michael jai white

Load Up! The Official TRIPLE THREAT Trailer Is Finally Here!

For some of us, the last two years have been an eternity with the planned release of forthcoming ensemble actioner, Triple Threat. This one in particular is one in a bundle of productions that have jam-packed The Beautiful Ones director Jesse V. Johnson’s schedule since he resurfaced with his Pit Fighter co-star, Scott Adkins, for a quintet of projects to date beginning with Savage Dog in 2017. With Adkins’ Avengement still in the pipeline as well as Dominique Vandenberg starrer Legion Maxx over at Evolutionary Films, Triple Threat, long since its stasis as “Makeshift Squad”, can finally pick up some steam with the official trailer, and a wide one-night release March 19, and a select theatrical and VOD rollout on March 22. A hit contract is taken out on a billionaires daughter intent on bringing down a major crime syndicate. A down and out team of mercenaries must take on […]

CAGEFIGHTER: Michael Jai White, Gina Gershon, Josh Herdman Headline Inspirational MMA Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Calloused Hands helmer Jesse Quinones is taking to the octagon for Cagefighter according to several reports ahead of European Film Market in February. He’ll direct from his own script that has Josh Herdman, Michael Jai White, and Bound and Face/Off actress Gina Gershon starring along with Michelle Ryan and Welcome To The Punch actor Jason Maza. Cagefighter is described as an uplifting and inspiring story about a man grappling with his own inner fears in the last place you’d ever want to be afraid: the violent world of British Mixed Martial Arts. Herdman will play Reiss, a fighter deemed erratic and out of control after unexpectedly losing a heavily promoted match finds him on a downward spiral. His marriage is on the brink as is his friendship with his agent, and after alienating his long-time trainer and the biggest MMA promoter in the business, he must now dig deep to […]

ACCIDENT MAN Is The Quintessential Scott Adkins Action Movie (Reprint)

Lee B. Golden III

Martial arts fandom persists with the help of flourishing successes in film and TV. Direct-to-video releases, an underdog portion of the current market, sputters due no less to the profusion of torrents but nevertheless remains tenacious in its stability for fans and consumers. It’s an endurance that keeps burgeoning actors like UK martial artist and fan favorite, Scott Adkins, relevant long enough to see progress on more than one front in the last twenty years as he has been. Indeed, twenty years is a long time for anyone to put their physicality and well-being through the blender to maintain peak screenfighting athleticism, and all while forseeing prospects in a field where the likes of celebrated crossover stars such as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, and the emerging crop of stunt and film talent from around the internet, have all brought to question the legitimacy of growing stunt professionals into principal […]

MAKING A KILLING: Michael Jai White Hunts For A Killer In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Michael Jai White may have a ways to go until fans can witness a little more profusion with crowdfunded Blaxploitation indie western, The Outlaw Johnny Black. In the meantime, the actor and relatively known martial arts star is taking the mantle as a different kind of gunslinger in the new mystery crime drama, Making A Killing, from director Devin Hume. Arthur Herring (Mike Starr) is the mayor, priest and mortician in a small town called Cardinal. His brother Vincent Herring (Jude Moran) is his right hand man and together they are well-respected pillars of the community. Arthur and Vincent agreed to safe guard a small fortune of rare coins for a friend, Lloyd Mickey (Christopher Lloyd) another mortician and convicted felon. When released Lloyd wants his coins back but the brothers have other plans. Just as the brothers think they are in the clear, a tenacious detective, Orlando Hudson (Michael […]

THE OUTLAW JOHNNY BLACK: Michael Jai White Challenges Fans And Supporters To #GoOutlaw With Jaigantic's Indiegogo Campaign

Lee B. Golden III

Action star Michael Jai White has been up to all sorts of good in the last several months. Fans on Twitter got a taste in recent weeks of the actor’s upcoming blaxploitation Western spectacle initially thought to be a follow-up to his martial arts throwback retro favorite, Black Dynamite. Further updates then confirming the film’s title of an entirely different label with The Outlaw Johnny Black made things a little more clearer with both teasers on White’s Twitter page still boasting the same celebrated look and feel of blaxploitation cinema. And not for nothing either as director Scott Sanders’s hit 2009 film officially set a gripping tone for festive fans eager to see White’s profusion as one of today’s biggest and genuine action stars. Sadly, the same can’t be said regarding the politics of a myopic film industry rife with creative stagnation among other ailments. Alas, White and production partner, […]

