ACTOR ERIC ROBERTS TO STAR IN THE LOCAL JAMAICAN FILM, “SO ENTICING!”

Film fans will be familiar with the visage of Eric Roberts. His angular face topped with thick waves of salt and pepper hair, usually presents the portrait of a protagonist’s adversary, a highly placed authoritative figure, or a darkly handsome foil. Others may know him as the sibling of Hollywood superstar Julia Roberts, or father to millennial icon, Emma Roberts. There are even those who will recognize him from a number of pop and hip-hop music videos. Roberts, who has over 400 production credits to his name, plans to add another with the development of the locally-grown film called So Enticing.

“Anytime I write a movie and a similar character comes up, he’s the first guy I think of. So that’s why he’s in the film. I wanted to do Jamaica right with this film, and that [way] was to bring the best – and that’s why he’s here,” American film director Joshua Coates told The Gleaner.

So Enticing is a ‘love-crime’ film, based on the debut novel of Jamaican author Colin Don Rose. Originally published and released in 2015, the story is set in the US, in the early 1990’s and told from the perspective of a young African-American woman named Peaches. For Coates’ adaptation, the scenes will shift, with the majority of the film set in Jamaica.

“Most Hollywood movies are not shot in Hollywood – because it’s too expensive. Everybody runs to New Orleans, or Atlanta, but they are not (places) made to make movies in. Hollywood was made on making movies. They had the space to go – the light, the ‘not-rain’ – they have everything there. But it got expensive because everybody got greedy. People like me, who are already established, we look for people like Coates,” Roberts told The Gleaner.

Roberts is set to take on the role of James Cable, an FBI director on the hunt for an international criminal hiding out on the island. Roberts also starred in Coates latest film, But Deliver Us From Evil (2017), alongside actress Alice Rose, who will also play a part in So Enticing.

FULL STEAM AHEAD

“Every talent that we’ve talked to – Konshens, Shenseea, Ding Dong, Chris Gayle, Shaggy – everybody has verbally agreed to do this film and it’s all about scheduling and timing, but every one is interested in working on this film. A lot of deals in Hollywood are made with handshakes. I’ve got a lot of handshakes. Eric is here off of a handshake,” Coates said.

Coates expects that later on this month, he would have tied up loose ends, be fully funded and moving full steam ahead into pre-production. The director also projects filming for the project will begin in June 2018.

Last month, it was announced that producer Mark Lipsky, inked a deal for the production of the upcoming film, which is slated to begin shooting in Jamaica in June 2018. Lipsky is known worldwide for his role as executive producer for big-screen hits such as Coming to America (1988), Another 48 Hrs (1990), Boomerang (1992), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), and The Nutty Professor (1996).