Vortex Words + Pictures and L.A.-based PCB Productions have partnered to produce the upcoming action thriller feature Frost Road.

The screenplay for Frost Road was penned by PCB principal Keith Arem, who will also direct. It is Arem’s second feature film; his first, The Phoenix Incident, is being released in theatres in April 2016. Vortex’s Bill Marks will produce.

While Arem has limited experience on features, Marks says he’s has honed his chops working as a talent director on triple A video games such as Call of Duty, Saints Row, Ghost Recon and Spider-Man.  The connections Arem has built with actors through the work is likely to lend the production a leg up in securing talent, Marks said.

“The most important thing when you have a first- or second-time director is, how do you get a star to trust this person? Because trust from the star to the director is what makes a movie happen…so we have a shortlist of people Keith has worked with before, and we’re optimistic we are going to be able to get someone off that list,” Marks told Playback Daily.

Frost Road will likely be shot in Ontario, with the producers currently eyeing Elora or New Lisgar, ON as possible shooting locations. The film is not considered a Canadian content project, Marks said. Filming on the $7 million budget film is currently set to start in mid-summer 2016. Arem is also currently working on a Frost Road graphic novel, which will likely be released around next July’s ComicCon event in San Diego.