Antonio Banderas stars in Cambridge crowdfunded movie

Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas has accepted a role on a record-breaking movie production which raised £1.9 million via Cambridge equity crowdfunding platform SyndicateRoom.

Banderas – renowned for cult classics including The Mask of Zorro, Desperado and Assassins – will play the lead in Simon West’s ‘Salty.’ He stars as Turk Henry, an ageing rock star and reformed sex addict married to a supermodel who is abducted by pirates whilst on holiday in South America.

Described as ‘The Hangover meets Spinal Tap’, the record-breaking film is the largest equity crowdfunded film project of all time.

It raised £1.9 million when it broke new ground by inviting members of the British public to own a stake in the film’s profits. Salty is the first significant Hollywood film to be funded in this way.

Banderas said of Salty: “Finally three of my passions come together – cinema, music and humour.”

Director West said: “Films of this type like The Hangover and Bridesmaids are perfect examples of how popular this genre can be. I am going to shoot Salty in a style that will exude energy, fun and glamour with elaborate and exciting action sequences very much in the vein of my previous films. With Antonio on board, it’s going to be a phenomenal picture.”

Gonçalo de Vasconcelos, CEO and co-founder of SyndicateRoom, said: “A talent like Antonio joining this picture symbolises a huge stamp of approval for our industry.

“Crowdfunding is well and truly growing up. SyndicateRoom’s research report this month found significant opportunity for the entertainment sector to benefit from crowdfunding, with favourability towards the entertainment sector increasing by up to 50 per cent the more an individual is involved with their own investment decisions.

“By opening up investment in Salty to the public we expect to see even more investor-advocates for similar ventures. This could be a game-changing moment for the film industry and we’re proud to have played a role.”