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ASSASSINS CREED Gets The Green Light For Production

It’s been a few years since it was announced that the award-winning video game from Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed was going to get a live-action adaptation through Sony. Now that enough time has passed and all other business is in order, production is finally underway for the film’s forthcoming release courtesy of New Regency Pictures and distributor 20th Century Fox. Actor Michael Fassbender, reportedly on deck to return as Magneto for next year’s release of Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Apocalypse, is set to lead the film with Justin Kurzel directing. The plot is not yet known, though its initial setting revolves around a man swept into a thrilling adventure with the help of a device that unlocks and ultimately “bleeds” past lives and memories as a clandestine assassin in search of the Pieces Of Eden, powerful artifacts that can control the fate of mankind. It’s not easy delivering a video game to […]

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CONtv Gets A Launch Date

Are you ready for another awesome entertainment network? If so, then ConTV may be right up your alley, with an assortment of content guaranteed to nourish your fandom in film and television. The line-up has already started taking shape with several programs already in place geared toward the comic-con community, and now we have an official launch date as of a few days ago with a slightly larger list of titles that are forthcoming. Be prepared this Spring and check your local listings! Details below: Cinedigm (NASDAQ:CIDM) and Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD) today announced that CONtv, the multi-platform OTT service geared toward the Comic Con community, will be available to consumers on March 3, 2015. The digital service will bring fans their favorite films, television series, comics, behind the scenes access to Wizard World Comic Cons and more. CONtv will be offered as a free ad-supported platform as well as […]

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Cinemax Series, BANSHEE, Gets A Fourth Season Order

If there was ever a reason to watch more television in 2015, let that reason be Cinemax’s Emmy award winning action drama series, Banshee. The third season is already underway, the bodies are piling up, and the rivalries are heating up as well with Antony Starr in the role of Lucas Hood, Banshee’s town sheriff with a hidden past, and Geno Segers as Chayton Littlestone, the menacing towering leader of the Redbone gang. The third season of Banshee is set to end next month, and so with today’s announcement of a fourth season order, casting is still to be determined. Until then, check your local listings and wherever you may currently catch all the episodes. I highly recommend it. The hit action series BANSHEE will return to CINEMAX in 2016 for a fourth season of eight episodes, which will shoot in Pittsburgh, Pa., it was announced today by Kary Antholis, […]

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DEADPOOL: Check Out A Sepia-Toned Glimpse Of The Costume For The Film

The production of debut director Tim Miller‘s incarnation of Marvel’s own “merc with a mouth” Deadpool from 20th Century Fox, is slowly taking shape as the film readies its Vancouver shoot next month. Actor Ryan Renyolds is out and about preparing for what he has thusfar described as a serires of tests as pre-production remains on-going with no word yet on whether or not fans of the character will get the much-desired R-rating. In my own opinion, industry politics may keep this one at a PG-13 considering the Marvel films of late have thusfar kept all of its titles as family friendly as possible while adhering to the needs of young adult fans. However, as loud as the outcry has been, things could change, and as far as any of us are concerned since co-scribe Rhett Reese’s tweet last September, it’s too early to draw conclusions. One thing is certain […]

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A CASE FOR BETTER ACTION MOVIES – Character Study: Prisoner KSC2-303 From VERSUS

The following is a version of a segment to a compilation article to which I contributed with other writers over at The Action Elite prior to its publication on February 9, 2015. CLICK HERE to read the article in its entirety. My college experience wasn’t a lot of fun, though I did have some good memories. I was a member of a cult genre club that followed sci-fi, games and anime, and it was through my membership there about fifteen years ago that one of ours bought a VHS tape of a little-known Japanese flick called Versus, directed by Kitamura Ryuhei. I saw a snippet of it in passing but it never quite caught onto me until I came upon a point in my life where I needed an outlet to deal with personal hardship and heartbreak. So, cult Asian movies on DVD became my thing and so did my […]

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Watch The First Trailer For THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Starring Henry Cavill And Armie Hammer

