NINJAVERSE: Ernie Reyes Jr. To Direct Fantasy Independent Martial Arts Thriller In Co-Prod Deal With Glowcraft
Ernie Reyes Jr. is getting in the director’s chair for Ninjaverse, in a co-production deal via his The Ninja label with virtual production outfit, Glowcraft Films. The cast so far lists Reyes Jr.’s children, daughter Lotus Blossom, and son Phoenix, according to Variety’s Lauren Coates this week.
Ninjaverse centers on “a noble warrior family secretly living in North Hollywood who must return to a mystical martial arts kingdom to reclaim their castle from an evil dictator.” The film marks Reyes Jr.’s first feature directorial gig since 1999’s The Process (a.k.a. The Ultimate Fight).
“I never wanted to be just an action star,” Reyes said in a statement. “I found the ‘golden age of indies’ in the ‘90s to be extra inspiring. It seemed smart to take a cue from George Lucas, stay outside the studio system. Developing Ninjaverse’s hidden kingdom with its own rules, inhabitants and social codes took some time. I knew the action sequences needed to defy the regular laws of physics.
“But when I sent the script out and got feedback it was clear that making my movie with traditional VFX would require a sky-high budget,” he added. “That’s where Glowcraft and ARwall came in to save the day.”
“We’re committed to transforming Ernie’s vision from impossible to possible,” notes Glowcraft CEO Rene Amador. “We’ll use every tool and technical trick in ARwall’s ARFX Infinite Studio ecosystem to allow Ninjaverse’s story to come to life.”
Reyes Jr. is the son of actor, fight choreographer and stuntman, Ernie Reyes Sr., having come up in the ranks as a member of his father’s West Coast Demo Team. The two have worked together on at least two of Reyes Jr.’s earlier titles, namely The Last Dragon, and Surf Ninjas.
Reyes Jr.’s credits also partly include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret Of The Ooze, The Rundown, Redline, Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece, and Ninja Apocalypse.
Read more at Variety.
Lead image: The Ninja
