juju chan

FISTFUL OF VENGEANCE Is The Next Chapter Of The ‘Wu Assassins’ Saga At Netflix

Lee B. Golden III

Iko Uwais is back and starring in Fistful Of Vengeance, per trade news making the rounds on Friday. The film is a standalone feature follow-up of Wu Assassins, as recently confirmed by Uwais himself in an episode of Scott Adkins’ The Art Of Action interview series. Per sites Variety and THR, rejoining Uwais are series one regulars Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao, and JuJu Chan Szeto. New casting additions include Pearl Thusi (Quantico, Queen Sono) and Jason Tobin (Warrior), along with actresses Rhatha Phongam (Mechanic: Resurrection, Only God Forgives) and Francesca Corney. Roel Reiné (Black Sails, The Admiral) is on set in Thailand to direct, in reunion with writers Cameron Litvack, Jessica Chou, and Yalun Tu penning the script as they did for the first season of the show. Living Films is providing production services. Wu Assassins launched in 2019, starring Uwais as a wayward chef in San Francisco spirited away […]

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JIU JITSU Review: Logothetis’s New Martial Arts Sci-Fi Has Blockbuster Ambitions, Barely Gets A Grip

Lee B. Golden III

Best known for reimagining 1989’s Kickboxer with two storied back-to-back reboots, filmmaker Dimitri Logothetis segways into the comic book genre for the first time, adapting Acme Rocket Fuel’s in-house IP, Jiu Jitsu. Teeming with action-heavy talent per usual, the film rejoins Logothetis with Kickboxer Vengeance and Kickboxer Retaliation star Alain Moussi, having since escalated from stunt performance to achieving leading man status for the martial arts niche. It’s not too long before the film’s biggest players join the fray setting our story in Burma, namely Nicolas Cage who appears briefly in one of the film’s opening moments following an eruptive chase sequence opener that leaves Moussi’s character injured, unconscious, and floating in the water. Pulled to safety by a farm couple and escorted to a nearby Army base, our protagonist is treated, and sooner interrogated by Army intel officer Myra (Marie Avgeropoulos) who tries to mitigate whether or not she […]

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JIU JITSU Will Save The World In The Official Trailer For The Martial Arts Sci-Fi With Alain Moussi, Tony Jaa And Nicolas Cage

Lee B. Golden III

At long last after two Kickboxer reboots, martial arts fans can now take a gander at what director Dimitri Logothetis has in store with sci-fi thriller, Jiu Jitsu, starring Nicolas Cage, and Kickboxer reboot star of late, actor and martial artist Alain Moussi. And if you’re gettin’ some Mortal Kombat-meets-Predator vibes, I guess you’re not alone! Every six years, an ancient order of expert Jiu Jitsu fighters faces a vicious race of alien invaders in a battle for Earth. For thousands of years, the fighters that protect Earth have won…until now. When celebrated war hero Jake Barnes (Alain Moussi) is defeated by Brax, the indomitable leader of the invaders, the future of humanity hangs in the balance. Injured and suffering from amnesia, Jake is rescued by Wylie (Nicolas Cage), Keung and his team of fellow Jiu Jitsu fighters. They must help Jake to regain his strength in order to band […]

‘Hollow Point’ Director Daniel Zirilli Shares A Brief Ceremonial Highlight Reel From Jackie Chan Int’l Action Week [Exclusive]

Lee B. Golden III

Just a ways from the release of his next film, Acceleration, director Daniel Zirilli is sharing with us a small highlight reel from the star-studded fifth annual Jackie Chan International Action Film Week. The director was invited by the legendary action star himself to screen action thriller Hollow Point following its multiple wins at the NOIDENTITY International Action Film Festival Spain (NIAFFS), and the Iron Dragon TV Action Fest in Austin, Texas. The reel above showcases the red carpet/closing cermonies for the event in Datong, China with Zirilli, accompanied by Wu Assassins co-star JuJu Chan who also headlines the film. Chan joins action star Luke Goss, Jay Mohr, Michael Pare, Bill Duke, Roger Guenveur Smith, Natalie Burn, and award-winning lead debut actor Dilan Jay who also produces the film with Adel Nur. Hollow Point centers on a college professor whose wife and daughter are killed in the crossfire of a […]

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First Reaction: WU ASSASSINS, The Tale Of A Chef Whose Kitchen Just Got Hotter

