Martial Arts

District 13 and Taken director headed to Tokyo thriller

Pierre Morel is attached to direct an as-yet-untitled Tokyo-set thriller for Paramount, according to Variety. Sounds like a project in Morel’s wheelhouse for sure – his previous efforts include the cult French martial arts film Banlieue 13 (released in the U.S. as District 13), and last year’s breakout action thriller Taken, which featured Liam Neeson ….

Jackie Chan to direct/star in action caper Chinese Zodiac after Karate Kid remake: marking 100th film

Jackie Chan will begin shooting Kung Fu Kid this June in China, the re-imaging of the popular classic The Karate Kid, co-starring Will Smith’s son Jaden Smith. The iconic action star will then be featured in and co-direct an action film called Chinese Zodiac with long-time collaborator Stanley Tong, according to The Hollywood Reporter. According ….

The new trailer from Casshern director’s next film Goemon

Below is a new trailer for Goemon, directed by Kazuaki Kiriya – who helmed the cult sci-fi epic Casshern. Goemon takes place in 1582. Oda Nobunaga was on the verge of conquering all of Japan, but was forced to commit suicide at Honno-ji Temple by one of his generals, Akechi Mitsuhide. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nobunaga’s top ….

Check out the Blood: The Last Vampire full bloody Japanese trailer right here

The first full Asian trailer for the live-action Blood: The Last Vampire, has appeared online. While the trailer looked pretty good for the film, the full trailer looks awesome. Chris Nahon – who helmed the 2001 Jet Li action thriller Kiss of the Dragon – is handling directing duties on Blood. Blood: The Last Vampire ….

Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry to direct Green Hornet?

Yup, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Michel Gondry – who directed indie faves Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep and Be Kind Rewind – is apparently in deep discussions to direct The Green Hornet for Columbia, with Seth Rogen starring as the crime-fighting vigilante hero. Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) was ….

Interactive gang territory map and videos posted on District 13: Ultimatum (Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum) website

If you haven’t seen the Luc Besson-produced original District 13, it comes highly recommended. It’s a fast paced, gritty martial arts film, with an Escape from New York story-line, featuring an incredibly visual martial arts style called Parkour. I had the opportunity to get a first hand demonstration of Parkour, by its French stars David ….

Chocolate DVD review

Ong Bak and and Tom yum goong director Prachya Pinkaew, successfully adds another notch to his action genre belt to the with the kinetic film Chocolate, this time with a female protagonist played by the director’s new protégé, Jija Yanin Vismistananda, a charming newcomer who spent five years training for the role. Fans will not ….

Check out the live action Blood: The Last Vampire teaser trailer

The teaser trailer for Blood: The Last Vampire is online, and it looks good, although the video quality could be better. For the uninitiated, Blood: The Last Vampire follows the story of vampire and demon hunter Saya, who is part of a covert government agency in post-WWII Japan. She goes undercover in a military school ….

Dragonball: Evolution collectible figures to premiere at Toy Fair 2009

As Dragonball: Evolution hits theaters April 8, Bandai and Twentieth Century Fox Licensing will launch a new line of action figures based on the film. The new movie line is expected to be highly detailed toys styled after the stars from the film. The Bandai America line will reflect the look and feel of Dragonball: ….

Are The Wachowski Brothers directing Plastic Man next? Or Superman?

A contributor to Ain’t It Cool News sent the website some juicy news (and rumors) on the status of some high-profile projects over at Warner Bros. Among the tidbits they sent, the poster says that: Ninja Assassin is complete, and awaiting a suitable marketing strategy and release from the studio, which will most likely to ….

Win a copy of Afro Ninja: Destiny on DVD featuring iconic martial artist Jim Kelly

On March 17, 2009, Lightyear Entertainment unleashes the power of the Afro Ninja: Destiny, on DVD. Inspired by the wildly popular, oft-imitated Afro Ninja YouTube video – with over 80 million views – this laugh-out-loud martial arts extravaganza, stars International Stuntman Award Winner Mark Hicks from Rush Hour 2, super cool 1970’s Karate legend Jim ….

Dark Knight producer’s son carves his own path with martial arts, action and comics partnership

Creative Impulse Entertainment, which recently expanded from film and music video production into comics, and has the first comic series in the history of the industry to include DVD media with each issue (the flagship JFH: Justice-For-Hire) today announced a multimedia partnership with COG 1 Entertainment. COG 1 is headed by David Uslan, a second-generation ….