ECHO 8 Trilogy: New Teaser And Stills Debut As Post-Production Fundraising Kicks Off
Help complete the Echo 8 trilogy!
maria tran
ECHO 8: A Fourth Installment In Maria Tran’s Indie Action Franchise Is Possible
The “Echo 8” saga is currently in toe with two new chapters releasing between now and early 2026.
ECHO 8 TRILOGY: Post-Production Begins On Sequels To Maria Tran’s 2022 Indie Assassin Hit Thriller
The rogue assassin and protector returns in 2026!
TIGER COP: PROJECT A Premiere: It’s Maria Tran VS Richard Norton In An Old School Showdown!
Now streaming: TIGER COP: PROJECT A!
TIGER COP: PROJECT A: Generations Of Hong Kong Action Fandom Collide In Exclusive Poster Debut
TIGER COP: PROJECT A premieres online on March 17.
TIGER COP: PROJECT A Claws Its Way Online Starring Maria Tran And Richard Norton
Back to stir the Hong Kong action nostalgia some is filmmaker Adrian Castro with another offering in the Tiger Cop shortfilm saga with Tiger Cop: Project A. Castro reunites with Echo 8 trilogy shepherd Maria Tran, who leads a cast that also brings aboard screen legend Richard Norton (Magic Crystal, Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars). Tiger and Tang shut down a major arms deal called PROJECT A. Tracking down the infamous White Ghost, it’s a final showdown with her arch nemesis. Tiger Cop: Project A gets its day on March 17 on YouTube. Check out the trailer below! Lead image: Jose Luis Gomez
ECHO 8: FIVE-BY-FIVE Reveals New Look At Maria Tran, Takashi Hara, And More As Sequel Production Commences
Two weeks into production, new stills and BTS images are online for the next chapter in the ECHO 8 trilogy!
TIGER COP: PROJECT A: Richard Norton Joins In As Maria Tran And Adrian Castro Hail Next Chapter In The Nostalgic HK Style Shortfilm Saga
Fans of the independent Fideo Films and Phoenix Eye platforms are reconvening once more for another entry into the cult “Tiger Cop” shortfilm saga with Tiger Cop: Project A. Aussie director Adrian Castro will reteam with rising star Maria Tran (Tracer, Suka, Echo 8) on the new short with cameras rolling in Sydney and Melbourne in December. Tran will lead a cast that also lists Melbourne-based collaborators Vinh Nguyen, martial artists Louis Damien Chaurémootoo and David Hong, and comedian/actor Georgina Neville. Further bolstering the roster is legendary action star Richard Norton, whose credits partly include Twinkle Twinke Lucky Stars (1985), China O’Brien (1988) and its 1990 sequel, as well as Mr. Nice Guy (1987), Mad Max: Fury Road and its 2024 prequel, Furiosa, and upcoming Cynthia Rothrock Western vehicle, Black Creek. The concept behind Tiger Cop: Project A is a highly celebrated one for fans of the 80s and early-90s […]
This ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ Star Will Next Appear In This New Aussie Indie Horror Short Next Month
I forget that it’s pretty much Halloween season now, even with the deluge of horror projects in my inbox at times. Otherwise, I’ve always been and will be a keen supporter of actress Maria Tran (Tracer, “Last King Of The Cross”) who is just off the official launch of the Echo 8 trilogy project amid a series of workshops aimed bolstering local Australian indie film creatives. Par for the course is her latest shortfilm endeavor, Midnight Never Sleeps, a chilling 9-minute psychological horror film directed by Tran from a script by film partner Elizabeth H. Vu. The cast is led by Ana Thu Nguyen whose credits include The Spy Who Never Dies, Get Free, and Suka, as well as upcoming thrillers Primitive War from director Luke Sparke, and Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat 2 from Warner Bros. Pictures. In Midnight Never Sleeps, Nguyen stars as a pregnant wife left alone to […]
ECHO 8 TRILOGY: Cast And Production Details Announced For Asian-Oz Assassin Saga As Crowdfunding Launches At Indiegogo
Crowdfunding is underway for Echo 8 sequels Echo 8: Five By Five and Echo 8: Beyond. Plans are underway to raise funds starting this week over at Indiegogo, with thirty-five days of principal photography commencing in early 2025, following script readings among the cast earlier this year. The micro-budgeted Echo 8 hails from independent production outlet Phoenix Eye Pty Ltd., shepherded by actress Maria Tran who stars in the title role. Tran also directed the film alongside co-star Takashi Hara from a screenplay by Elizabeth H. Vu (The Perception, upcoming Wake). Released this year on Amazon Prime and FAST platform Tubi, Echo 8 sees Tran in the title role, member of assassins’ organization, Zodiac, who begins questioning herself after being handed an assignment that takes a dark twist. Echo 8 also serves as atestament to the endurance of Western Sydney’s local Asian-Australian film community, staring down extensive hurdles brought about […]
