After the success of Ong Bak and The Protector, Jaa insisted that he be allowed to direct his new film himself - a desire that was largely responsible for the breakdown of his relationship with director Prachya Pinkaev. However, Jaa insisted on his own and the reins of “Ong-Bak 2” were handed over to him. The initial footage of the film looked great, but it wasn't long before strange stories from the set began to surface - stories of Jaa sacrificing chickens every day before filming - soon causing the film to fall behind schedule and go over budget. And then, due to growing pressure and growing debts, Jaa simply could not stand the tension and disappeared. He was gone for two whole months - during which time there were wild stories explaining his absence by practicing black magic in Cambodia - before his mentor Panne Rittikrai managed to track and return home the wayward “star”. And then, believe it or not, even greater chaos began.
Jaa first appeared on television, sobbing and promising to finish the film. He then publicly presented Sahamongkol with a list of demands for production, threatening that if they were not met, he would disappear again. Among the rest was a demand that he be released from the long-term exclusive contract he had signed with the production company. Soon after, Jaa was quickly whisked away in a car full of Sahamongkol musclemen, sparking rumors that he had been kidnapped. That's not true, Jaa said when he reappeared, but whatever happened, it was enough for him to take refuge in the police station, where he later met with his boss Somsak Techaratanaprasert. As a result of this meeting, Jaa's demands were rejected, and Jaa himself agreed to split Ong-Bak 2 into two parts to allow the company to cover cost overruns, create an entirely new character for fellow Sahamongkol star Dan Chupong, and shift the director's duties for the remainder of the film to on Panna Rittikrai.
Well, the result of both of these shootings has already been released. Ong Bak 2, Jaa's biggest film, was a dud but earned success thanks to some incredible action sequences. But “Ong-Bak 3,” cobbled together hastily and cheaply from a script quickly remade by Sahamongkol officials and Rittikrai, became Jaa’s first film to ever flop at the Thai box office and, frankly, reeks of contractual obligations. . There's no passion in him, the fire in Jaa as a performer has gone out completely, he's put on weight - not like Seagal, but he's lost all his character traits - and all the best moments of his film belong to the charismatic Dan Chupong, not Jaa. One gets the feeling that Tony was simply indifferent to Ong-Bak 3.
This is my view of the state of affairs. Obviously, this is what Jaa meant when he threatened to leave and disappear again. It seems to me that Somsak Techaratanaprasert hinted to Tony about the legal and financial consequences that he would have to face if he did not fulfill the contract for Ong-Bak 2, effectively forcing him to go back to work on the film. But now that this particular film is done and this particular debt has been paid, Jaa has gone to a place where no contract can reach him. How long will he remain a monk? I guess until one day his exclusive ten-year contract with Sahamongkol expires.
Author: Todd Brown
Source: Twitch
Translation: EvilDollaR
hey you freak Evildollar I'll kick your ass! Don't talk about him like that!
Adilzhan, did you overeat mushrooms or didn’t you read the text carefully?..
On the third ong-bak he told the truth. So-so movie. Undisputed 3 is much better.
I also believe in God, but I’m not going to a monastery
No, not 10 years, the contract ends sometime in 2012.
Stay as a monk for 10 years just to wait out the time specified in the contract? If this is true, then Jah is an idiot.
Interesting version, isn't it?