Television

JETT: Cinemax Launches Snappy, Crackly First Teaser For Upcoming Heist Series

If you’re like me and you’re already counting the weeks before Cinemax wraps its first season run of hit series, Warrior, then you’re likely already tuned into the countdown for what comes after as the years rolls forward with upcoming series, Jett. Starring Carla Gugino (San Andreas, Watchmen), Jett hails from creator, writer, director and exec producer Sebastian Gutierrez (Gothika). Set for a June premiere, Jett sees Gugino in the title role of Daisy “Jett” Kowalski, world-class thief and ex-con fresh out from the slammer and forced back into old habits. In the course of the show’s nine-episode run, she’ll have to deal with a raft morally ambivalent, dangerous and eccentric criminals, from budding femme fatales to compromised law enforcers, who are determined to exploit her skills for their own ends. Gugino also serves as exec producer and is joined with a cast that lists Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Elena […]

GHOST RIDER And HELSTROM: Hulu Stacks Its Marvel Deck With Two Live-Action Programs For 2020

Lee B. Golden III

Marvel is keeping with its Hulu consumer base with two new live action series dramas set for next year with Marvel’s Ghost-Rider and Marvel’s Helstrom. Ingrid Escajeda will serve as showrunner for Marvel’s Ghost Rider which will focus on the Robbie Reyes incarnation of the character which first took off in 2014. Described as the quintessential antihero, the story is set along the Texas/Mexico border. Consumed by hellfire and supernaturally bound to a demon, Robbie brings vengeance for the innocents he encounters when he unleashes the Rider, but struggles controlling the power he wields. Escajeda, will exec produce as will Paul Zbyszewski and Marvel Television’s Jeph Loeb. “I couldn’t be more excited and honored to be handed the reins to a Marvel character as beloved as GHOST RIDER. This story hits every note for me—my love for grounded yet conflicted characters and my desire to scare the $&!# out of […]

NORTHBOUND: Help Keep Film And TV Alive In Michigan With Season Three Of The Survivalist TV Drama Series

Lee B. Golden III

Following a short local tour promoting the first two seasons of their survival series drama, Northbound, Lullskull Ltd. and “A” Street Films, LLC. officially took to their Light It Up campaign on Kickstarter last week announcing crowdfunding to help fundraise for production on Season 3 with a four-episode finale also in tow for 2019/2020. Shot entirely in Michigan’s visually stunning Upper Peninsula region, NORTHBOUND follows a lone father, Alex (Nate Alwine, pictured front-left) as he fights to protect his comatose daughter, Crystal (real daughters Callie and Addie Alwine) in the wilds of a post-cataclysmic North America. Season 1 begins 3 Months after The Cataclysm and follows a former soldier named Alex as he retreats with Crystal into a post-apocalyptic wilderness. Over the course of this first year, Alex encounters two emergent groups: a militia nicknamed The Firewalkers, and a much graver threat called Allied Command North America. Alex soon discovers […]

WARRIOR: Cinemax Greenlights Season Two For The Hit Martial Arts Crime Drama

Lee B. Golden III

It was certainly a matter of time, but Cinemax is making it official as of Wednesday with news that Warrior has been renewed for a second season. Len Amato, president, HBO Films, Miniseries and CINEMAX Programming, made the announcement this week as episode four of the hit martial arts series remains pending for its Friday broadcast on Cinemax. “Bruce Lee’s vision is alive and well,” noted Amato. “WARRIOR combines high-energy martial arts with wit and brains. We’re thrilled to renew such a great show for a second season on CINEMAX.” The show is literally decades in the making, birthed from the mind of martial arts legend Bruce Lee whose own concept was once rejected by studio majors only to see it erected for television as Kung Fu with a new vision and star at the time. Daughter and Warrior exec producer Shannon Lee of Bruce Lee Entertainment shepherded the show’s […]

THE MANDALORIAN: Check Out The Official Logo And A Quartet Of First Look Stills From The Disney+ Series

