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Malaga City born actor- Antonio Banderas (sporting a beard and white coat) took part Wednesday  in the shooting of the film ‘Knockout’  by director Steven Soderbergh before an expectant crowd and many extras in the Reial Plaza of Barcelona.

The actor was with his co-star Gina Carano (of professional fighting) in the espionage film.

Soderbergh was seen in the morning near the Rambla del Raval, Ample street and George Orwell Plaza, sites that will also be shot.

Antonio Banderas, who since coming to Barcelona is used to roaming the city and has been seen in restaurants of the olympic port, reached the central square of Barcelona in a black minivan.

In the new film by Soderbergh, the Oscar-winning author of ‘Traffic’ (2000), Banderas heads an elite European unit that investigates Mallory Kane, the character played by nonprofessional actress Gina Carano.

‘Knockout’ has actors the  likes of Michael Douglas and Ewan McGregor, both of whom are not in the city these days because their scenes do not take place in the Catalan capital.

source: WENN, imnotobsessed.com, elmundo.es, lainformacion.com

credit: GiJoCo & unbreakable

10. Gina Carano (10): This was a tough one. Most of the feedback I got in my previous rankings came from people who thought Carano had no business in the Top 10 because she’s not really committed to fighting. And I also heard that I had snubbed Rosi Sexton by leaving her off my last list. Maybe. But considering that Carano knocked Sexton out when they fought in 2006 — and considering that Carano’s only loss is to Cyborg — I’m keeping Carano in my Top 10. For now.

You can view the rest of the list here

Source:  www.mmafighting.com

Thanks to Amber Rae for posting the link in the chatbox

credit: unbreakable

Fear not ladies and gentleman (mostly gentleman), Carano hasn’t been taken to another planet, nor is she the victim of some horrific act by a less than balanced fan.

Hollywood has taken up the time of many fighters within the sport of mixed martial arts and Carano just happens to be one of them.

Ryan Couture, son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, was able to shed some insight yesterday via email when he wrote, “I saw Gina briefly over the holidays and it sounds like she’s been working long days in preparation for her upcoming film role.”

Hollywood seems to wear out even the most conditioned of athletes. The time spent preparing for a fight is grueling, to say the least, but let’s not take anything away from the hours spent working in front of the camera.

“It won’t be until shooting wraps on that project that she’ll be able to shift her focus back to fighting,” Couture continued. “At the time that I spoke to her she didn’t have a timeframe [for a return] in mind, but did mention that she missed training and was eager to get back to it.”

To read more:

US stars Dennis Quaid (The Day After Tomorrow) and Michael Douglas (The Game) are also in talks to star in the film which will mark the debut of martial arts expert Gina Carano.

‘Knockout’ tells the story of Mallory Kane, a young, tough, beautiful freelance covert operative, played by Carano. She is hired out by her handler to various global entities to perform jobs which governments can’t authorize and heads of state would rather not know about. For all her looks and youth, Mallory is still the best in her field, and her skills are in constant demand. After a mission to rescue a hostage in Barcelona, Mallory is quickly dispatched on another mission to Dublin. There she partners with another operative, the suave and debonair Paul.

When the operation goes awry and Mallory finds she has been double crossed, she needs to use all of her skills, tricks and abilities to escape an international manhunt, make it back to the United States, protect her family, and exact revenge on those that have betrayed her. Fassbender will be a member of her commando spy unit, and a potential candidate for Kane’s betrayer. McGregor is set to play the owner of the private military company who Mallory works for. The film will also shoot on location in New Mexico, Turkey and Barcelona.

Produced by Gregory Jacobs (Ocean’s Thirteen) and Relativity Media in cooperation with Irish company Parallel Films (Perrier’s Bounty, Intermission) with funding from Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, ‘Knockout’ will film in Dublin and Wicklow for three weeks beginning on Tuesday, February 2nd.

The project will provide in excess of 100 Irish jobs with key Irish cast and crew working alongside international crew on the feature. IFTA winning composer David Holmes (Hunger), who worked with Soderberg on the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ films, is also attached to the project.

Commenting on bringing the project to Ireland, US producer Gregory Jacobs says “Unlike most productions that tailor what’s available to the script, we wrote this movie for Dublin and are thrilled that the city has been so cooperative. Steven Soderbergh and I are very happy to have such a great group of Irish technicians and crafts people on the project and a terrific Irish partner in Parallel Films.”

Irish producer Alan Moloney (Breakfast on Pluto) also voiced his delight, saying “Getting to work with Steven Soderbergh and Greg Jacobs is a real treat for us and me personally. I have admired their work for many years and I have no doubt that ‘Knockout’ will be a great movie. Of course this could not be possible without the combined support of the Irish Film Board and the incentive available under Section 481. I look forward to seeing the growth in both these provisions as we move into the next decade. Film and television production is undeniably one of the areas where the Irish economy can benefit hugely moving into the future.”

Simon Perry, IFB Chief Executive continued the positive strain, commenting “We are delighted that our contribution to attracting such a top quality US filmmaking team to shoot in Ireland has paid off. It’s excellent news for the Irish film industry and for Irish tourism, too. Most importantly, the fact that this project was written especially for Dublin reflects the growth of Ireland’s international image and reputation over the past few years.”

Welcoming today’s announcement, Martin Cullen TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism said “I am delighted this new international feature will begin shooting in Ireland next month. We welcome international actors Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Gina Carano as they begin filming in Dublin and Wicklow. I am also particularly pleased that over 100 film industry jobs will be created for Irish cast and crew. ‘Knockout’ will give a great boost not only to the Irish audiovisual industry but to the Irish economy in general.”

Minister Cullen added: “Section 481 is a key element in facilitating film and filmmaking in this country. Our attractiveness as a film location is also built around our home-based expertise and the reputation which we have gained throughout the world in both the technical and acting arenas. I wish all those associated with this important, new Irish Film Board-supported production every success.”

The improvements to Section 481 introduced by Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen last year, together with experienced Irish production companies and film crew were all instrumental in bringing the film to Ireland. Other recent projects that have filmed on location in Ireland include ‘Leap Year’ starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode, and the UK TV series ‘Primeval’ is set to begin production in March this year.

Imagine starting up a conversation with a woman in a bar only to have her respond to the inevitable “So what to you do?” with “I’m a professional mixed martial arts fighter.” Gina Carano, known by many as the “Face of Women’s MMA,” started her fighting career by training in Muay Thai and won her first MMA match by submission against Tonya Evinger by using a rear naked choke. As sexy as “rear naked choke” sounds, rest assured, you don’t want to get on Gina’s bad side (which is why you probably voted for her this year to bump her up from her No. 73 ranking on our Top 99 list last year). If you saw her on a recent cover for ESPN the Magazine’s Body Issue, you know that the girl packs serious punch, quite literally. But the ring and magazine covers aren’t the only places where you can see this femme fatale; look for her in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming spy thriller Knockout. Hey, if the director can find raw talent in the likes of fellow Top 99er Sasha Grey, we’re curious to find out how Carano will flex her acting muscle.

Source: Askmen.com

Thanks GinaFan1