Africa-set Thriller ‘Red Card’, Starring Halle Berry and Djimon Hounsou, to Film in Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Morocco

Red Card, an Africa-set thriller inspired by real events, has found its filming locations. Starring Halle Berry and Djimon Hounsou, the film will take viewers from Kenya’s Maasai Mara to the port city of Casablanca, Morocco, as it explores the global crisis of human trafficking through a deeply personal lens. The project was first reported by Deadline.

The two-time Academy Award nominee Hounsou (Blood Diamond, Rebel Moon, A Quiet Place) stars as Max Elmi, a veteran ranger battling poachers in Kenya. His life is upended when his son, a rising soccer star, is lured by a deceitful sports agent and disappears into the criminal underworld of North Africa. In search of answers, Max joins forces with a tenacious special agent, Dane Harris, and FBI supervisor Amanda Bruckner.

Berry, known for her Academy Award winning role in the romantic drama Monster’s Ball, Catwoman and X-Men franchise plays Bruckner, who works with international law enforcement to dismantle trafficking rings across borders.

Directed by Rust filmmaker Joel Souza, Red Card is written by Bad Boys creator George Gallo and Green Book Oscar-winner Nick Vallelonga. Production is scheduled to begin in Q4 of this year.

In September 2025, Variety also reported that Scott Eastwood has joined the cast of Red Card as special agent Dane Harris. Eastwood is known for Suicide Squad and the Fast & Furious franchise.

This announcement comes as Kenya renews efforts to attract international productions through tax incentives such as its 2024 partnership with Invention Studios. The initiative is part of the government’s broader strategy to position Kenya as a top-tier Hollywood filming destination to rival regional favourites like South Africa and Morocco.

The news also follows the recent cancellation of SS Rajamouli’s much-anticipated SSMB29 shoot in Kenya which was meant to kick off in mid-July. The Indian blockbuster, which stars Priyanka Chopra (Quantico, Citadel) and Telugu actor Mahesh Babu, opted to film in South Africa instead, citing security concerns stemming from Kenya’s July protests.

Currently in production in Hyderabad, India, SSMB29 is described as an epic jungle adventure inspired by Indiana Jones and classic African exploration films. Babu plays an archaeologist on a high-stakes mission through uncharted terrain, battling nature, myth, and a powerful enemy to uncover a long-lost secret that could change the world. The production will move to South Africa in mid-September, where the majority of its action-heavy scenes are set to be filmed.

Rajamouli is known for directing the record-breaking epic films Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017). He is also acclaimed for the 2022 international hit RRR, a Telugu-language action-drama that became a global phenomenon and won an Oscar for Best Original Song, and Best Foreign Language Film and Best Song at the 2023 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Update: Contrary to earlier reports suggesting that production had shifted to South Africa, SSMB29, now officially titled Varanasi, did film portions of its production in Kenya. Locations included Amboseli, Maasai Mara, Samburu and Naivasha. The film is slated for release in 2027.

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