Director Guy Ritchie may currently have his hands busy with kicking off Knights Of The Round Table and hopefully bringing Sherlock Holmes to a third outing. This summer, however, he may have another franchise on his hands following the upcoming release of his latest new espionage spy action comedy, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and following the exclusive unveiling of a set of promotional stills from the film over at EW, we now have a first trailer which you can check out below following the description. SYNOPSIS: Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”) stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (“The Social Network”) as Illya Kuryakin in director Guy Ritchie’s action adventure “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” a fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series.  Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB […]

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A CASE FOR BETTER ACTION MOVIES – Character Study: Toby Wong From DRIVE

The following is a version of a segment to a compilation article to which I contributed with other writers over at The Action Elite prior to its publication on February 10, 2015. CLICK HERE to read the article in its entirety. While we await the verdict on the releases of several upcoming films featuring action star Mark Dacascos, perhaps one performance will continue to live-on in action movie history with a formula that undeniably serves fans of martial arts action cinema something worthy to hold onto. For this, we look to his memorable role in the 1995 action classic, Drive. From a revised script by Scott Phillips, the film takes off in San Francisco with our lead, Dacascos starring as Toby Wong, riding as a stowaway on a cargoship that arrives on the West Coast as per his escape from the Red Chinese and the notorious Leung Corporation who have […]

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I AM WRATH: John Travolta In Talks To Star In The New Revenge Thriller

Actor John Travolta doesn’t always do action movies, but when he does, he usually plays a badass villain in some form or another. His role as a Serbian huntsman in the 2013 flick, Killing Season was pretty good – not great, but it served its purpose, and now he’s reportedly in talks to switch gears to play the protagonist in Eraser helmer Chuck Russell‘s new film, I Am Wrath. Set to roll cameras in March should Travolta make it official, Paul Sloan’s script will depict the actor as a man out to find his wife’s killer when the cops fail to. The film is currently being billed as Travolta‘s Taken with producers Michael Mendelsohn, Nick Vallelonga and Richard Salvatore also on board. The film is also scouting for supporting roles while we await further word on Travolta’s official signing. The plot isn’t anything new and any comparison to Morel’s work […]

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BLOODLINE: THE ANIMATED SERIES Returns With New Kickstarter Campaign Push!

Last October saw the initial launch of a new Kickstarter campaign for the dazzling new animated project, Bloodline: The Animated Series, from New York-based company, Visionary Outlook, LLC and its CEO, Alphonso Devon Blackwood. Since then, Blackwood and the company evidently cancelled promoting the fundraiser to re-evaluate and analyze their platform a bit more, and they’ve now made the few necessary changes to re-launch a fresh new effort in funding their ambitious new series, with some amazing perks to boot. There are quite a few layers and different pieces and details to this epic saga, although in my own summation, here’s the skinny: Hopeskin, a distant planet falls in upheaval as its King lay ill, ensuing a forbidden ritual by His majesty’s inner circle to scan the galaxy in search of his true heir, forcing an unwitting young 16-year old boy into an epic battle against dark intergalactic forces as […]

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Lu Yang's BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES To Screen In Austin Later This Month!

We are many months away from a likely sequel for director Lu Yang‘s surprise 2014 wuxia period hit, Brotherhood Of Blades which finally released on DVD and Blu-Ray in North America on Tuesday this week. Purchase it now while you can, although be advised, if you live in the vicinity of Austin, Texas and want to catch this latest epic feat of majestic martial arts action and drama on the big screen, you’ll be delighted to know that Iron Dragon TV is hosting a screening in conjunction with Well Go USA at Austin’s Violet Crown Cinema on February 24. SYNOPSIS: Three sworn brothers are tasked with annihilating a corrupt fugitive and his followers, but a mistake reveals the brothers are being used as pawns in a deadly game filled with secrets, conspiracies and lethal consequences. You can access tickets and more information by visiting the official event page on Facebook […]

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Sir Clive Owen Comes Out Swinging In The New Trailer For THE LAST KNIGHTS

