Eddie Peng and Ewan Mitchell headline a sensory action thriller from stunt coordinator-turned-director Can Aydin, with international sales opening at Cannes
The film world is watching as The Healer prepares for its market debut at Cannes. The project marks the feature directorial debut of Can Aydin, a respected action stunt coordinator and second unit director whose credits include work on high-profile franchise productions. Producers and sales agents are highlighting a cast led by Eddie Peng and Ewan Mitchell, and the production has just completed principal photography in Budapest. With international sales launching during the Cannes market, the title is already being positioned as a globally appealing action thriller.
The film mixes tightly choreographed action with an emotionally driven premise. At its center is a protagonist who has renounced violence, only to be pulled back into criminal underworlds to protect a vulnerable charge. Backers and sales agents stress that the movie balances visceral fight sequences with character-led stakes, a combination they believe will attract both genre fans and mainstream audiences. Highland Film Group and 66cc are coordinating sales, signaling a strategy aimed at wide international placement.
The cast brings an international blend of faces: Eddie Peng leads as the title figure, joined by Ewan Mitchell. The supporting ensemble includes Smylie Bradwell, Georgina Beedle and Jameela Jamil. Behind the camera, Can Aydin transitions from stunt work and second unit directing into helm duties for his first full-length feature, promising a film informed by practical stuntcraft and cinematic momentum. Producers on the project include Molly Hassell of Hassell Free Productions and teams from Electric Shadow, among others.
The Healer is set in a city dominated by clandestine power structures where a once-trained killer now lives quietly as an acupuncturist. The protagonist is described as a blind acupuncturist who employs enhanced senses to repair physical harm. When a young patient named Soly becomes the target of a ruthless gang boss, the healer must revert to lethal skills and anatomical expertise to reach the child before it is too late. Production wrapped in Budapest, and the shoot emphasized practical stunt work and intricate fight choreography to deliver grounded, kinetic sequences.
Dejan Ahrens served as a major financier through Marder Films, while additional investment came from Riviera Content (Vivian Tarn and Karam Almasri), Taiden Audio-Visual Production Co., and East West Bank, with arrangements handled by Hungary’s Rosebud Finance Kft.. The production was created in association with Davis Films under Victor Hadida. On the commercial side, 66cc will manage Asian sales and Highland Film Group will represent all other international rights, while CAA Media Finance handles U.S. commercial arrangements. The decision to debut sales during the Cannes market is intended to maximize buyer interest and secure multi-territory deals.
Producers attached extend beyond the core team to include Jason Eric Laciste, Dejan Ahrens and Jonah Greenberg. Molly Hassell brings genre experience from recent titles, while Electric Shadow contributes genre production credentials. The producing slate emphasizes companies with action and commercial genre track records to reinforce the film’s international positioning and distribution potential.
Those involved point to a blend of precise combat staging and narrative intimacy as the film’s selling points. Highland Film Group executives praised early footage for its ambitious fight choreography and cinematic scale, predicting strong cross-border appeal. Jeffrey Chan of 66cc highlighted his enthusiasm for reuniting with Eddie Peng after their earlier collaboration and flagged Peng’s continued ascent as a globally recognizable action star following his work in Guan Hu’s Black Dog, which was an Un Certain Regard winner at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in 2026, and his English-language debut in The Great Wall.
On the representation front, Eddie Peng is represented by Amelia Hung and CAA, while Ewan Mitchell is represented by Independent Talent Group and CAA. Mitchell’s résumé includes television and feature credits such as his portrayal of Aemond Targaryen on HBO’s House of the Dragon, roles in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn and the Warner Bros. production Wuthering Heights, and current work on Justine Triet’s Fonda. With production complete and the market rollout at Cannes imminent, the team will be seeking distribution partners across territories during the festival sales period.