John Woo, Jet Li, Tony Jaa, Luc Besson, David Belle, Cyril Raffaelli and more to be included in new Six Shooter Film Series

David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli in the Luc Besson-produced District 13: Ultimatum
David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli in the Luc Besson-produced District 13: Ultimatum

Magnet Releasing announced today that it’s kicking off a second volume of its cult favorite Six Shooter Film Series with Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak 2: The Beginning, which begins airing this Friday On-Demand, ahead of it’s October U.S. theatrical release. Where the first Six Shooter Film Series took a broad look at smart international genre fare, serving as a launching pad for such critical favorites as Let The Right One In and Timecrimes, Version 2 focuses specifically on action cinema, featuring some of the most exciting action films available today from around the globe. With the exception of Bronson, all of these films will be released as part of Magnolia’s Ultra VOD program, offering fans a chance to check out the film on VOD platforms a month prior to their release in theaters.

“We’d been wanting to revisit the Six Shooter Film Series, and it was clear once we started assembling this incredible crop of top notch action films that the series should pay homage to some of the masters of modern action,” said Magnet/Magnolia SVP Tom Quinn. “John Woo, Jet Li, Tony Jaa, parkour legends David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli, not to mention Nicolas Winding Refn and newcomer Tom Hardy—for an adrenalin junkie it doesn’t get much better than that.”

  1. Ong Bak 2: The Beginning, Tony Jaa’s highly anticipated sequel to Ong Bak is #1, which opens theatrically in select markets on Friday, October 23rd, after debuting today on VOD platforms as part of Magnolia/Magnet’s Ultra VOD program.
  2. Bronson, the Sundance favorite from director Nicolas Winding Refn (director of the PUSHER trilogy) is #2, is about to make an appearance at this year’s Fantastic Fest prior to its opening in NY on Friday, October 9th and expansion through the month of October. Called A Clockwork Orange for the 21st century, BRONSON features what many are calling the performance of the year from Tom Hardy as notorious British inmate Charles Bronson. The film is being given the same kind of release in the same position in the series as last year’s Let The Right One In, which proved to be one of the year’s best foreign film success stories.
  3. Red Cliff is a monumental epic and return to form for action maestro John Woo, reuniting him with international superstar Toney Leung for the first time since 1991’s Hard Boiled. The most expensive and most successful Asian film of all time, Red Cliff is a period war film depicting China’s legendary Battle of Red Cliff from 208 AD. Available on VOD beginning October 22nd, the film will open in select theaters on Friday, November 20th.
  4. District 13: Ultimatum, directed by Patrick Alessandrin, another anticipated sequel, is making its North American Premiere in Austin at Fantastic Fest. Like its predecessor, District B13, which introduced the world to the jaw dropping martial art, parkour, ‘Ultimatum’ is written by French action master Luc Besson, and stars parkour phenoms David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli. It will debut in January 2010 on VOD with a February theatrical release.
  5. The Warlords, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro is #5. Another historical action epic, it was a huge critical and commercial hit in China much like Red Cliff. The Warlords will debut on VOD in February 2010, with a theatrical release in March.

Magnet’s Quinn adds, “Stay tuned… we have plans to announce an exciting initiative that involves working with genre fans to determine the sixth film in the series.”

More information on all films and their release dates is available at www.sixshooterfilmseries.com.