While I have always wondered what would come of director Kiriya Kaz since he blew my mind about a decade ago with the live-action manga adaptation, Casshern, I didn’t suspect his follow-up to 2009’s Goemon would be a more international career transition. Evidently, the existence of the 2012 US-Korean production of his newest film, The Last Knights, would change all that, and while it does away with a lot of the CGI-infused spectacle he’s known for on his earlier films, it certainly looks like it bodes well for fans of medieval swordplay and brutal action with great depth and details suitable for a film of this caliber, with actor Sir Clive Owen and Morgan Freeman leading the pack! SYNOPSIS: A knight seeks vengeance when his lord is unjustly executed by a tyrannical emperor.  Knight’s commander Raiden receives an honor above all else when Bartok, his childless lord, names him as […]

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The New Trailer For HITMAN: AGENT 47 Takes Dead Aim!

Before the previous couple of years, it might have been easy to believe that actor Timothy Olyphant’s title role in director Xavier Gens’s 2007 cinematic incarnation of the popular Square Enix game, Hitman, would have been enough for a continuation; I certainly know I like it, and was always curious to see what would come of it. Alas, 20th Century Fox has since taken initiative to reinvigorate the franchise with a new film and a new actor, now starring Rupert Friend (in place of late actor Paul Walker who was announced for the role in early 2013) in Aleksander Bach‘s new theatrical film adaptation, Hitman: Agent 47. With a date now set for August 28, 2015, the latest trailer serves quite the explosive feat that could top its predecessor. Of course, the question is, will it? SYNOPSIS: HITMAN: AGENT 47 centers on an elite assassin who was genetically engineered from […]

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Watch The Latest Trailer For The New Marriott/SOH Collab, TWO BELLMEN

Close to two-and-a-half years since its launch, hybrid filmmaking music, action and stunt group, Substance Over Hype, is one of MANY companies to look out for when it comes to delivering fluid indie action content for netizens and fans alike. Their channel is chock-filled with plenty goods, a handful of which have been featured on Film Combat Syndicate before, and now, we have an especially new project on the way from the team following its recent partnership with hotel chain, JW Marriot. Following its five day shoot last month at the top of the year, SOH’s own founder and filmmaker Daniel “Malakai” Cabrera‘s latest short, Two Bellmen, is readying a major online event premiere in March. The short marks the latest debut of Marriott’s Content Studio with principle performances by team members, actors and stuntmen William Spencer and Caine Sinclair, along with an impressive cast listed in the latest press […]

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A CASE FOR BETTER ACTION MOVIES – Character Study: Liu Jian From KISS OF THE DRAGON

The following is a version of a segment to a compilation article to which I contributed with other writers over at The Action Elite prior to its publication on February 9, 2015. CLICK HERE to read the article in its entirety. For a lot of American moviegoers like myself, the 1998 blockbuster, Lethal Weapon 4 was our introduction to martial arts action superstar, Jet Li. His career would ultimately become a highlight for many a fan with DVD distributors releasing his films internationally online with HD renditions of classics from distributors like Dimension, Dragon Dynasty and Hong Kong Legends as Li’s crossover would soon catapult him in stardom through some of his most memorable performances, including none other than the 2001 Chris Nahon-directed action classic, Kiss Of The Dragon. The film sees Li in the role Liu, a Chinese intelligence agent assigned to France to assist Inspector Richard (Tcheky Karyo) […]

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Scott Adkins Happenings: CLOSE RANGE Gets A New Clip, WOLF WARRIOR Gets New Stills And A Poster

The year is looking good so far as things steadily pick up for action star Scott Adkins whose latest multi-territorial market acquisition, Close Range, is already going viral with a fresh new clip (via City On Fire) that delivers the usual awesomeness. It’s a warming treat for fans of the actor, especially considering he’s got more where that came from in a handful of other projects well on their way, including a stellar, muscularly amplified theatrical presentation in IMAX 3D and high-quality sound technology for the release of action star Wu Jing’s directorial debut, Wolf Warriors. Promotion on that particular film has since slowed down what with its initial release last month pushed back to March 6 in China. That said, promotional material is a bit more pictorial than anything until any thing else comes our way other than the music video you see above. On that note, feel free […]

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GETTING REEL IN MALAYSIA: An Interview With AYEZ SHAUKAT FONSEKA