Lee B. Golden III

Ten years since breaking ground for Indonesian audiences with Merantau and his own action franchise with The Raid, action star and actor Iko Uwais has grown ever closer to becoming a more household name in the mainstream market beyond the martial arts niche. Following recent hits like Headshot and The Night Comes For Us and Hollywood turn-outs for Mile 22 and Stuber, the prolific Silat impresario now stakes his claim with his own Netflix series in Wu Assassins, the latest in a continued string of martial arts-tethered TV hits succeeding shows like Into The Badlands and Cinemax’s Bruce Lee-honed western drama, Warrior. Set in present-day San Francisco, the show opens in action-scenic fashion with Uwais embroiled in a blistering hallway fight. We see two versions of this action sequence in the first episode bookending what observes as an introductory look into the world of Kai, a stoic, resilient chef trying […]

JuJu Chan on the set of WU ASSASSINS (2019)

THE INVETERATE DRAGON: A Roundtable Chat With Acclaimed Martial Arts Star, Actress JuJu Chan

Lee B. Golden III

Distinguished martial arts star and actress JuJu Chan left a spritely impression with Adrian Castro’s award-winning short, Hit Girls alongside Maria Tran back in 2013 in my own discoveries. She’s been a sight to see ever since with hopes all the more prevalent that she’d become a greater film presence in due time, missed opportunities notwithstanding. To say the least, the uptick in work over the last several years has been gradual and hugely welcome. Her status as a Hong Kong national athlete with accolades earned in Taekwondo and Thai boxing have paved the way for opportunities to work with and stand among the best in entertaimment with a current raft of TV and film titles coming forthwith. For most action fans, the upcoming Netflix streaming release, Wu Assassins, couldn’t come any sooner, and with Indonesian action superstar Iko Uwais dominating the fray with a vision of fight choreography that […]

WU ASSASSINS Official Series Trailer Unleashes Martial Arts Mastery And Mayhem!

Lee B. Golden III

The first official clip is already making the rounds for Netflix’s forthcoming ten-episode action drama, Wu Assassins. The streamer now adds to the fervor with on official series trailer packing well over a punch with actor Iko Uwais leading the charge, a major mainstream milestone for his career in front of a global audience. The last in a line of Chosen Ones, a wannabe chef teams up with a homicide detective to unravel an ancient mystery and take down supernatural assassins. Rounding out the cast is a heavy-hitting roster that lists Byron Mann, Tzi Ma and actress JuJu Chan, Into The Badlands actor Lewis Tan and Polar and History series Vikings actress Katheryn Winnick, John Wick 3‘s own Mark Dacascos and Sons Of Anarchy and American Fighter actor Tommy Flanagan, with Celia Au, Lawrence Kao and Li Jun Li also starring. August 8 is the date, and Entertainment Weekly also […]

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JIU-JITSU: Grillo, Chan, Jaa And More Join Moussi/Cage Martial Arts Sci-Fi Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Following events at FilMart upon announcing intergalatic martial arts adventure, Jiu-Jitsu, trade news at Screendaily is confirming a quintet of casting additions. Actor Frank Grillo, and acting and martial arts star talents Tony Jaa and JuJu Chan will appear in the film with cameras set to role on June 24. Joining the trio are Rick Yune and Marie Avgeropoulos with Alain Moussi and Nicolas Cage leading. Moussi will star as Jake Barnes, a war hero championing Earth’s liberation in an epic BJJ match that happens every six years against waves of alien invaders. Cage will play the role of Wylie, the leader of a team of jiu-jitsu fighters who take in Jake must and help him recover his memory and strength following his foreboding defeat at the hands of Brax, the indomitable alien leader. Dimitri Logothetis will produce with Martin Barab, and will direct from a script he wrote with […]

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Netflix’s WU ASSASSINS Adds Juju Chan and Mark Dacascos

Lee B. Golden III

Netflix has cast Juju Chan and Mark Dacascos to its cadre of martial arts badasses for Netflix series WU ASSASSINS starring Iko Uwais

HOLLOW POINT: Cameras Are Now Rolling For The New Daniel Zirilli Vigilante Thriller

HOLLOW POINT: Cameras Are Now Rolling For The New Daniel Zirilli Vigilante Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Director Daniel Zirilli had been slowly hyping his latest project in recent weeks and now is officially in production in Los Angeles with action thriller, Hollow Point. Zirilli penned the script with writers Chad Law and Evan Law (The Shadow Effect, Hero Wanted), and reteams with actor Luke Goss (Blade 2, The Night Crew, Traffik) once more since the 2016 crime flick, Crossing Point. Hailing from producer Adel Nur at Halcyon Films, Hollow Point follows Goss in the role of Hank Cormac, a lawyer and charismatic vigilante who leads a team of crime fighters. Debut actor Dilan Jay stands front and center to the narrative as Nolan Cooray, a widowed family man failed by the legal system only to find himself reluctantly aligning with Cormac’s crew and waging war on the criminal underworld. Joining the cast of princpals are Michael Pare (The Debt Collector) and actress and martial artist Juju […]

