SWEEPERS - 1998

Director: Keoni Waxman (as Darby Black)
Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Payne, Claire Stansfield, Ian Roberts, Fats Bookholane.

DOLPH'S THOUGHTS:
This was a return to South Africa, where I shot Red Scorpion in 1986. This was a picture about mine sweepers. The inspiration for the picture was an article about Princess Diana, who was trying to help the UN to raise the awareness of land mines.

Tragically, while we where in South Africa doing the picture, we got the news one morning as we where driving to the set that princess Diana had died in a car accident.I think that put a damper on the whole production. Everyone was shocked, and I remember the British embassy in Johannesburg was covered with flowers.

Some of the extras in the film where these unfortunate kids who had been victims of land mines, so that was depressing to see them. On the positive side, I got to go back to South Africa, and of course now there was no apartheid. We had a lot of black actors and stunt guys on the set, the atmosphere was wonderful, and I met my future stunt double, who is a South African guy, Wade Eastwood. After this picture he has been working with me ever since.