Hand-to-hand action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme, it seems, has no plans to retire, which he has often talked about lately. Along with his “swan song” - sports drama "What is my name?" More than just action-adventure action is planned "Silent Murder", but also a new project.
We are talking about an action film in the neo-noir genre called "Human Darkness" (Darkness of Man) from a writer and director of niche cinema James Cullen Brassack, who shot not only low-budget horror films (the “Theater of Madmen” duology, “The House of My Nightmares”, “Dead Virus”), but also action films like "Outlaw" (2019) with Steven Seagal, "Survive the Game" (2021) and "Fortress" (2021) with Bruce Willis and "Explosive Game" (2022) with Mel Gibson.
Van Damme will play an Interpol agent who must protect a young boy when his father, a former informant, is killed during a botched raid.
Filming is expected to begin in Los Angeles in early 2023. Company VMI Worldwide plans to bring the action film to the American Film Market for potential buyers, so it looks like we have at least two Van Damme projects to look forward to.
Son of the legendary Jackie Chan – Jaycee (“The Chronicles of Huadu: Blade of the Rose”, “Hard Target”, “Mulan”) can hardly be called as successful in terms of his acting career as his father. In addition, Chan Jr. is a rare guest in hand-to-hand action films and he prefers comedies and dramas.
However, the new action project directly concerns Jaycee Chan, but only as a director. Chan had previously made his directorial debut with melodrama "Good night, Beijing" (2021), but Jaycee's next film is called "Game in Chinese" (China Game), which will be a hand-to-hand action movie in genre. The screenwriter of the project was an American Nancy Doin (TV series “Tales from the Crypt”, “Divorce in the City”, “Bad Therapy”).
The film is about a Chinese gangster who leaves Hong Kong to go to America and find his missing sister. He fights his way through a world of crooked cops, corrupt politicians and dangerous American underworld with the help of his trusty sword to find her.
The main role in the action film will be played by the actor Jiang Song (“Communication”, “Dance 88”), and among the familiar names in the project, the legendary Sammo Hung (“Once Upon a Time in Shanghai”, “Ip Man 2”) and American fashion star and actress Paris Hilton ("Genetic Opera")
Film "Game in Chinese" should appear in the first half of 2023. For now, there is only a teaser poster.
Famous director Ang Lee (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Life of Pi”, “Gemini Man”) will stage another bio-epic about the life of the legendary martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. Here's what the press release says:
“Bruce Lee, considered neither fully American nor fully Chinese, was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Kung Fu to the world, a martial arts scholar and an iconic entertainer who revolutionized both martial arts and action films. . “I feel compelled to tell the story of this brilliant, unique man who craved recognition, possessed enormous strength at 135 pounds, and who, through tireless hard work, turned impossible dreams into reality.”
The still untitled film will be produced by Bruce's daughter - Shannon Lee (TV series "Warrior"), Lawrence Gray ("Snowden"), Ben Everard ("And the lights go out..."), Brian Bell ("Gemini Man") and himself Ang Lee, who will also write the drama.
It is curious that the main role in the future project went to Eng’s son - Mason Lee, known for films such as "The Hangover 2: From Vegas to Bangkok" (2011) "The Legend of the Demon Cat" (2017) "Suburban Birds" (2018) "Limbo" (2021) and others.
We will keep our finger on the pulse.
Tags: China Game, Darkness of Man, Bruce Lee, James Cullen Brassack, Jaycee Chan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mason Lee, Paris Hilton, Sammo Hung, Jiang Song, Shannon Lee, Ang Lee
Let's hope for some decent hand-to-hand and bloody action.
The game is cool. I hope the series will be no worse.
Thanks for posting. Hopefully more comments soon.
I don't know about everyone else, but I'm crazy about Xiao Man (I hope I didn't misspell his name...