Director Riccardo Gabrielli R. is officially on the radar this month pending the latest news on the upcoming production for his newest fourteenth century superhero adventure, Zambo Dende. With that in mind, the prospects of this film seem even more hopeful with the film’s reported backing from Disney, in addition to casting Chilean action star Marko Zaror for the title role just coming off of the heels with his most recent Fall 2014 festival favorite, Redeemer.
Loosely based on a real-life tale in comic book form by author and creator Nicolás Rodriguez, the film will see Zaror starring as Azuk, a child who would rise from oppression to become a fighting force for the oppressed slaves of Latin America, ultimately foreseeing his royal destiny preset by the assassination of his mother. Further details about the film are little at the moment, but casting for the film so far looks quite prosperous with the likely additions of actor and stuntman Tait Fletcher, along with actors Darren Shahlavi and Michelle Lee, adding even more action muscle to the mix. But every action feature in any capacity needs a good action director, so one can imagine how interesting it is to see industry stuntman and fight choreographer Larnell Stovall in this latest group photo shared via Zaror‘s Twitter account, in addition to other photos as well:
Lee (pictured below) candidly snaps the above pic of Zaror and Shahlavi in training
In case you were wondering, yes, that’s Lee in the background. With a whip. You’re welcome.
Director Riccardo Gabrielli R at the center with Nicolas Rodriguez second from the right
Out on the town!
The actors are currently in Bogota, Colombia preparing for the film. Stovall previously shared the ring with Zaror for the stellar action sequences in Isaac Florentine’s 2010 MMA cult hit, Undisputed 3: Redemption, in addition to Mortal Kombat: Legacy for both respective seasons with Shahlavi and Lee. Gabrielli R may be relatively new for some as he is to me, the director is already known for his recent success with his 2012 thriller, La Lectora, as well as his latest film, 5. In lieu of this, the line-up here alone should provide confidence for another stellar cinematic hit in the months to come.
In the meantime, if what the pictures indicate are true (and it looks likely so), then the film will also be Stovall‘s latest involvement with superhero movie territory following his contribution to the upcoming live-action feature, Max Steel; Hopefully this means he’ll be the one to help bring WB’s Batman or Marvel’s Black Panther to the big screen, but…that’s just me. You can read a little more about Stovall by clicking here.
