Director Rob Cohen (the originator of “The Fast and the Furious” “xXx” and “Mummy 3”) begins shooting “CATEGORY 5” today on location in Sofia, Bulgaria. Cinematographer Shelly Johnson, ASC (“Captain America: The First Avenger”, and “Jurassic Park III”) will photograph and Niven Howie (“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”) will edit. Elia Popov of GEM Effects (Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation) will create the storm on set, while the Academy Award winning VFX house, Double Negative, will do all the CGI work.

“If I could put seatbelts in cinemas, I would,” says Cohen. With exhilarating practical effects and bone-shaking action sequences many designed to be shot in-camera, the director promises his most intense picture since kicking off the “Fast” franchise, Universal’s biggest of all time, in 2001. The screenplay was written by Rob Cohen, Scott Windhauser, and Jeff Dixon, and is based on a script by Carlos Davis and Anthony Fingleton.

The action/adventure revolves around a troubled storm chaser, played by BAFTA-nominated Toby Kebbell (“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Warcraft” and “Ben Hur”), and a head-strong female treasury agent with a past, played by SAG-winner Maggie Grace (‘Twilight” ‘The Taken Trilogy”, “Lost”), who must survive the storm, save the hostages and stop the thieves from executing their daring heist, all while surviving 160 mph winds, horizontal rains, floods and collapsing buildings. Kebbell and Grace are joined by co-stars Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood”), and Ralph Ineson (“Harry Potter” film franchise, and “Guardians of the Galaxy”).

Cohen is joined at the producers’ table by Karen Baldwin (“Ray”), Mark Damon (“Monster”), Michael Tadross Jr, and Christopher Milburn (The Hunters Prayer) producing for Windfall Productions ltd on location in Bulgaria and the UK. Executive Producers are Howard Baldwin, Bill Immerman and Tamara Birkemoe.