Machinima Prime Commits Grand Theft Auto With ‘Chop Shop’

Machinima Prime has hit the streets. The high-quality original programming division of the Machinima network has released Chop Shop, a crime thriller about a group of car thieves.

Chop Shop was first announced more than a year ago, when it emerged as an intriguing partnership between Machinima and Paramount Insurge Pictures. Insurge, which focuses on micro-budgeted productions, signed on for the six-episode series. Bandito Brothers, the studio best known for producing the action film Act of Valor, served as Chop Shop‘s producer, with Machinima releasing the series on its Prime channel. It’s worth noting that this deal only extends to the US; Chop Shop

is not available in other countries.

Chop Shop follows its heroes as they attempt to work their way up through the criminal underworld. The series features the same dark cinematography as several other Machinima series, but the first episode is noticeably talkier than the channel’s typical programs. A support role from Robert Patrick (best known for playing the T-1000 in Terminator 2) adds gravitas.

New episodes of Chop Shop will arrive each Friday.