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SAVAGE RESOLVE: An Interview With Stuntman And Filmmaker Jesse V. Johnson

Lee B. Golden III

From left to right: Scott Adkins, Jesse V. Johnson and Marko Zaror on the set of SAVAGE DOG (2017) Back in the early two-thousandsies, my DVD purchase of director Jesse V. Johnson’s Pit Fighter was certainly a blind-buy for me. What attracted me the most, of course, was the appearance of actor and martial artist Dominique Vandenberg on the cover and having especially noticed him delivering a barrage of kicks as the Outworld minion who gets smashed after Sub-Zero gives spectators the infamous “taste of things to come” in the 1995 feature, Mortal Kombat, I pretty much thought I’d give it a shot. The film’s delivery earned a mix of reviews on the now-defunct HKFlix.com whereas my own opinion of the film was half-and-half. My own tastes were evolving so I didn’t appreicate it as much as I probably would now if I gave it a rewatch…and I’m not just […]

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Review: Jesse Johnson’s SAVAGE DOG Is Fan’s Best Friend

Lee B. Golden III

Follow action movies long enough and you’re likely one of the many in line waiting to find out what director Jesse V. Johnson has in store with upcoming ensemble thriller, Triple Threat. That project came in the wake of quite a few announcements highlighting the names of a few directors up to helm the pic while it was Johnson who eventually took it on earlier this year. The film, likely bound for 2018, will mark the latest pairing between Johnson and British actor and martial artist Scott Adkins whose earlier acting career saw their first time together on the set of 2005 action drama, Pit Fighter, led by actor and martial artist Dominique Vandenberg; Avid fans of the genre might also be keen on the point in time in which Vandernberg served as a member of the French Foreign Legion. It’s an aspect of Vandenberg’s life that I find worth […]

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JuJu Chan Up To Star In Australia/China Action Co-Prod, PEPPER

Lee B. Golden III

Antony Szeto (Fist Of The Dragon, Jackie Chan Presents: Wushu) is reportedly up to direct upcoming action thriller, Pepper. The news comes in the wake of meeting opportunities between Szeto and Filmworks Company CEO and screenwriter Janice Eymann, along with Beijing Tong Fa Group chairman Tony Cheng and group director/general manager Kent Chen thereafter. Eymann’s script, for which celebrated martial artist, Chinese/American actress JuJu Chan is in talks to star as the title character, tells of a secret agent who sets out to Far North Queensland to find her missing brother, a fellow agent. Chan’s credits include – and aren’t limited to – Szeto’s Fist Of The Dragon and Palace Of The Damned, Adrian Castro’s award-winning shortfilm, Hit Girls, Yuen Woo-Ping’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny, Jesse Johnson’s Savage Dog and Fruit Chan’s upconing thriller, The Invincible Dragon. Casting is also reportedly underway for a hopeful A-list male lead […]

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Scott Adkins Thriller, SAVAGE DOG, To Take A Bite Out Of August In North America

Lee B. Golden III

There’s a little more being stirred than what’s publicly known on what’s to come between actor/director duo Scott Adkins and Jesse V. Johnson (bearing in mind a certain adapatation of a well known British comic book which Adkins also produced). For now, among the few titles you can currently expect to hear more on is Savage Dog which now brings some new stills to surface which you can view at the bottom of the page. Indochina, 1959. A Wild West town controlled by the criminal class: Vietnamese warlords and European war criminals. Den-Dhin-Chan Labor Camp is run by four such dangerous men. The worst prison in the land, it is here that a European, former-champion boxer Martin Tilman (Scott Adkins) has made a name for himself fighting tournaments, on which wealthy criminals gamble in high stakes events. When Tilman is due for release, he just wants to return home, but […]

SAVAGE OFF SCREEN: A Word With Actress, Martial Artist And Author JuJu Chan

Actress JuJu Chan (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny) has often been referred to as “the female Bruce Lee” and for good reason. Just like Lee, she is an actress, a martial artist and a published author. Sure, she may not have invented her own martial arts system, but then Bruce was never a singer/songwriter (that we know of) so we’ll call it a draw…for now. Her latest movie, Savage Dog, sees her sharing the screen with Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror and Cung Le. She may not have gotten to do much in the way of kicking ass on camera, but that didn’t stop her from fulfilling most of our dream of training with, sparring with and just hanging out with this trio of badasses. Film Combat Syndicate: What can you tell us about your character in Savage Dog? JC: I’m playing Isabelle. She’s the emotional drive of the whole film. She’s […]

