Exclusives

CONTRACTS: Watch The Exclusive, All-New Trailer For Alex Chung’s Action-Packed Feature Debut

The last twelve years have been a pivotal period of growth for actor, stunt performer and filmmaker Alex Chung. From his birth into stunts and independent cinema to a full-fledged resumè in the field, his latest endeavor, Contracts, stands on its own as a true testament of his dedication to the craft. “The existence of this film is ironically not a result of a clear ambition to make a feature-length chaotic martial arts action film with no funding, yet that is what we ended up with.” says Chung, whose earlier evolution of the project was intended to be a 45-minute prequel to a small string of independent action shorts from 2009 and onward. “I had always imagined attempting my first feature once I had a script that was perfect, the desired amount of funding, and basically all of the planets lining up. I realized the naiveté of that and decided […]

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SKYLINES: Cha-Lee Yoon To Join Liam O’Donnell’s New Sci-Fi Action Threequel [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

German-Korean actor and martial artist Cha-Lee Yoon will join the cast of Liam O’Donnell’s new movie, Skylines, which is currently in post-production for a fourth quarter 2020 release. Filming wrapped earlier this summer on the upcoming sci-fi epic directed by Liam O’Donnell who helmed the explosive 2017 hit Skyline follow-up, Beyond Skyline. Lindsay Morgan leads Yoon and the cast in the new action adventure reprising the role of Captain Rose Corley, gifted from birth as the lynchpin of the human resistance against the brain-snatching aliens that tried to invade Earth in the first two films. As a side effect to her powers, Corley is forced to take constant blood transfusions to counteract her rapid aging process. Now a fugitive on the run, she is plucked into battle once more with a team of mercenaries as the hybrid alien-humans that make up half the human population are on the verge of […]

MORTAL KOMBAT: Max Huang To Play Kung Lao As Cameras Roll In South Australia

Lee B. Golden III

Chinese/German actor and martial artist Max Huang is coveting the role of warrior monk, Kung Lao, for Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat, which began filming in South Australia on Monday from New Line Cinema. The Award-winning Australian commercial filmmaker is making his feature debut based on the long-running hit game franchise from a script by Greg Russo. Game lore describes the bladed hat-wearing Kung Lao as the latest descendant (next to Liu Kang) of The Great Kung Lao who originally lost half a century ago to hulking four-armed Shokan champion, Goro, resulting in the start of Shang Tsung’s rule. The character, who has seen more than his fair share of triumph and tragedy throughout the storyline, has been with the game franchise since Mortal Kombat II in 1993, portrayed for the Midway games by Anthony Marquez, and voiced later by several actors for different installments, including Will Yun Lee and Sunil […]

HENRY’S COURAGE: Choice Skinner To Charge Into Battle With Proof-Of-Concept Harlem Hellfighters Shortfilm Next Year [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Independent filmmaker Choice Skinner is ramping up efforts to direct upcoming short film, Henry’s Courage, which he intends to shoot as a potential feature film pitch. Aiming to crowdfund a February 2020 shoot, Henry’s Courage takes its cues from the historic, heroic tale of the Harlem Hellfighters, prolifically known as the first African American unit of the U.S. Army to engage in combat during World War I. Actor Akono Dixon will tackle the key role of Henry Johnson, a black U.S. soldier who fought off a German raid in hand-to-hand combat while suffering numerous wounds. Johnson was recognized and awarded with a Croix De Guerre with star and bronze palm by the French and was the first U.S. soldier in World War I to receive that honor. Dixon will be joined by actor Dalon J. Holland who will portray fellow U.S. soldier, Needham Roberts. Henry’s Courage marks Skinner’s return to […]

Official still from Dry Land Swim (Envizion Films)

UASE 2019 Spotlight: DEAD END II, SANTOS Returns, Rising Tiger Brings SILVERBACK, And More!

Lee B. Golden III

The seventh annual Urban Action Showcase kicks off its two-day event on November 8, host to a raft of spectacular film celebrations including The Warriors, Tim Burton’s Batman and blockbuster sci-fi, The Matrix among a plethora of others. The festival will also have its share of celebrity appearances by martial arts stars to further magnify the annual event. Of course, one other major end of the showcase will include a slew of projects from independent filmmakers from around the world. In addition to the previously reported Final Contact: Episode III and El Hombre De Tijuana, actor Bryan Larkin will enter the fray with his new shortfilm continuation, Dead End II: A Justified Kill. It’s in this chapter where our two contract killers in pursuit of a gangster cross paths with a young girl whose eyes are fixed on a bag of cash as a way out for a better life. […]

