Xavier Samuel to Star in Australian Wedding Comedy 'A Few Best Men'

The 'Twilight: Eclipse' star tries his hand at comedy in Stephan Elliott's first Australian feature in over a decade.

SYDNEY -- After a trio of horror films including Twilight: Eclipse, The Loved Ones and Bait 3D, Xavier Samuel is turning his hand to comedy, signing on for the lead in Stephan Elliott’s latest feature film, A Few Best Men.

Samuel will star as David, the English groom, in the film which Elliot bills as the latest in “a hugely successful emerging genre -- wedding movies for boys." (Think, The Hangover down under.)

In the film David and his three best men travel to the Australian outback for a destination wedding that is as funny as it is disastrous.

"The girls get the big day. The boys get to sabotage it. And boy I am gonna have some fun,” said Elliot, who’s returned to Australia to make his first feature here in over a decade.

Also starring are Olivia Newton-John as the mother of the bride, British actors Kris Marshall and Kevin Bishop and Aussies Laura Brent, Tim Draxl and Steve Le Marquand.

Elliott is directing A Few Best Men, which starts shooting in Sydney and the Blue Mountains next week, from a script penned by Death At A Funeral scribe, Dean Craig. It’s being produced by Arclight’s Gary Hamilton, the Death At A Funeral producing team of Share Stallings and Laurence Malkin, and Antonia Barnard.

"I’m delighted that Xavier Samuel is on board. From his feature debut in 2:37 to Twilight: Eclipse as well as the upcoming films Anonymous and Bait 3D, he is a remarkably versatile talent who’s poised to become a major star," Arclight’s Hamilton said. "I'm also thrilled Olivia Newton-John is part of the cast of A Few Best Men. Dean Craig has written a fantastically entertaining script, and it's especially exciting to partner Stephan Elliott with Olivia who is a true music and film icon. Olivia will be playing a role that will show her in a light she's never been seen before and it's going to turn heads and win new fans" he continued.

Also, A Few Best Men reunites Elliot with his Priscilla, Queen of The Desert, Oscar-winning costume designer Lizzie Gardiner. Production designer is George Liddle and director of photography is Steve Windon.

The film has received financing from Screen Australia, Arclight Films, Quickfire Films and Screen New South Wales. It will be distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Icon Film Distribution with international sales by Arclight and Quickfire.

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