South Africa Shines in Novocaine, M-Net’s Sunday Night Movie

Novocaine airs on M-Net (DStv 101) at 8PM on Sunday, 30 November 2025, and streams on Showmax from Monday, 1 December 2025.

A hero who feels no pain

Nathan Caine lives with CIPA, a rare genetic condition that leaves him unable to feel pain. Nate avoids solid food and routine risks, but everything changes when bank robbers kidnap his coworker Sherry. Driven by love, he sets out to rescue her. His condition becomes his greatest advantage.

Jack Quaid leads as Nate. His performance earned a Critics Choice Super Award nomination for Best Actor in an Action Movie. Amber Midthunder stars as Sherry. Ray Nicholson plays the unhinged bank robber, Simon Greely.

A US box office hit made in South Africa

Although the story is set in San Diego, the entire shoot took place in South Africa over eight weeks in March 2024. Blue Ice Africa handled all local production services. They sourced crew, travel, locations and sets and delivered every visual detail needed to make Cape Town and its surrounds pass for California.

From Paarl’s CBD to Sea Point and Woodstock, the team transformed each location into an American scene.
“Anything on screen was sourced locally,” says Blue Ice founding partner Adam Friedlander.
Daniela Springer, head of production, explains how they solved every challenge. “We built an ambulance. We found left-hand drive cars. We created what didn’t exist.”

Street dressing, signage and set builds were extensive. Every detail had to match an American city, from the sidewalks to the road layout.

The diner that stole the show

The film’s apple-pie diner scenes became a signature theme. Kleinsky’s Deli in Sea Point hosted cast and crew both on and off set. The team even produced apple-pie tattoos and crew shirts to celebrate the motif.

Ray Nicholson kept the spirit of camaraderie alive, giving a public shout-out to his South African driver, Mpumzi Krweqe, during the press tour.

Building 35 injuries and a ‘crispy hotdog hand’

Novocaine filmed more in sequence than most productions due to Nate’s evolving injuries. Costume designer Danielle Knox tracked 35 different wounds across the shoot.
Prosthetics designer Clinton Aiden Smith and makeup and hair head Christa Schoeman created each injury with forensic detail. Clinton even used real crime-scene photos as reference. To speed up the process, he 3D-scanned Jack Quaid and built life-sized busts to prepare prosthetics that fitted perfectly.

Strong critical praise

With an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics praise the movie’s sharp energy and bold physical comedy. Reviews highlight the chemistry between Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder and the inventive ways the script uses Nate’s condition.

The official trailer has already passed 12 million views and features South African actor Evan Hengst in full action-villain mode.