RCR boards 'Phantom'

RCR Media Group has come on board to finance and produce submarine thriller ''Phantom,'' starring Ed Harris, Andy Garcia, William Fichtner and Natascha McElhone. The film, set on a Soviet submarine during the Cold War, is budgeted at $18 million and will be shot in Long Beach, Calif., in October. Todd Robinson (''Lonely Hearts'') is directing from his own script. John Watson of Trilogy Entertainment is producing and RCR Media Group principals Rui Costa Reis and Eliad Josephson are exec producing. Story's focused on the captain of a Soviet nuclear submarine who has to leave his pregnant wife and rush into a secret mission, where he finds himself haunted by the ghosts of his past and challenged by a rogue KGB group which seized his vessel. He's faced with an impossible choice that could mean either the destruction of his country and family or trigger World War III. RCR has secured domestic distribution for ''Phantom'' with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group. It's tapped K5 International to sell foreign territories with several sold at this year's Cannes Film Festival. RCR announced during Cannes that it has come on to co-finance Summit's reboot of ''Highlander.'' It's also been doing slate financing with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group on titles including ''SWAT Firefight,'' ''The Hit List'' and ''Arena.'' Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com