Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will make an appearance in an upcoming film to be released in select theaters on July 7. St-Pierre will play a villain opposite famed actor and martial artist Steven Seagal in the film, "Cartels." The plot involves an elite team of Drug Enforcement Agency agents protecting a dangerous drug lord while taking refuge in a luxury hotel while awaiting extraction.
Same film, new look
The film was originally released in the United Kingdom in 2016 under the name "Killing Salazar" but filmmakers are hoping to give it new life with a new name here in the United States.
"Killing Salazar" did not receive favorable reviews overall, with only a 17% approval rating on the popular online movie database Rotten Tomatoes.
The film takes place in Kuwait and is directed by Keoni Waxman. St-Pierre plays the role of Bruno Sinclaire, a drug cartel underboss. Seagal plays Agent Harrison in the thriller that forces the two against one another. The approximate running time of the film is 95 minutes and it had a production budget of $7 million. Look for the film to be released on DVD later this year. Check your local theater listings for screening times.
GSP's career
St-Pierre has played roles in several movies, mostly the part of a martial artist in one form or another. The former champion had roles in "Kickboxer: Vengeance," "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," and others.
The 36-year old fighter was set to make a return to MMA action, as the UFC held a press conference earlier this year and announced that the former champion would move up a weight class and take on middleweight champion Michael Bisping later this year. After a date for the bout was never agreed upon and it did not meet the UFC's timeline, the fight was eventually scrapped.
It is now expected that should St-Pierre still plan to make a return, he will face the winner of the welterweight championship fight between title holder Tyron Woodley and challenger Demian Maia.
St-Pierre gave up his welterweight title in November 2013 after his ninth consecutive title defense, a win over now former champion Johny Hendricks.
GSP cited personal reasons as the cause for his absence from the sport. He advocated stricter drug testing, and now that the UFC has implemented processes and procedures with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), St-Pierre felt that the time for a comeback was right.
