Philip Krieg is Back... But Will This Be His Final Mission?

    Now or Never, the first Philip Krieg film, was completed in January 2005, and since that time, 19 other films featuring the MI7 agent have been released by GK Productions division of AMPCorp. It’s been quite a run, and the producers of the action/suspense films have greatly enjoyed working on the projects. Now, as work continues on Shadows of the Past, the 20th installment to the franchise, the producers at GK Productions are looking to both the future and the past.
    The sequel to January’s Do or Die, this film opens with Philip Krieg haunted by memories of past missions. But along with these reminders of the past come questions for the future. As the story progresses, Agent 07’s desire to escape these memories, and the Secret Service itself, becomes more evident. Shadows of the Past delves deeper into the character than any past film.
    Thus a major question arises: will Philip Krieg be able to escape this life he has chosen? Why not or how so?
    The film examines these questions from various angles as Krieg’s mission against Robert Waldman continues. “The movie is very character-driven,” says Martin Groff, producer and director. “Many of the main characters represent something that becomes a major theme—while Miss Monet represents entrapment, Kathleen Omni represents escape. In many ways Ruth Less represents the past, while Hope S. Cape represents the future, without even appearing in the film.”
    Whether Philip Krieg will return will be clear by the end of the movie as these themes play out against each other. That outcome, however, is being closely guarded by those who know about it.
    All the producers at GK Productions will confirm is that they are planning something drastically different after Shadows of the Past. Whether this be a new type of Philip Krieg film or a different project altogether is currently a secret.
    After focusing exclusively on Philip Krieg films for several years, GK Productions started a new dramatic series last year called Blackwater. The purpose of this project was to open new doors for GK Productions and diversify its offerings. While AMPCorp’s other divisions each had multiple concurrent productions, GK Productions continued to work only on one project at a time with the Philip Krieg movies. The group is keeping it under wraps, however, if the project to follow Shadows of the Past will be related to or follow the same philosophy as Blackwater.
    Production of Shadows of the Past is about 40% complete. Scenes with every character have been filmed, including all the scenes with Linda Baldassano, who plays Miss Monet, and Brian and Emily Smith, who will play the characters Robert Waldman and Ivanna Kilyu respectively. Miss Monet’s role in this film is by far her largest yet, and includes a car chase and some of the most chilling dialogue in the movie.
The rest of the film will hopefully be completed in mid June over one weekend. Due to mismatched schedules, one major scene will likely have to be reworked. These obstacles are not going to stop the producers at GK Productions from finishing their project. Actor Philip Krieg is looking forward to what this movie will offer: “I hope that we’re always going to be able to have the same amount of action, same great plot... I think we’ll still be able to keep all the best qualities from our films.”
    Robyn Moore and Alyssa Patches will reprise their roles of Lessis Moore and Kathleen Omni in this film, but Sara Eliason will not be returning as Hope S. Cape, though what she represents will be important to the plot. Martin Groff, Tom Smith and Ben Carpenter will be back in their recurring roles of Seventeen, Forty-Two and Thirteen, with Sarah Sensinger appearing in a pre-filmed segment as Miss Pennypacker. Sensinger announced her retirement from filmmaking last summer, but filmed several clips for insertion into future films beforehand. Peter Groff will return as Jake Waldman, the main villain. Charlotte Ferris will also appear as Ruth Less, resurrected from 2012’s Black Abyss. Shadows of the Past will in fact loosely tie the events from the past four films together, creating a loose five film story-arc, in the same structure as the first fifteen films.
    Shadows of the Past, with its reflection on all the past adventures of Philip Krieg, and its role as a turning point for GK Productions, will be the main focus at AMPCorp until its July release. With all the active members of AMPCorp taking part in the project, it is sure to be a highlight in the group’s history.