Action movie with ‘Rocky IV’ star is filming in Columbia with local help
Yes, Ivan Drago is in Columbia.
Swedish action star Dolph Lundgren, who played the aforementioned boxing villain in “Rocky IV” and has gone on to star in films such as the “The Expendables,” is here filming “Straight Shot.” It’s a new action movie filming in several locations around the city.
The film follows bodyguard Frank Keller, played by David A.R. White of the “God’s Not Dead” series, fighting mercenaries through a 50-story skyscraper to escape with his ex-fiancée, who’s trapped in a high-tech coffin by the film’s villain, played by Lundgren.
It’s not the Swedish actor’s first time in South Carolina. Lundgren studied chemical engineering at Clemson University back in the day, according to an interview with NPR. He posted a picture this week of himself posing with the Cocky statue on the University of South Carolina campus.
The film, which producer Brenton Earley said has a budget of around $750,000, also stars Rachel Leigh Cook of “She’s All That” and Tyrese Gibson from the “Fast & Furious” series, according to the South Carolina Film Commission.
A release date has not been chosen yet, according to Dan Rogers, senior project manager for the film commission.
The vision of the film came from Gabriel Sabloff, the director and writer. Sabloff also worked on “God’s Not Dead” among other projects, including “Women Like Us” and “Sons of Thunder.”
Shooting began in Hopkins for four days to film stunt car scenes, a motorcycle chase and a fight inside of Bluff Road Recycle. The crew then secured a jet from Eagle Aviation in Columbia to film Lundgren’s character stepping off into a limo in a hangar at Jim Hamilton - LB Owens Airport.
The crew shot at former bank building 1208 Washington St. in the heart of downtown Columbia on Wednesday, marking day 13 of the planned 20-day shoot. The location is being used for Lundgren’s character’s 50th-floor office.
Next, they will move to the nearby Truist building at 1201 Main St. for 10 days to film an action-packed sequence in which main character Frank Keller, played by David A.R. White, drags a coffin down flights of stairs to rescue his ex-fiancee trapped inside, Rogers said.
The movie finds star David A.R. White in his first action film in over a decade. He wants it to be “clean,” sporting very few cuss words, and “fun like they used to be,” without being over-the-top or sexualized, Earley said. “Straight Shot” is Earley’s third film shot in South Carolina, following “The Engagement Plan” shot in York and Chester County and one edition of “God’s Not Dead” filmed in Sumter and Lancaster County. He’s also filmed in Fort Mill and Rock Hill.
Earley said he decided to shoot this film in Columbia because he wanted to do something different after filming in more rural locations around the state. But he didn’t want to deal with summer tourism or clash with the filming of “Outer Banks” in Charleston.
He and the crew chose between Columbia and Greenville. Since Columbia has the “specific look” the team needed, Earley decided to reserve Greenville for this next film.
“I came out here to scout late June, early July, and I was blown away at how beautiful the city is, how clean it is, especially for state capital,” Earley said. “And the people, the hospitality [in South Carolina] is like nowhere [else].”
The movie’s filming here should inject money into the local economy. The crew’s local hotel bills, even for a small film like this, will likely end up around $100,000, in addition to money spent at restaurants, grocery stores and car rental businesses, Earley said, noting that their wardrobe budget is spread across Columbia’s clothing stores.
And local talents are getting opportunities to work on “Straight Shot.” Heather Gonzalez, a USC graduate and costume designer, is working as the production’s head of wardrobe and getting her first experience on a feature film. The stunt team led by Juan Bofill, which includes veterans of Marvel movies and the John Wick franchise, is being fleshed out with two stunt performers from Greenville, both former MMA fighters.
At points during the production, the crew has been left in some tight spots, lacking a filming location and facing pressure from contracts to film on certain dates. Earley said people in Columbia stepped up last minute to give them access to their buildings and even the jet from Eagle Aviation, saving the crew millions. It doesn’t work like that in Los Angeles, he said.
“[People here] just want to see us thrive,” Earley said. “People that knew they would get nothing out of this, making a connection just to do this … they just trust us, and it’s beautiful.”
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 10:56 AM.