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Michael Jai White Lights The Fuse In A BLACK DYNAMITE Sequel Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

The hype is real and there’s no denying it. The past few days have been stirring with actor, martial artist and entrepreneur Michael Jai White as he hustles to present his Jaigantic Studios label and its incorporated slate of film titles and the official website lends plenty to go on. Tentatively, the same goes for a brand new Twitter teaser keen on hailing as the sequel announcement Black Dynamite fans have been waiting for since word broke last year of coming news in 2018… To say the least, “boom!” goes the dynamite once more! “Black Is Black”#thisisjaigantic #blackisback pic.twitter.com/MwW6qly3ze — Michael Jai White (@MichaelJaiWhite) January 23, 2018

A Case For Better Action Movies: Jesse V. Johnson’s ACCIDENT MAN Is The Quintessential Scott Adkins Action Movie

Lee B. Golden III

Michael Jai White: ‘Expect BLACK DYNAMITE 2 Announcement In Early 2018 And Much More’

Lee B. Golden III

The last eight years have been especially stirring for actor and cult martial arts superstar Michael Jai White. The continued appreciation and sequel hopes for films like Blood And Bone, Ernie Barbarash’s Falcon Rising and White’s Never Back Down: No Surrender, remain unwaning, and the same especially goes for the instant favorite, Black Dynamite, Scott Sanders’s 2009 homage to blaxploitation from Destination Films and Apparition. Whatever the case may have been or will be, if any sequels will arise then it’s best to follow the word of individuals close to the material, and as it stands, none other than White himself was the man to go to in a recent interview at The Action Elite while promoting Cops And Robbers. Much with what White states is ado with mentions of television series continuations, particularly with respect to Barbarash’s film which White at one point cited as a film with a […]

TRIPLE THREAT Sells To Multiple Territories Worldwide For Theatrical And Netflix Releases In 2018

Lee B. Golden III

July was a great month to be a martial arts fan with all the excuse in the world to repeat-watch the comic-con teaser trailer for the new martial arts thriller, Triple Threat. Of course, critical results are pending but the trailer ponies up everything you could want in a movie of its genre with Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen leading the cast and Savage Dog helmer Jesse V. Johnson directing. The movie opens in 2018 with plans for a sequel already underway and Well Go USA has already snagged first dibs on the upcoming ensemble action pic. That leaves off a number of territories to be accounted for which brings us to Screendaily‘s exclusive on Monday for the U.S. based company to release the film in the U.K. and Australia as well, in addition to the following locations: Germany (Koch), Latin America (Swen), Italy (Movies Inspired), Portugal (Cinemundo), […]

Johnson, Carpenter, White, Others Join DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE, Vancouver Shoot Underway

Lee B. Golden III

Director S. Craig Zahler isn’t too far off from the forthcoming TIFF Midnight Madness premiere of his recently-completed prison actioner, Brawl In Cell Block 99. In the meantime, you can expect to catch that film’s star, next to actor Mel Gibson in the new police brutality pic, Dragged Across Concrete, which is also conveniently being filmed in Vancouver as we speak. Zahler’s script is one with a pair of stories told with characters on opposite sides of the law; Gibson and Vaughn star on one half of that end in the respective roles of old guard policeman, Ridgeman, and volatile younger partner, Anthony, who find themselves suspended when a video of their strong-arming tactics becomes the media’s special du jour. Low on cash and with no other options, these two embittered soldiers descend into the criminal underworld to gain their just due. Details remain pending on the crux of the […]

TRIPLE THREAT Has Your Favorite Action Stars Beating The Hell Out Of Each Other In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

