Anthony Mackie, Forest Whitaker make pact for Vipaka

Before Anthony Mackie dives into the star studded mobster flick, Gangter Squad, he'll squeeze in a voo-doo themed psycho thriller alongside another of my favorite actors, Forest Whitaker. Variety reports that Mackie will star in Vipaka, directed by Philippe Caland(Boxing Helena). Sanaa Lathan(Love & Basketball) is co-starring.

The story revolves around a rivalry between two men in a game that tests their beliefs in what they believe to be true. Uh oh. A game of religious chicken. Whitaker's character is said to be the unstable one, which I hope doesn't mean he's walking around with a necklace of shrunken heads. Movies that even mention the word "voo-doo" tend to all have the same flavor. I expect to see a chicken getting it's neck broken and the blood poured into a pentagram or something.

This feels like a throwaway film for Mackie, although considering the two leads it may be better than it appears. He'll be seen next in the Shawn Levy robot brawler, Real Steel. He's got Gangster Squad upcoming, and he just finished shooting Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. He's also got the Sam Worthington heist film, Man on a Ledge. He appeared earlier this year in what I think was his best performance opposite Matt Damon in The Adjustment Bureau.