DRAGON FIRE: Maria Tran Ignites The Action Nostalgia With New Concept Trailer From Fideo Films
If there’s ever a case to be made to support a film that truly pays homage to classic action movies of the 80s and 90s, I can point to a few creatives out there in the world who can actually capture that aesthetic. Aussie director Adrian Castro has certainly proven ample in that effort in his collaborations with burgeoning independent film star Maria Tran (Echo 8) on projects like the “Tiger Cop” concept trailers and shorts they’ve done over the years. Currently, you can sample those ideas and more at Castro’s Fideo Films YouTube channel where the duo have also just unveiled their latest concept trailer for Dragon Fire, pitting Tran and her fellow Phoenix Eye cohorts Takashi Hara and Therese Chen squarely in a gritty, Hong Kong action-inspired tale of vengeance that looks like something right out of today’s Vingear Syndrome genre catalogue. A Sydney police detective races against […]
Streaming Sleepers: ECHO 8 Takes Off On Reveel. Watch It Now For Free!
With casting recently done for the upcoming back-to-back sequels, the Maria Tran/Takashi Hara-directed sci-fi action drama, Echo 8 is now available to watch for free on Reveel. The website is easy to subscribe to and simply asks for your name and date of birth and password choice. Echo 8 hails from Phoenix Eye and stars Tran, Hara, and actors David Vuong, Gabriella Chan, and Mike Leeder from a script by Elizabeth H. Vu. The film centers on a underground organization of assassins, including Echo 8 (Tran), a professional killer whose mind starts flashing between nightmarish dream and her reality, forcing her to question her latest assignment which includes killing a grieving mother. Tran, Hara, Vu, and their team spearheaded the project beginning a production journey that galvanized Western Sydney’s Asian-Australian independent film production talent base comprised mostly of women. Its arduous journey, extended with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic […]
ECHO 8 Trilogy: Casting Call Underway For ‘Five By Five’ And ‘Beyond’ Through February
Film duo Maria Tran and Takashi Hara are kicking off principal photography in Q1 2025 for the back-to-back production of the sequels to the independently produced Australian noir action psych thriller, Echo 8. A casting call is now underway with submissions to be sent by February 8. The Echo 8 Trilogy represents a collection of urban action assassin films with a female- led perspective, crafted under the creative direction of Maria Tran and penned by Elizabeth H. Vu. This trilogy takes audiences on three distinct cinematic journeys: “Echo 8” (2023), “Five By Five” (2025), and “Echo 8 Beyond” (2025). Five By Five: Set three decades prior to ‘Echo 8,’ the prequel ‘Five By Five’ unveils the enigmatic Agent 5’s grief-stricken existence and his gradual spiral into chaos while climbing Zodiac’s hierarchy. Echo 8 Beyond: After the occurrences of ‘Echo 8,’ Anna finds herself pursued by lethal Zodiac operatives tasked with […]
SUKA Review: Weary Romantic Action Drama Flames Out Too Soon
Suka is now available on Digital in the U.S.. You can rent or purchase the film at Vudu or wherever movies are sold. A vicious, longstanding turf war between the Dawood and Yang crime families threatens to cripple Western Sydney as the starting point of Suka, the latest work from director Heidi Lee Douglas. The film eases things in some, chronicling a series of events just under fifteen minutes to explore the dark betrayal and tragic occurrence that unravels the lives of a young mother and her child. That period spans about ten years before jumping to present day and we soon meet Hui (Jenny Wu), a young business major estranged from her mother, Wasiya (Tsu Shan Chambers), a businesswoman and the matriarch of the Dawood crime family. Hui finds herself only a few degrees of separation from crossing paths with the seemingly affable Yun Bo (Paul He), and while […]
ECHO 8: Maria Tran’s Asian-Aussie Indie Hit Lands A New Trailer Ahead Of West Coast U.S. Premiere!