THE IMMIGRANT: Argentina’s Juan Manuel Olmedo Boards New Martial Arts Drama, Art Camacho Attached To Direct [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Argentinian actor and martial artist Juan Manuel Olmedo is poised to team up with filmmaker Art Camacho for upcoming action drama, The Immigrant. Argentinian-born Esteban Carbajal is penning the script for this particular venture which has been brewing since around 2013. The Immigrant tells of a kind-hearted transplant from a foreign country arriving to New York City in search of a better life. Things take a downturn when he’s conned out of his money and robbed of his belongings, leaving him with only a few bucks in his pocket. After a bit of wandering, he stumbles upon an MMA club where he soon discovers a money-making opportunity as a gifted fighter. Carbajal has been a resident in North America since 1982. He met Olmedo through his casting agency in Mendoza, and it was through Olmedo that he eventually met Camacho. The plan is to rework the script for a narrative […]

SDCC 2019: Win One Of Two Limited Edition MASTER Z: IP MAN LEGACY Blu-Rays From Well Go USA [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Well Go USA is proudly making one heck of a banner year out of 2019 thusfar showcasing its titles around the world in many festivals abroad with its releases both current and forthcoming. NYAFF darling and martial arts action legend Yuen Woo-Ping is no different as his latest sequel-bound martial arts actioner, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy, makes its way around festivals as well as a U.S. release on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital. To boot, the Planos-based firm along with in-house Asian action brand, Hi-YAH!, have also inducted 500 LIMITED EDITION Blu-Ray copies with AMAZING new art work being brandished at San Diego Comic Con at booth #4829 in Hall G. We’re proudly presenting that artwork exclusively in the gallery above in full, AND we are proudly joining Well Go USA in giving away TWO COPIES. Just send an e-mail to filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com with MASTER Z SDCC in the subject header, […]

DAISY SCARLETT: Screenwriter Ben Trebilcook’s British Spy Thriller In Developlent With ‘Foxtrot Six’ Executive Producer [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Screenwriter Ben Trebilcook has been relatively known of late for his efforts toward scripting a new installment of the Die Hard franchise. His longest struggle, however, lies with his latest prospective original novel IP, Daisy Scarlett, which has seen an evolution that dates back as far as 1994. “Though it has a couple of big set pieces, it’s a lot more raw than Bond.” says Trebilcook who also describes the project as once in the vein of a female Indiana Jones, later taking on several names before landing on the more preferred female James Bond-type. That progression, he tells me, led to a few legal wranglings and pub conversations while maintaining at least one other Daisy concept for which his agent once sought after the likes of actresses Sharon Stone and Sarah Michelle Gellar. The aspiring film scribe and South London educator had been pursuant of a screenwriting for as […]

MARIA 2: Yayan Ruhian And Cecep Arif Rahman Circling Cristine Reyes Action Sequel [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Director Pedring Lopez is setting up to return to the helm for Maria 2 with a spritely roster of Indonesian talent with Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman. The sequel brings lead actress Christine Reyes and director Pedring Lopez back into the fold once more for a late 2019 production start. Reyes penned a new chapter in her sixteen-year screen career with Maria from Viva Films, making her action-packed genre debut for local moviegoers back in March. The inaugural female-fronted thriller was written by Yz Carbonell and Rex Lopez, and stars Reyes as a former Black Rose cartel hitwoman forced back into the underworld to avenge her family with the help of her mentor, Sir Greg, played by Ronnie Lazaro. Character and plot details are otherwise pending for the sequel which currently stands midway of what Lopez cited, in a February interview with The Fanboy SEO, as a trilogy for […]

SILENT: Tony Jaa Boards New Action Thriller From ‘Triple Threat’ And ‘Polar’ Producers [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

International action star, actor Tony Jaa (S.P.L. 2, Paradox, Triple Threat) is back in the habit once again with the forthcoming production of Silent. The news comes on the heels of Jaa’s latest officiated casting addition in Dimitri Logothetis’s Jiu-Jitsu with Alain Moussi, Nicolas Cage and JuJu Chan. Silent sees Jaa in the role of Aat, a reclusive, mute Thai restaurant delivery man with a violent and tragic past. His idyllic life is comprised of work and living at his sparse, quiet apartment with his cat, Tiger, and his only human companion is Sarah, the 12-year old daughter of a wealthy family for whom he regularly brings her favorite dish, Pad Thai. One evening he delivers an alternative order to the same address when a gun is suddenly put to his temple. With his killer instinct resurfaced, the two are swept into a race against time as Aat is forced […]

