In 2021, ‘The Serpent’ burst into the indie film world with its secret-agent heroine Lucinda Kavski, described as “a female Jason Bourne meets James Bond”. Written, directed by and starring Gia Skova, the next thrilling film in the series is now in pre-production.
The original ‘The Serpent’ was made for just $1 million and grossed $3 million around the world. Skova created the character of CIA operative Lucinda by drawing her in comic books, and describes her as a “strong, insanely beautiful, heroically courageous woman, who embodies hope, defeats evil and saves the world”.
Skova says the appeal of the films is due to its female lead, diverse casting, international settings and intriguing storylines. She says: “Lucinda Kavski is the CIA’s most decorated agent the world has never seen. Known by her alias ‘The Serpent’, there is no terrorist organisation she can’t infiltrate, but when her most dangerous target reveals themselves to be beyond organisation and above nations, Lucinda must decide who to test and where her allegiance lies, with the fate of the world at stake and her own life in danger.
“In this new film, we’ll see the beginning of the story, where Lucinda’s story started, and we’ll get to know why Lucinda is so ambitious.”
As in the previous film, Skova will do all the stunts herself, without a stunt double on set. This time around, she said that “the stunts are going to be even cooler”. She adds, “We’re planning to film mainly in the US, but we’re also looking at some locations in the Middle East.”
The film is retaining the same cast as the previous movie, but Skova says, “Look out for some new faces too”. She continues, “I’m very happy to get everyone back together again. The filming process is like a family that creates something that doesn’t yet exist – then, at the end, we have the birth of a film.”
Skova is passionate about making films with female-led teams and in 2017 she founded Valholl Production to create a platform for diverse voices in Hollywood. She quotes the statistic that women account for just 28% of all creators, directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors and directors of photography. Valholl Production – named after Valhalla, a concept in Norse mythology – has worked with organisations including Sundance Institute and Women In Film.
Having started acting aged 12, Skova’s previous credits include ‘João, o Maestro’, ‘Finding Beauty in the Beast’ and ‘Bleed for This’. As well as an actor and filmmaker, Skova is also a model, having appeared in fashion magazines including Vogue and InStyle, walked in runway shows for designers such as Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs, and featured in adverts for L’Oréal and Red Bull.
