Daniel Radcliffe in Auckland to film Guns Akimbo with Samara Weaving

Harry Potter

star Daniel Radcliffe is saying that if you see him covered in blood and bruises around Auckland, don't worry.

The British actor, 28, this weekend began shooting his new film Guns Akimbo in New Zealand's biggest city with former Home and Away actress Samara Weaving.

He was spotted last week working out at a fitness gym in central Auckland in preparation for his role.

The film was written and directed by Kiwi filmmaker Jason Lei Howden and New Zealand production company Four Knights Film is one of a handful of companies involved.

"I am massively excited to be here in Auckland starting filming on Guns Akimbo," Radcliffe said.

"Jason Lei Howden has written a brilliant and delightfully insane script, and working with him as director and alongside the fantastic Samara Weaving to bring it to life is going to be a lot of fun.

"If you see me around Auckland looking very worse for wear and covered in blood and bruises, don't worry, this is probably for filming."

The movie tells the story of lovelorn Miles, played by Radcliffe, who finds himself thrust from his mundane life into a dark social media movement that pits strangers against each other in a city-wide game of death, live-streamed to a fanatical world audience.

Filming will also take place in Munich, Germany.

"I'm delighted to be hosting Daniel Radcliffe and Samara Weaving, as well as our German partners, for this exciting co-production between Germany and New Zealand," producer Tom Hern, of Four Knights Film said.

"I'm sure they're going to have a ball on the fine shores of Aotearoa."

Since Harry Potter, Radcliffe has acted in small art house productions and big budget movies.

He recently starred in blockbuster Now You See Me 2, and the less known independent action-thriller Beast of Burden directed by Jesper Ganslandt.

Australian actress and model Weaving is the niece of Hugo Weaving, of The Matrix fame. Her most recent film credits include Picnic At Hanging Rock and drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

She got her start on Australian soap Home and Away and has also appeared in last year's Netflix comedy-horror The Babysitter.

Occupant's Joe Neurauter and Felipe Marino are co-producing Guns Akimbo with Hern of Four Knights, along with Philipp Kreuzer and Joerg Schulze of Maze Pictures.

Guns Akimbo is supported by the German Federal Film Fund, the FilmFernsehfonds Bayern, and the New Zealand Film Commission.