Development In 2012, it was reported that
Owen Wilson would star in an action film called
The Coup, and the tone of the film was described as akin to
Taken (2009), centering on an American family that moves to Southeast Asia and finds themselves "embroiled in a violent coup where rebels mercilessly attack the city." Later, during the
Cannes Film Festival, it was reported that
Pierce Brosnan had joined the project, with his role being a "mysterious and ultimately heroic government operative," a nod to his role as James Bond.
John Erick Dowdle, known for several horror films, and who wrote the script with his brother, Drew Dowdle, was set to direct the film. The two brothers based the script on a near-miss of
political upheaval when the Dowdle family were going on a trip to Thailand, in real life. John explains, "Right before we got to Thailand, a coup overthrew the prime minister. There'd been no previous warning. There was a feeling of anxiety in the air. So I started thinking about that. If it went badly, what would I do?"
Michelle Monaghan had joined the cast, playing the wife of Wilson's character. In August 2013, it was reported that
Bold Films would finance the film, replacing Crime Scene Pictures. Later that year, it was reported that
Lake Bell had replaced Monaghan, and her character was said to be named Annie Dwyer, described as a beloved woman appearing to have the perfect family life. Principal photography began on October 31, 2013 in
Thailand. After
Thailand's military staged a coup in May 2014, the movie was retitled from "The Coup" to "No Escape".
Filming No Escape was filmed in
Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Principal photography began on October 31, 2013, with Thai-based production company, Living Films, facilitating the shoot. "The producers of the film had a wide choice of countries in which they could have based this production," said Living Films founder and executive director Chris Lowenstein. "The fact that they chose Thailand is a great testament to the skills of the Thai crews and the resources that Thailand offers. We are delighted to help bring this project to the screen."
Sierra/Affinity handled international sales of the film. Brosnan joined the crew in December after finishing his work on
How to Make Love Like an Englishman, moving to Cambodia where production was held. On June 10, 2014, it was announced that the film would be released on March 6, 2015. On February 6, 2015, it was announced that the film was retitled
No Escape and its release was delayed to September 2, 2015. Its release date was changed again to August 26, 2015. The film was approved for release in Thailand after the film-makers agreed not to identify the country where it was filmed or to portray it negatively. In an interview for
The Straits Times, co-writer Drew Dowdle explained, "We were very careful not to make it Thailand in the movie, so there was no Thai language used... None of the signage is Thai and most of the language that the native population is speaking is a combination of
Laotian,
hill-tribe languages and other languages." The film-makers were also instructed not to use images of the
Thai monarchy and to "never show the king or the colour yellow because that's the colour of the king". Director John Dowdle added that they were also told "no
Buddhas... don't do anything bad in front of a Buddha." ==Reception==