Martial Arts

Bullet Run, The Cage, High Stakes and more Asia-U.S. action thrillers moving forward

Producer David Lee’s Xinhua Media Entertainment shingle, which is a China-U.S. co-production unit set up in Los Angeles and Beijing, announced a five film production slate, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Previously, Lee was the head of the Weinstein Company’s Asian Film Fund. The roster includes such Hollywood producers as Jon Shestack (Air Force One) ….

Ong Bak 2 approaches finish line

Variety is reporting that the long delayed Ong bak 2, has finally set a release date. The sequel to the 2003 breakout hit, is scheduled to be released on December 5th 2008. The date was confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday, held by the film’s star and first-time director Tony Jaa. According to Somsak ….

Broadway to get first ever Chinese-produced martial arts show

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the first Chinese-produced show to hit the Great White Way, titled Soul of Shaolin, will premiere in January 2009. The musical is being co-produced by Robert Nederlander Jr. and the Eastern Shanghai Cultural Film and Television Group, and tells the story of a war-era orphan boy taken in by monks ….

Jaden Smith to play new Karate Kid

Columbia Pictures has been looking to revive the 1984 hit The Karate Kid, and it looks like they are now prepping the remake as a star vehicle for Will Smith’s son Jaden, according to Variety. Ocean’s 11 producer Jerry Weintraub, who also guided the original film, along with Will Smith’s company Overbrook Entertainment, will produce ….

Kung Fu Panda Blu Ray review

Tomorrow – that’s right on Sunday, November 9th – Paramount and Dreamworks will release the animated hit Kung Fu Panda on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. I hadn’t watched Kung Fu Panda, aside from trailers and clips, along with an extended scene at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, that featured Po vigorously attempting to grab some ….

Trailer for Dragonball film

Dragonball is based on the extremely popular manga and anime series about a young boy named Goku who seeks out, upon his grandfather’s dying request, to find the great Master Roshi and gather all seven Dragon Balls (of which he has one) in order to prevent Piccolo from succeeding in his desire to use the ….

Quantum of Solace director attached to another action flick

Marc Forster, who’s Quantum of Solace is headed into theaters next week, is set for a new action film project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The director has been tapped to helm the film Die Bad, a remake of a Korean action film originally titled Jukgeona hokeun nabbeugeona, that is currently in development at Universal ….

Jackie Chan’s latest project

Jackie Chan has began working on his latest film, with the English working title of Junior Soldiers. Filming is expected to begin in early 2009, according to Variety. The film is a period road movie set during the Qin dynasty, according to reports on the Sina.com site. Ding Sheng, who helmed Underdog Knight, is directing ….

Jackson in Quentin Tarantino war film and Last Dragon remake

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Samuel L. Jackson is set to star as yet another bad guy in Columbia Pictures’ remake of Berry Gordy’s 1985 cult classic The Last Dragon. Jackson is taking on the role of Sho’nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, originally played by the Julius Carry. Gordy’s son Kerry Gordy and Davis Entertainment ….

Stephen Chow directing and playing Kato in Green Hornet update

Variety reports that Stephen Chow, who directed and starred in Kung Fu Hustle, is going to helm and co-star in the upcoming The Green Hornet movie for Columbia Pictures. He’ll be joining Seth Rogen, who’s already on board the long-in-development project, as the title character. Chow, whose work also includes the sci-fi fantasy Cheung Gong ….