Lee B. Golden III

The panel over at Star Wars Celebration this weekend for upcoming series, The Mandalorian, were reluctant to reveal any footage in the live-stream beyond the indoor crowd (save for the ones who braved it with their phones and leaked it on YouTube). Nevertheless, Disney/Lucasfilm proudly revealed several first looks at some of the key characters in costume via social media which you can view below. After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic. The Mandalorian is but one of a sprawling content list coming to Disney+ when it launches on November 12. Jon Faverau hosted the first look photos below, and […]

WARRIOR: Don’t Miss The First Episode Of The Hit Cinemax Series Running Online (NSFW)

Lee B. Golden III

I didn’t even know this was legally available online to watch right now, but Cinemax proudly hosted the first episode of its hit martial arts drama, Warrior, on its Facebook page last week. Actor Andrew Koji (a recurring talent on our site) leads the intertwining drama set in the 1870s as Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy from Foshan whose arrival, while a mystery to most in terms of his purpose, sees him linking up with the most powerful tong in all of Chinatown. Provenly, he can take on all comers in terms of throwing down, but in Chinatown, it’s as Olivia Cheng’s role of “Ah Toy” who tells him later on: “…our blood runs cheap here…”, so rest assured it’s gonna take more than bilingual skills, sharp wit, alpha-level fighting prowess and bluster to survive like other Chinese nationals making their way “across the salt” and into San Francisco’s […]

DEEP PAN FURY: Watch ‘Warrior’ Star Andrew Koji Slay Gangsters In This Incredible Martial Arts Action Short

Lee B. Golden III

I know I’m not earning any particular points for this, but the mood is definitely about right this week just shy of 48 hours until Cinemax’s series premiere, Warrior. For those not yet familiar with one of starring actor Andrew Koji’s recent exploits, indie director Charlie Dennis’s kickstarter-backed action short, Deep Pan Fury, I humbly invite any and all to check it out above. Deep Pan Fury is a short martial arts film about Katashi Kimoto, a young Japanese street fighter trying to change his ways. After leaving his native Japan for a small English town, Katashi soon learns that Oni, a ruthless chinpira of the notorious 9th Shade Clan, has been extorting his Grandfathers struggling pizza shop. Old habits die-hard and Katashi finds himself fighting for a new cause. Family honour. I’ve shared and covered this project on multiple occasions as it hosts some of the best and brightest […]

Familiar-Looking WARIGAMI Gets A New And Improved Approach, And An Official Series Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

There’s no question about it. I’ve been covering independent action for a long time and the latest trailer for upcoming series Warigami, reads a LOT like Edward Kim’s concept I covered in The Hit List column back in 2015 from Shuriken Films. I haven’t been in touch with anyone behind the scenes so I don’t quite know what the whole story is or if this is even a related matter, but the coincidental factor here has my mind in a bit of a tail spin. The trailer looks damn good though and it features a female lead this time around with actress Emily Piggford (Hemlock Grove, The Umbrella Academy) taking the mantle along with actor Kai Bradbury. Wendy Ohata has just made three startling realizations: One, she has a twin brother named Vincent. Two, she’s a kami-jin – a descendent of an ancient Japanese people who can turn paper into […]

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COBRA KAI Season Two Trailer: It’s About Much More Than The Karate!

Lee B. Golden III

Last year’s first season of YouTube Premium series, Cobra Kai, was an explosive success in re-energizing the fandom for the original coming-of-age saga that started it all, The Karate Kid trilogy. Enter William Zabka’s out-of-time Johnny Lawrence leading the way as he redeems himself back into his old Cobra Kai throes opposite Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso as he roots back into the Miyagi-Do, and the unnerving interwoven drama that unfolds and ultimately envelopes their students. The official trailer for the second season is here and for this, it’s worth noting that fans of the series will be able to get an exclusive look at the second season early on. How? By attending limited theatrical runs marking the 35th anniversary for the late John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid for two nights only on March 31 and April 2 courtesy of Fathom Events. Season 1 is still available in case you’ve […]