I could go on and on until I’m blue in the face about how excited I am for the new action thriller, Triple Threat. I won’t, but I will throw my hat in with some words for seasoned stuntman and filmmaker Jesse V. Johnson who, in the wake of a stagnant directing career salvaged by the appeal drawn from his latest release, Savage Dog, has risen above expectations in opportune fashion. It truly is something to be proud of… a succession accompanied, no less, by a line-up of some serious, prominent action starpower; Names like Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen as well as Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping and Jeeja Yanin are all but what one would dream of seeing in a single movie together on the big screen, which, at least until starting late last year, almost felt like an impossibility. Then again, there were […]

Going ‘Under Siege’ With S.W.A.T. UNDER SIEGE Director Tony Giglio

Going 'Under Siege' With S.W.A.T. UNDER SIEGE Director Tony Giglio

While the original series harkens from the mid-70’s, the franchise has proven to withstand the test of time in part because of the relevance of the subject matter along with a very iconic ear worm of a theme song. SWAT has been steadily making its way back into the limelight starting with a 2003 reboot featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeremy Renner, and Colin Farrell. 14 years down the road and other iterations of the show have been made along with a pilot for a tv reboot helmed by Justin Lin. However we don’t have to wait for them to wrap shooting as the newest installation in the franchise, SWAT: Under Siege starring Sam Jaeger, Michael Jai White, and Adrianne Palicki is slated to release this August! Last week Film Combat Syndicate scored a great interview with Director Tony Giglio and got to pick his brain a bit: Hey […]

S.W.A.T.: UNDER SIEGE: Michael Jai White Brings Out The Big Guns And Bigger Kicks In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Chaos and Extraction helmer Tony Giglio is back and pretty much confirming just shy of a year after posting this teaser pic that actor and martial artist Michael Jai White does, in fact, get to fire that big ass gun. S.W.A.T.: Under Siege is the name and a likely direct-to-video a la sequel in name to its predecessors with no relation to its current TV form. White plays the point man of this latest roster led by Sam Jaeger (American Sniper) and Adrianne Palicki (GI Joe 2: Retaliation) with a story that tells of a raid gone wrong and an international terrorist who (Matthew Marsden) descends on a S.W.A.T. compound in pursuit of White’s character – marked conveniently by a Scorpion tatoo. Crave Online broke the exclusive with an official synopsis on Monday: When a D.E.A. and S.W.A.T. cartel takedown ends in a shootout, S.W.A.T. Agent Travis Hall (Jaeger) seizes […]

A Case For Better Action Movies: NEVER BACK DOWN: NO SURRENDER (2016)

Lee B. Golden III

I don’t generally review movies that have been out for very long – it saves me time in between all the other content I have to cover for this site and… well… sleeping, eating and all of my other daily functions and priorities. That said, I felt compelled to talk about actor Michael Jai White and his prospects as a director, which I think is as equally important as his film stardom among martial arts genre fans. As an actor he’s more versatile than some folks who watch his movies may care to know or realize – rudimentary in the fact that he generally cares about film, which I like. For this, it helps me appreciate what he’s brought in the last six years in exuding the subsequent direct-to-DVD distribution of the now culminating Never Back Down trilogy to its current existence with the most recent addition, Never Back Down: […]

TRIPLE THREAT Multiplies The Danger With Adkins, White And Bisping; Jesse V. Johnson To Direct

Lee B. Golden III

EXCLUSIVE: In the months since its evolution, the highly anticipated action thriller, Triple Threat (formely Makeshift Squad) has been a bookmark for many an Asian cinema fan looking to see just how this particular “Asian-Expendables” kind of movie this will bring about. The prospects have been good, too, and notably in the wake of its casting additions including headliners Tiger Chen (Man Of Tai Chi), Tony Jaa (Furious Seven) and Iko Uwais (Headshot), and particularly with 87eleven’s own Chad Stahelski (John Wick: Chapter 2) behind the action scenes. Bearing all this in mind, an attached director has not been entirely certain with earlier names Gary Mak and Wang Xiaolie having circled the project, the latter reported by the time of its acquisition over at international sales outfit Arclight Films late last year. Moreover, with Stahelski poised to move forward with a hopeful third installment of the hit John Wick franchise […]

Review: THE LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE – Volume One (2008 TV Series)

