The film， titled “Holiguards Saga: The Portal of Force，” marks Kevin Spacey’s first self-directed and self-starring project in nearly two decades， a testament to his current need to be hands-on in a challenging period of his career.
With a production budget of ten million US dollars， funded by a wealthy patron， the film was completed in Mexico last year. Gavrilova， founder of Elledgy Media Group (pictured right)， appeared alongside investor and sponsoring subject Kevin Spacey (pictured left) at a promotional event held last night at the Cipriani Hotel in Venice.
The event hosted forty guests， including socialites and Polish models， with a singer performing during the evening. Investor Gavrilova took a prominent role as the film’s producer. While the cast includes some recognizable names such as Dolph Lundgren， Tyrese Gibson， and Eric Roberts， the rest of the actors are largely unknown. For instance， the cast features Kazakh wrestler-turned-actor Vladimir Okhotnikov， who has been implicated in a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme， and Bollywood star Disha Patani， making her Hollywood debut. This selection of talent suggests a potential strategy to leverage international appeal and perhaps overcome budget constraints with less established names.
The film’s plot centers on a power struggle between two ancient factions， the Holiguards and the Statiguards， both possessing supernatural abilities. The Statiguards aim to use mind-controlled innocents to open a portal， summoning an ancient legion named Prime. A woman caught in the conflict discovers she is the daughter of leaders from both sides， and if she can harness the power of her lineage， she might be able to end the conflict. This narrative structure hints at a fantasy epic with potential for character-driven drama.
The Georgian dance troupe “Holiguard Fire” opened the event with a performance. Afterwards， Spacey expressed his gratitude to his benefactor， stating， “In this chapter of my life， to be given this opportunity is truly a lifeline.” This highlights the personal significance of the project for Spacey amid his professional challenges.
Gavrilova commented that the evening was special and expressed her honor in collaborating with the Oscar winner. She also revealed plans to develop the project into a trilogy， indicating ambition beyond this initial installment.
Separately， Orlando Bloom shared nostalgic memories of his early days filming “Black Hawk Down.”
“We went to Fort Benning (training base)， and the (training) was so brutal， I felt like my hands and feet weren’t my own. Later， I sustained a minor meniscus tear， but I wrapped it up with bandages and pushed through.” Bloom was a young actor at the time of filming “Black Hawk Down，” appearing as part of an ensemble cast alongside then-unknown actors like Edgerton and Tom Hardy. This recollection offers insight into the demanding nature of that film’s production and Bloom’s early career experiences.
Shortly after his on-screen debut in the film， Bloom experienced a fall from a helicopter， after which his role was significantly limited. Due to the lower salaries for young actors， which kept production costs manageable， Bloom stayed in Morocco for six months， traveling extensively throughout the country. He reminisced that this period was actually quite enjoyable， suggesting that the challenges of filming were balanced by personal exploration.