The ceremony is no laughing matter when it comes to Australian psych-action thriller sci-fi, Echo 8. Heralded as a beacon of success for indie film locals in the region as a low budget sensation, the film has been tracking more than well at festivals with ample reception, and I’ve happily contributed as much through my platform. The US $8,000-produced feature debut from film duo Maria Tran and Takashi Hara, and screenwriter Elizabeth H. Vu, now makes headway at this weekend’s freshman Big Bad Film Fest action film festival. Further anchoring the festivities is a brand new trailer for the film which you can view below. An assassin flashes between a nightmarish dream and her reality at a secret underground organization. When her latest mission involves killing a grieving mother, she discovers her target is closer to home than she realizes-much closer. Echo 8 stars Tran who makes her feature-directing debut, […]
ECHOES AHEAD: A Word With ‘Echo 8’ Scribe Elizabeth H. Vu
Actress and filmmaker Maria Tran’s bolstering independent film career is making headway in the festival circuit with the new psychological action drama, Echo 8. Filming took a few years with the film ending up in post-production with trailer footage finally making its debut late last summer, followed by a series of screenings already underway since ramping up local screening efforts last Fall. (My review can be found here.) In the film, Tran plays the member of a clandestine organization of assassins, whose latest mission now finds her brought face to face with someone connected to her past. The film was written by Elizabeth H. Vu who is more well-learned in the horror arena, which makes Echo 8 her inaugural dip in the action arena, and with suspense now hanging in lieu of the film’s upcoming trilogy slate which now includes Echo 8: Beyond and Echo 8: Five By Five. Vu […]
It’s Maria Tran-Versus-Lara Balog In TIGER COP: YES, MADAM!
Film duo Maria Tran and Adrian Castro have been filmmaking for longer than I’ve been writing, and that includes paying homage to 80s Hong Kong action fanfare with a series of shorts dubbed Tiger Cop. With a feature treatment still somewhere down the pipeline, one can only hope they’ll reach their destination seeing as the two clearly have what it takes to recreate the desired aesthetic. Until then, here’s another humble offering with Tran and actress Lara Balog in Tiger Cop: Yes, Madam!, rendered in 4K for your enjoyment if you have but a couple of minutes to spare!
Asian-Australian Independent Action Thriller ECHO 8 Lands Two Back-To-Back Sequels Shooting In 2025
Actress and filmmaker Maria Tran and her good folks at Phoenix Eye are currently tracking the festivals in 2023 with their debut feature, Echo 8. The new psych action thriller, about an assassin who finds herself at an impasse with her organization when she’s assigned her latest target, has already lined up several official nominations and awards including and not limited to Tokyo and Singapore, while the company is now priming a continuation of the story in two back-to-back sequels, Echo 8: Beyond and Echo 8: Five By Five. Reviews are also making the rounds in addition to mine which you can take a gander at here. For the sequels, Tran is reteaming with Echo 8 screenwriter Elizabeth H. Vu to outline the next two chapters. Plot and further casting details remain pending, while Tran and the producers rev up a script reading table event for this Fall, before announcing […]
ECHO 8 Review: A Lean, Inspiring DIY Psych Action Drama With A Beating Heart
Echo 8 is currently circulating festivals and will screen this Spring as part of the “Badlands” series at The Art Gallery of New South Wales. Click here for more info, and ollow the movie on Facebook for future updates. I’ve been writing about Maria Tran for about as long as I’ve been… well… writing. Her 2013 action comedy short with Adrian Castro, Hit Girls, was a fine catch at the time and provided ample introduction for me to the kind of artist and performer Tran is, further highlighting her caliber as a film creative with a number of short film projects, and often collaborating with fellow independent film cohort Castro in the process, along with select television projects and a few feature film appearances to top off her resumè nicely in the meantime. Such credits include working with the likes of legendary producer Roger Corman on Antony Szeto’s Fist Of […]
Asian-Australian Psych Action Sci-Fi ECHO 8 Gets A Short-But-Sweet Exhilirating Teaser
Film duo Maria Tran and Takashi Hara have been keeping busy with their theatrical stage work in the weeks since completing sci-fi action thriller, Echo 8. The film is currently preparing for screenings going into the New Year for their debut pic which they crowdfunded and produced tenaciously during the pandemic, and all leading up to the official trailer debut back in August. The team has since released a brisk new teaser to whet the appetite before then, with both Tran and Hara starring in the film from a script by Elizabeth H. Vu. A highly trained assassin flashes between a nightmarish dream and her reality at a secret underground organization. When her latest mission involves killing a grieving mother, she discovers her target is closer to home than she realizes—much closer. Echo 8 also stars Gabrielle Chan, David Vuong, Mike Leeder, Michael Quan, Eliza Nguyen, Fellino Dellosa, Joe June […]
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