The actor confirmed his involvement in the project during a press conference at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy, where he received an honorary award. While he did not disclose any details of his collaboration with the Ukrainian director, he said he was “thrilled” about the upcoming project.
A press release from the Ukrainian film company Sota Cinema Group stated that Owen will play the lead role in Slaboshpytskyy's film Radioactive — a “nuclear noir” set in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.
“Clive is an outstanding actor and a truly unique creative talent. I’ve been a fan of his work for many years and have seen practically everything he has done. So it is hard to put into words just how happy I was when he agreed to play the lead role in our film. It is a great honour for me. I believe he will bring to this character a depth, strength and humanity that only an actor of his calibre can provide. I am eagerly looking forward to the start of filming,” said Slaboshpytskyy.
Filming of Radioactive is scheduled to begin in 2027. The filmmakers then plan to premiere the film at one of the leading international film festivals before its international release.
The film is being produced as a co-production between Germany, Austria and Ukraine. The Ukrainian producers are Oleh Kokhan (SOTA Cinema Group) and Oleksiy Makukhin (Kleos Art).
Myroslav Slaboshpytskyy is the director of the film The Tribe, which won the Grand Prix at Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival, a European Film Award, and more than forty international awards. His recent works include The Eagle, starring Sean Penn, which forms part of the anthology film Animals in War .