The Hit List a weekly article I run on Mondays listing all of the various test fights and shortfilms I spot online for the previous week, is a feature on my blog that has done a great service to my own continued discovery of online action – something I became fascinated by close to ten years ago. It’s often intriguing what you find online as you never really know what is happening beyond your own borders unless you look, which is what I do a lot of these days because of the vast amount of talent that has spawned throught the online netizenry of up-and-coming filmmakers. Actor, martial artist, stuntman, fight choreographer and stunt coordinator Ayez Shaukat Fonseka is one of those inspired artists I speak of whose channel I bumped into a few weeks ago prior to sharing one of its recent action shorts, Kejar (Chase), and as it […]

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NINJA AVENGERS!…Because Japan.

Fandom continues its course with director Isaac Florentine and action star Scott Adkins for their newest film, Close Range. However, with their last film together, the 2014 release of Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear only now picking up steam in Japan through Pony Canyon for its DVD release on March 28, one has to wonder how the film would sell even a year later. I can’t say I have much insight on film restrictions in Japan and I don’t know how much of an impact torrenting has had in the region, but as always, the film’s Japanese trailer marks another reason why anyone should love Japan anyway…ninjas and all! Alas, get ready for Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear Ninja Avengers with Kane Kosugi and Tim Man with Mika Hiji, Vithaya Pansringarm, Mukesh Bhatt and Shun Sugata.

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Singapore Martial Arts Action Comedy, I'MPOSSIBLE, Launches On Kickstarter

To some, Singapore may not exactly stand out as significantly when it comes to surveying the globe for prominence in martial arts movies. However, there are folks who are otherwise hopeful in flipping those prospects for the better, and it’s a case that does have some merit considering the amount of talent on display via social media from said country. For this instance, we now look to the new Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the new Rocky-esque underdog martial arts action comedy, I’mpossible – a portmanteau built on the words “I’m” and “possible”. Singapore’s own Grid Synergy is backing the project with film veterans, director Gilbert Chan (23:59, Ghost Child) and actor Vincent Tee (Ghost Child, Afterimages) along with aspiring actor Daniel Wee whose heartfelt testimony in the brand new campaign video over at the page makes THIS particular Indiegogo campaign all the more awesome. The movie itself is based on […]

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Marvel, Sony To Reboot Spider-Man Through Phase Three By 2017

A lot happened last year that former Sony co-chairwoman Amy Pascal probably wish didn’t. Words were said, things were leaked, drama ensued, and I had already long before given up on keeping up all of Sony’s Spider-related business because of so many moving pieces (i.e., the previously remaining release dates of the Andrew Garfield Spidey quadrilogy, Drew Goddard’s earlier plans for The Sinister Six and Venom, plans a female-centric Spidey film, etc.) It’s been cray-cray (you read that right), and likely a little more so with the morbitidy among fans regarding dimmed hopes that your friendly neighborhood wall-crawling, web-flinging superhero would ever see his way into the Marvel Universe what with all its grand plans between now and 2020. Well, that’s about to change,  with word from Variety that following Pascal’s position switch over at Sony, a new deal with Marvel Studios is in place to finally bring Spider-Man back […]

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I ONLY NEED ONE: Help Crowdfund The New Bond-Inspired Action Short

With Spectre making headway over at Sony, I wouldn’t be surprised if the internet started turning out with more and more fan-inspired shorts and test fights attributed to the longstanding 007 franchise. Point in fact, Colin Emmerson’s Sapphire is an example of this, and now we’re onto a new crowdfunding campaign this month ahead of the hopeful shortfilm production, I Only Need One. Action actor and stuntman Andrew J. Neis is spearheading the project on Indiegogo to advance the directorial debut of Matthew Salanoa for an inspired look into Ian Fleming’s cinematic universe filled with mystery, intrigue and danger at every turn. For Salanoa‘s take, it goes a little something like this: Our short, “I ONLY NEED ONE” will feature a HEROIC SPY (Neis), who wakes on a mysterious island all alone, save for an invitation to a duel. As he looks for signs of civilization, he is met with […]

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