ULTRAMAN Lands An Official Trailer For Its April Netflix Premiere

Lee B. Golden III

If updates from last year were any hint, classic Tsuburaya property, Ultraman, has a bright future ahead of itself. The latest serial treatment from the minds of Kamiyama Kenji and Aramaki Shinji (Eden Of The East Appleseed and Ghost In The Shell franchises), are staking their next claim in its Netflix rollout which commences April 1 from Production I.G and Sola Digital, and the official trailer is out this week. This is just the first of quite a bit of Japanese anime to come to the streaming site, so pace yourselves as I hope to do if your plan is to keep up! Ultraman’s next generation is here and its larger than life! Years ago, the famous giant of light Ultraman worked to protect peace on Earth. Now, a new champion arises: Shinjiro Hayata, a high-school student who must don the Ultra Suit and the worries that come with it. […]

WARRIOR Official Season One Trailer: ‘Somebody Has To Fight Back!’

Lee B. Golden III

As it stands, the future couldn’t be brighter for the fate of martial arts cinema on television. With Into The Badlands making its exit from AMC in a few weeks, Cinemax is officially next in line with its own roster led by breakout actor Andrew Koji in the new series, Warrior, born and bread from the mind of the late Bruce Lee and re-birthed through the auspices of daughter Shannon Lee, and creators Justin Lin’s Perfect Storm and Jonathan Tropper’s Tropper Ink. Warrior is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs (Chinese organized crime family). Also starring are Kieran Bew, Olivia Cheng, Dianne […]

INTO THE BADLANDS Signals The Last War In The Official Series Finale Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

The otherwise heartbreaking announcement stemming from last weekend’s cancellation of AMC’s Into The Badlands still adds on hope for a steady and fitting conclusion. The official series finale trailer is online and gearing fans up with what looks to be a spectacular bookend culminating three seasons of harrowing adventure, supernatural mystery, political peril and exhilirating kung fu action. As we enter the final chapter of Into the Badlands, an imprisoned Bajie warns Sunny that Pilgrim can’t be trusted. But with his son’s life on the line, Sunny struggles with his decision to help Pilgrim unlock the Meridian Chamber. Meanwhile, M.K., still reeling from the revelation that Sunny killed his mother, is hellbent on revenge. Kidnapped by the Master, the Widow is forced to confront her past. Meanwhile, Moon races to save Lydia from impending death after she risked her life for his on the battlefield. As the last episodes unfold, […]

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Want Some Chan On-The-Go? Get Ready For Mobile-Friendly Ficto

Lee B. Golden III

By all accounts, 2019 may very well put debate to rest on how to hold a phone while viewing video… Project Xtraction, the Jackie Chan/John Cena two-hander from director Scott Waugh, is now slated to be packaged next year with an original series to be hosted on subscription-based premium app, Ficto, a new shortform video series platform from LA-based technology and content startup, Fiction Riot. The film is just one of three films announced for short form serial production among a listed number of up to twenty original and licensed shows for the new app following its introductory launch on Wednesday. The move comes in light of a recent study from Ooyala that suggests more than half of all video content is viewed globally on mobile devices, including longer form film and TV programs not optimized for a mobile experience. The app aims to achieve just that through leveraging native […]

Kurosawa Classic, RASHOMON, To Stir Episodic Mystery And Intrigue For Amblin TV

Lee B. Golden III

Amblin Television announced on Tuesday that it has optioned the rights to Akira Kurosawa’s highly-acclaimed Toshiro Mifune starrer, Rashomon. Based originally off of Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s 1922 short story, “In The Grove”, the film serves as a hugely celebrated classic – initially met with negative reviews at home before its international recognition a cornerstone of cinematic history and film academia. The 12th century-set groundbreaking and iconic 1950 film depicting the mystery and intrigue surrounding recount of events centered on a bandit accused of raping a woman and murdering her samurai husband, will serve as the basis for a new series from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin’s television banner. Ryan Faughnder at the Los Angeles Times reports that the news comes at a momentous moment for the TV shingle which, in the wake of the proliferation of streaming services such as Netflix and the like, is ponying up more than $50 million in equity […]