In more than five decades of modern cinema, only a handful of filmmakers can credibly claim to have written, directed, and independently mounted a theatrical original IP without studio backing. Justin Price belongs to that rare group — and with Kill Code, he has delivered one of the most ambitious cyberpunk action films ever produced outside the studio system.
Written and directed by Price, Kill Code is a fully original cyberpunk action feature conceived, financed, and executed independently. Unlike franchise-driven genre films or studio-supported prestige projects, the film was built from the ground up. Price secured financing without a major studio, assembled a high-profile international cast, and constructed a cohesive cyberpunk world without inherited IP or corporate infrastructure. The project was backed early by his business partner, Latavius Powell, whose belief in the vision allowed the film to be realized at scale. Powell’s role as a strategic and creative supporter proved essential in bringing an uncompromising cyberpunk action film to life.
Cyberpunk is among the most demanding genres in cinema. It requires worldbuilding, technological logic, thematic clarity, and visual discipline — all while sustaining momentum as an action film. Historically, those demands have pushed the genre toward large studios. Kill Code stands apart because it rejects that model. Price’s approach favors restraint over excess, revealing its world through action, consequence, and character rather than exposition.
Set in a near-future surveillance state where justice is privatized and punishment is automated, Kill Code explores themes of control, resistance, and dehumanization through kinetic storytelling. The future Price presents feels oppressive, not because it is stylized, but because it functions — a hallmark of mature cyberpunk filmmaking.
At the center of that world is Franzi Schissler, whose performance has emerged as one of the film’s defining strengths. In Kill Code, Schissler delivers a breakout turn as a cyber-operative navigating a brutal system designed to erase human agency. This is not a supporting role or a symbolic presence; she is the film’s driving force. Schissler commands the screen as a full-fledged action lead, grounding the film’s intensity with authority, physical credibility, and emotional control. Her performance positions her as one of the rare actresses capable of anchoring an original cyberpunk action property from the top of the call sheet.
That level of authorship and confidence attracted serious talent. Kill Code also stars Tyrese Gibson, Harvey Keitel, and Frank Grillo — actors with decades of experience across action cinema, prestige films, and global franchises. These are performers who do not casually attach themselves to independent projects.
Harvey Keitel’s endorsement, in particular, carries exceptional weight. A veteran collaborator of Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Ridley Scott, Keitel reportedly described the Kill Code script as “one of the best I’ve ever read” and referred to Price as “the next Ridley Scott,” a comparison especially meaningful given Keitel’s history with Scott. The praise speaks not only to the strength of the writing, but to Price’s ability to construct worlds, not just scenes.
Across more than fifty years of filmmaking, only a small number of African American directors can point to independently writing, directing, and producing a theatrical original IP at this scale — particularly within a genre as technically and logistically complex as cyberpunk action. Price’s achievement is not symbolic; it is structural. He originated the world, secured the financing, guided the performances, and delivered a commercially viable film on his own terms.
In an industry increasingly dominated by recycled IP and risk-averse systems, Justin Price — alongside breakout star Franzi Schissler and visionary partner Latavius Powell — built something genuinely rare: an original cyberpunk action future from nothing, and made it compelling enough for the world to pay attention.