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MAD LORD: SAMURAI OF 1000 DEATHS Depicts Eight Images Of Madness In These Stills From Samuel Smith’s New Short [Exclusive]

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a few years since filmmaker Samuel Smith stirred the festival crowds with short duration epics and thrillers like Tengu, Birdmen of the Mountains and I Am Not The Devil. He’s back and in tow with a longer feat of action and drama from his Imageclever Films banner with Mad Lord: Samurai of 1000 Deaths, and he’s also obliging our site with a raft of exclusive stills which you can take a gander at above. When a great samurai Lord’s mind is infected by devils, his loving Sokushitsu comes to his aid. Knowing of this weakness, the neighbouring Red Samurai seek to deliver the final blow that will end the Black Samurai once and for all. Sokushitsu demands that General Ekei travel to the borders of the Shoguns palace to collect some illegally acquired medicine to aid the ailing Lord. The General returns from his mission with more than […]

MADE IN CHINATOWN: First Official Trailer And Set Photos For The New Martial Arts Action Comedy

Lee B. Golden III

The last several years have been provenly ripe with the rollout of forefront Asian feature film talents, and I’ve proudly hyped them all up on this platform. As of Wednesday, I couldn’t be any prouder to add the name Jay Kwon to the list now with the first promo trailer online for upcoming martial arts comedy, Made In Chinatown, a project long shepherded by author and screenwriter Mark V. Wiley, and directed by martial arts legends, co-stars James Lew (The Perfect Weapon, Rush Hour) and Robert Samuels (Red Wolf, Yes Auntie!) In the film, Kwon stars as Vinny, a disaffected Chinese New Yorker eyeing the girl of his dreams, while it just so happens that she only dates wiseguys. In an effort to win her over and with the help of a select few friends, he traverses the centuries-old illegal condiments trade in order to battle his way to the […]

THE GUARDIAN: Chinese Rescue Action Thriller On The Way From The Winning Team Behind ‘Jailbreak’, And ‘The Prey’ [Exclusive]

Lee B. Golden III

Director Jimmy Henderson and actor and martial arts star Jean-Paul Ly are back in the habit these days with post-production under way for Chinese fight-heavy thriller, The Guardian. The film, shot entirely in Cambodia and wrapped two weeks ago, reunites Henderson and Ly with actor and rising star Gu Shangwei who led the cast for survival thriller, The Prey, on which Ly also served as fight choreographer. In The Guardian, Gu plays Gao Ran, a widoed, underdog boxer who throws fights in order to raise his daughter, Coco, while often tangling with her father in law, Lao Ye, who wants custody. When Coco suddenly goes missing, Gao’s unrelenting search unearths a human trafficking network where he will stop at nothing to save Coco once and for all, and he won’t be treading lightly. Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang (Monster Hunt, Monster Hunt 2, The Adventurers) will play Lao Ye. Tsang’s […]

THE CONSPIRACY: Cameras Roll In Romania For Andrei Lupu’s Indie Revenge Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Close to eighteen months have passed since the development and pre-production of upcoming independent actioner, The Conspiracy. Nowadays the cast and crew can be found somewhere in Romania well underway on the set of Andrei Lupu’s directorial debut. Actor/martial arts talents François Mequer and Max Repossi will star in the respective roles of Noa and Leon, a pair of search-and-rescue contract experts on the mend after a failed operation resulting in the death of a target as well as a friend on the force. When a Senator’s daughter is found to be taken captive by an unknown group, the pair are assigned to rescue her, and in doing so, they uncover a conspiracy that threatens to take over the city. Joining the cast thusfar is actor Rares Lucaci who will play the Senator, and actor Louis Mandylor (Avengement, Battle Drone) who will play the role of detective Donato; The film […]

RAGUEL: ‘The Raid’, ‘Point Blank’ Scribe Adam G. Simon Sets Feature Directing Debut With New Revenge Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

EXCLUSIVE: Screenwriter Adam G. Simon isn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer as he advances with female-led revenge thriller, Raguel. Best known for penning Dito Montiel’s mind-bending pic, Man Down, and upcoming action thriller Point Blank under the Warparty/Gaumont banner, Simon will set forth to make his directing debut, effectively taking the reigns with cameras rolling later this year. Simon has been at the center of all things much ado with the current production slate over at WarParty Films, shepherded principally in part by filmmaker Joe Carnahan. Long before this, Simon spent 1999 through 2009 taking on numerous trades, including as a Close Protection Specialist, private investigator and bouncer among other risky occupations. The actor and screenwriter faced homelessness a few years later and managed to reboot himself working for James Cameron and Vince Pace at their 3D studio, Cameron Pace Group from late 2013 through the following year. By then, […]