Trailer: THE INVINCIBLE DRAGON Breathes Hard-Hitting Action With Max Zhang And Anderson Silva

Lee B. Golden III

Award-winning filmmaker, writer and director Fruit Chan’s latest has appeared to have undergone a change in the past week. Thus, there’s new poster art now accomodating the film’s updated title, The Invincible Dragon (formerly Made In Kowloon), and still with the sheer, continued promise of delivering blistering action, no less. Conveniently the film’s first official trailer doles out exactly that with action star, actor Max Zhang rising even further to prominence, playing a detective fighting to rescue his abducted fiance in the wake of a spate of serial homicides. Rounding out the cast are actress and martial artist JuJu Chan (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon : Swords of Destiny), Kevin Cheng, Stephy Tang, and Sumyau Liu, and former UFC Middleweight Champion, actor Anderson Silva (Tapped Out) with Stephen Tung (The Accidental Spy, Saving General Yang) bolstering the film’s action sequences. You can look forward to more on Zhang’s endeavors with Cheung […]

Jesse V. Johnson’s SAVAGE DOG Unleashes An Official Poster

Lee B. Golden III

XLrator Media On Wednesday, action star Scott Adkins posted the official teaser trailer for his latest action-packed affair, Savage Dog. This week, and in the company of a full press release no less, an official poster is finally here which you can take a gander at below. Read on and stay tuned for further coverage! Hollywood, CA (January 25th, 2017) Martial Arts Action star sensation Scott Adkins is back in “Savage Dog” Indochina – 1959. A lawless town controlled by the criminal class: Vietnamese warlords and European war criminals. Den-Dhin-Chan Labor Camp is run by four such dangerous men. The worst prison in the land, it is here that a European, former-champion boxer Martin Tillman (Scott Adkins, Marvel’s “Doctor Strange”) has made a name for himself fighting tournaments, on which wealthy criminals gamble in high stakes events. When Tillman is due for release, he just wants to return home, but […]

SAVAGE DOG Shows Its Teeth In The Explosive First Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

When it was announced last year in a series of reports that martial arts stars Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror would be returning to the screen, Savage Dog had no more than names and a logline attached to some tentative artwork. It’s something of a mystery to me as to why that was but thankfully the film has earned its way to completion and now we have an official trailer of sorts to start things off with. SYNOPSIS: Indochina – 1959. A lawless land controlled by the criminal class: Vietnamese warlords and European war-criminals. Den-Dhin-Chan Labor Camp is run by four such dangerous men. The worst prison in the land, it is here that an Irish, former-champion boxer Martin Tilman (Adkins) has made a name for himself fighting tournaments, on which wealthy criminals gamble in high stakes events. When Tilman is due for release, he just wants to return home, […]

MADE IN KOWLOON: Pegasus Officially Announces Fruit Chan’s New Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Courtesy of Pegasus Motion Pictures Ltd. Filmmaker Fruit Chan’s latest, Made In Kowloon has all but stirred plenty of excitement in the last several months with the production of the new movie. Looking at the cast alone regards nothing short of fan service with the likes of Ip Man spin-off prospect, actor and martial artist Max Zhang and the UFC’s own Anderson “The Spider” Silva with actress and martial artist JuJu Chan staking her claim in the year following her appearance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny. Pegasus Motion Pictures Limited has officially announced the film among its production slate while its worth noting to keep an eye particularly on Zhang with said spin-off in addition to Jonathan Li’s fantasy action debut, The Brink, also starring Shawn Yue. Read further on and stay tuned for more information as production on Made In Kowloon spears forward. View post on […]

Official Synopsis For Jesse Johnson Actioner, SAVAGE DOG

Lee B. Golden III

It was just this summer when we finally learned of director Jesse Johnson’s latest return to the director’s chair for period action thriller, Savage Dog. The attachment of actor and martial artist Scott Adkins certainly emboldened things a bit followed by news of fellow stars Marko Zaror and Cung Le along with actress JuJu Chan certainly helped keep things afloat as production moved forward. The promotional campaign for the film hasn’t officially begun yet although what came of it about a month ago was a mock promotional poster which you can click here to check out. Otherwise, you can expect Spring 2017 to be a busy time for Johnson and the good folks over at Bleiberg Entertainment to get the ball rolling with a trailer and some extra photo gems from the production with Savage Dog certainly looking to add some extra fervor to the principle Adkins and Zaror fanbases. […]