We have seen Babak Najafi direct many successful films, including London Has Fallen, but his soon to be released Sony Pictures Entertainment film Proud Mary may outshine them all. The film, starring Golden Globe winner Taraji P. Henson, is about a killer for hire who works for a notorious Boston crime family. Despite being a highly skilled hit-woman, Mary’s life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy whose path she crosses when a professional hit goes bad.
The Proud Mary cast also includes famous co-stars Danny Glover and Billy Brown.
The director of the film, 41 year-old Babak Najafi, was born in Iran and later moved to Sweden. Upon graduating from Sweden’s Dramatiska Institutet with a degree in documentary, he began directing a number of successful short films, including the 2004 film Elixir which won him the ”Bo Widerberg” scholarship.
In 2010 Najafi made his feature film directorial debut with the drama, Sebbe. The film was widely praised, earning the young director the Guldbagge Award for, “Best Film” and a nomination for “Best Director” at the 46th Guldbagge Awards. It wasn’t until 2016 that Najafi hit the mainstream directing the 2016 thriller, London Has Fallen (sequel to the 2013 film, Olympus Has Fallen). The film was a box office success, earning $205.8 million against a $60 million budget. It is also worth noting that, London Has Fallen, was the first native English movie that Najafi ever directed.
Proud Mary hits theaters January 12, 2018.