TRIPLE TIME – Part III: An Interview With TRIPLE THREAT Star Michael Jai White

Lee B. Golden III

Actor, martial artist and cult superstar Michael Jai White became endowed with a royal title at the top of the year. That’s just one topic that I felt I needed to cover going into this, my second interview with him in the years since our first interview leading up to the release of Ekchai Uekrongtham’s 2015 action thriller, Skin Trade. He’s since found his way back to Netflix in Thomas J. Churchill’s The Hard Way with Luke Goss, and will next be seen back on the big screen very soon for at least two thrillers already garnering praise – one being director Jesse V. Johnson’s newest ensemble pic, Triple Threat. Our interview marks the third in a small series of cast and crew interviews as we approach the film’s one-night select theatrical premiere on March 19 and subsequent VOD rollout on March 22; Fans in the UK are welcome to […]

TRIPLE TIME – Part II: An Interview With TRIPLE THREAT Star Tony Jaa

Lee B. Golden III

Martial arts action cinema fans are just weeks away from catching Jesse V. Johnson’s newest ensemble action adventure thriller, Triple Threat. Respective reviews will likely go out by the week of Friday, March 15, which is when we’ll proudly post ours. In the meantime, Thai action star Tony Jaa who broke out in 2003 with venerable cult hits like the Ong Bak trilogy and the Tom Yum Goong films, has kept himself favorably busy working with directors in China and Hollywood. He’s back with us for the first time in about five years touching base since we last exchanged in 2013, and I’m also pretty glad we cleared the air on a few items of mention. Read on for the rest, and be sure click here to catch up with our latest chat with Triple Threat director Jesse V. Johnson, and then get your tickets today! Jaa, it is an […]

BLACK BETTY: Writer/Director Nicholas Ortiz To Expand Short For Independent Webseries/Feature Film

Lee B. Golden III

Independent filmmaker Nicholas Ortiz has begun pre-production this week on Black Betty, a female-fronted action thriller webseries now in production via his NYC-based Deviant Children Productions banner. The project will be spun from his original Spring 2018 proof pilot which snagged three awards in two categories at the sixth Urban Action Showcase Film Festival. “Nick is on his bullshit!” jokes dancer/choreographer and actress Krystal Pizarro who led the narrative in the title role, earing Best Actor in the Angels Of Action category at the UASE. “There’s a reason why his company is called Deviant Children Productions – that man always has something up his sleeve and he knows what the hell he’s doing.” In the proof pilot, Betty is a black leather-clad vigilante heading through a gauntlet of henchmen as she fights her way from captivity out of a nightclub. The webseries, which will be tethered as a workable feature […]

ESTABLISHING ‘ORDER’: Producer Bruno Marino Talks The World-Building Potential Of Upcoming Sci-Fi Thriller ‘ENHANCED’

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been more than six years since stunt professional James Mark got the engine running for his 2018 debut, Kill Order. He kept his creative stride a second feature with crime thriller, On The Ropes, and with a continued eye for the chair, he’s looking to build on the world birthed in Kill Order with the new sci-fi thriller, Enhanced. Enter brother and fellow stunt cohort Chris Mark who saw his acting debut in Kill Order which took more than five years to complete with a release. In addition to fight choreography, he switches gears for the narrative as the villain opposite starring Wolves and Goon 1 & 2 actor George Tchortov who leads the cast for the film’s hopeful release later this year. For this, I managed to get into touch with the producers about the project, which, according to its plot, “follows a disenfranchised soldier and a super-power […]

RIDING THE WAVE: An Interview With “MARIA” Star, Actress Cristine Reyes

Lee B. Golden III

When talking Philippine cinema in 2019 for action fans, engaging the dialogue may almost always certainly include the successes of one of its most celebrated auteurs, Erik Matti, whose award-winning ripped-from-the-headlines crime thriller, BuyBust, scored hugely among festival crowds last year. Going forward, the concurrent efforts of other directors may certainly be noted – folks like Pedring Lopez whose 2015 accolades earned in Manila with action horror, Nilalang, especially earned him a place on our radar and the world markets. Two horror features later, he’s back and following suit with his own female fronted actioner, Maria, starring Cristine Reyes in her first-ever action role. The official trailer has already garnered well over three million views and shares on social media much to Pedring’s credit, and certainly to that of Ms. Reyes who I managed to garner some answers in our first interview. In my view, this is pretty huge for […]