dependency, post traumatic stress syndrome etc. but there is also another side to this group- they believe in brotherhood and love of their country. There is a rebel spirit that runs through the club and the character, Big John, is not only the MC President but also assumes the role of father, psychiatrist, drug rehab counsellor and hammer to keep his own guys in line while also dealing with other facets that flesh out the story arc; their trigger-happy partners - the Chicago syndicate and their lethal leader, their nemises- the Cartel and the “slice of Americana” characters who make up the core of the gambling and loansharking clients of the club.
We think that the viewers are going to love the insider's look into the daily operations of an MC and modern day organized crime and although we are dealing with very serious topics, we are also using a lot of irony and humor to walk the viewer through this visceral realist based drama.
The producers of the show are Un Nouveau Jour, Wanda-Halcyon Television International, New Street Pictures and Revere Pictures