Going 'Under Siege' With S.W.A.T. UNDER SIEGE Director Tony Giglio

Perhaps no one is as lauded, both personally and professionally, than Bruce Lee (Li Xiao Long). Well, Jackie Chan is a close second but that’s not the focus of this review. Where should I start? I have many conflicting emotions writing this and I am sure there will be some people that will take my own informed opinions with a grain of salt. And you should. Because this review is my own, of course. Let’s start with the production. CCTV backed The Legend Of Bruce Lee. It’s video quality. Although it was filmed in 2008, I was disheartened of the low quality throughout the ten episodes in Volume 1. Made for several million dollars for 50 episodes and Executive Produced by Bruce’s daughter, Shannon, I felt that the overall vision was amateurish but had promise. Yet, seeing a young Bruce Lee (Danny Chan) along with terrible and distracting English dubbing […]

Jesse V. Johnson’s Comic Book Adaptation, ACCIDENT MAN Confirms Its Roster With Martial Arts Star Scott Adkins Leading

Lee B. Golden III

The past few weeks have been brewing something under the radar in a modest effort to surprise action fans before several details about Jesse V. Johnson’s latest film, Accident Man, were leaked online via IMDb. At this point it pretty much makes the best sense to report it all know and thus, the latest trade news via Deadline confirms most of the suspected cast along with a few surprises as follows. And indeed, it is the man himself, Marvel’s Doctor Strange co-star Scott Adkins who took to his Facebook fanpage earlier on to tease the project as a lifelong passion inspired by one of his favorite comic book characters in which he has since been confirmed to star. Stu Small is penning the film, based on the property created by Pat Mills and Tony Skinner and launched in the U.K. through formerly existing publisher, Toxic!, which sees British martial arts and […]

Well Go USA To Release LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE: VOL.1 On DVD This November

Lee B. Golden III

I remember first seeing the trailer to the CCTV-1 broadcast of the Shannon Lee produced series, The Legend Of Bruce Lee a bit less than a decade ago. Having already been a fan of director Rob Cohen’s Hollywood treatment, I wasn’t too impressed and I guess because it felt a bit like excess for there to be another pseudo-fictional telling of the life and legend of the Jeet Kune Do founder and martial arts film star. I think nowadays, however, my perspective has changed a bit since then and particularly considering that lead actor Danny Chan reprised the role opposite Donnie Yen in the hit film, Ip Man 3, it’s understandable that fans would probably take a ceremonial liking to this show which casts a number of well-knowns and through a showcase of various styles of martial arts to interpret how Lee adapts to win his battles. It’s a martial […]

THE HIT LIST: October 17, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Well, it was a weekend of work, anime and sleep. Thankfully the second now comes with good word of a few notable titles now available at Crunchyroll that I can finally finish where Netflix left off since they often store incomplete shows… …Anyway, enough of that. It’s time to get to a trio of meaty, mighty playlists for this week’s installment of THE HIT LIST that I know you will have plenty to fill up with. And on that note, we can always count on actor, martial artist, stuntman and filmmaker Eric Jacobus to lead the way for videos specially attributed to the Tekken game franchise. With another already in tow, Armor King is now staking his claim via Eric’s YouTube channel first up in the playlist below, followed by a slew of stunt and demo reels by Luci Romberg, Jake Teel, Sakaeda Ayami, Justin Hall, Daisy Fryer, Fernando Campos, […]

Get A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Action In Daniel Zirilli’s THE ASIAN CONNECTION

Lee B. Golden III

Crossing Point helmer Daniel Zirilli is currently onto furthering film prospects with the likes of Chilean action star Marko Zaror for a tentatively untitled project in Bangkok this November. It’s one that marks but one of several credits to the director having familiarized himself with Asia’s various locals, namely in and around Thailand, and aptly enough for the production schedule back in 2015 with his recent crime thriller, The Asian Connection. Produced by Damiano Tucci (Shark Lake), actor John Edward Lee (Terminator: Genysis) leads the cast along with actress Pim Bubear (The Man With The Iron Fists 2) for the story of two American robbers, Jack and Sam, committing a spate of heists when one of their jobs lands them in danger after learning they’ve stolen from a local crime boss. eOne has since released the film with much of the artwork featuring actor Steven Seagal front and center who […]