ninja shadow of a tear
Charlie Ruedpokanon is 'UNCAGED' In Two New Ads For Tiger Beer
Any beer drinkers here watch action movies? Well, take note. The stunt industry thanks you for your attention, by way of native New Yorker and stuntman, Charlie Ruedpokanon, whose career has become quite steady since long before YouTube became a thing, performing indie projects since the late 90’s and eventually getting recognized by groups like Zero Gravity and The Stunt People. Since then, and having begun his stunt career professionally in 2007, you’ll likely catch him performing in various Southeast Asian and Hollywood productions like, Shamo, Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li, Bangkok Adrenaline, Elephant White, Only God Forgives and Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear.
Such an impressive and growing resumè was enough for pan-Asian beer maker and distributor Tiger Beer who launched the new video as part of the company’s regional ad campaign with the theme, “Uncage”, focused on individuals who live their lives unhinged and undeterred in pursuing their goals. You can check out the video in the following embed, as well as the behind-the-scenes video for the new promo just beneath.
Ruedpokanon‘s upcoming filmography will also include performances in Daniel Zirilli’s new thriller, Reflex, Roel Reine’s The Man With The Iron Fists 2: The Sting Of The Scorpion, and Ross W. Clarkson’s newly announced and long-awaited directorial debut, Fight Street, to name a few.
Stay tuned for more info, and if it suits you, you can follow all of Charlie‘s exploits on Twitter.
Scott Adkins And Isaac Florentine Reunite For CLOSE RANGE!
Well, you know what they say: If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!
Nearly eleven years after pairing together for the direct-to-video/DVD 2003 martial arts action adventure war flick, Special Forces, premiere action filmmaker Isaac Florentine and martial arts action superstar Scott Adkins are preparing to team once more for a new action thriller in the form of Close Range, courtesy of Compound B. The film sees Adkins starring as Colton MacReady, a man left vulnerable by a corrupt sheriff and his men while cornered in his own ranch and forced to protect his family from a blood-thirsty drug cartel after rescuing his niece from their capture.
The announcement comes on the heels of the successful fan support of the recently released Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, and will mark their eighth team-up as lead actor and director on a film, accompanied by the latest announcement of Adkins‘ return to the screen as the European underground prison MMA underworld’s self-proclaimed champion of the world, Yuri Boyka in Undisputed 4.
Further casting and crewing details are needed to build on this latest update, so stay tuned for more information as it trickles!
H/T: Impact
Adkins To Evans: "Put Me In 'The Raid 3'!"
Word has it that it’s pretty cool to be writer and director Gareth Evans right about now. Tuesday night’s premiere of his newest film, The Raid 2: Berandal, starring breakout action star Iko Uwais, is being met with an internet-full of praise and acclaim from Sundance Film Festival attendees and critics alike, basically reassuring fans everywhere that the film absolutely will not disappoint upon its release in March. That said, if you have been following Evans on Twitter for the past year or so, you were likely to catch a few blurbs every now and again between the director, and fellow martial arts action cinema superstar Scott Adkins mingling ideas between tweets, and probably on a much smaller scale than anything they might have discussed in private, if anything.
Adkins became the center of much of support from his worldwide fan base with recent hopes Universal Pictures would cast him in Fast And Furious 7, in addition to confirming him for Zack Snyder’s new Batman/Superman movie when it was discovered he auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne, before it ultimately went to actor Ben Affleck. Suffice to say, fans love him, and further developments now await for news regarding Adkins‘ other upcoming projects, which also includes the upcoming fourth installment to the boxing/MMA hybridized jailhouse tournament movie series, Undisputed IV, which was announced late last year. But now, with the momentum high and a re-energized Sundance-driven roar of fan appreciation for martial arts action over in Utah, the star of director Isaac Florentine’s most recent martial arts cinema success story Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear is making his interests publicly known.
I’m officially stating it NOW!! @ghuwevans better put me in The Raid 3!!
— Scott Adkins (@TheScottAdkins) January 22, 2014
So there it is, clear, cut and dry. And Evans tweeted to Film Combat Syndicate back in December that he has a basic outline for the third film which might arrive as early as 2017, also clarifying in recent tweets that part three would start two hours before The Raid 2: Berandal ends.
Nothing else is being publicly discussed about the third film as far as I know, as things are just now kicking off at the moment for part two. Rest assured however that whatever happens, let’s hope that outline will fit a kick ass big screen fight scene between two of the genre’s biggest shining stars to date.
The Raid 2: Berandal premieres for two more nights this month at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah before theatrically releasing in select theaters as The Raid 2 in North America, Indonesia and New Zealand on March 28, 2014, courtesy of Sony Classics.
Kane Kosugi Is Filming AGENT X, NOT A 'Tekken' Movie
It was made public last week that Crystal Sky and Lionsgate began working on a prequel to the 2010 film, Tekken, based on Namco’s live-action tournament fighting game franchise. Announced at the time via martial arts action star Kane Kosugi‘s official blog, the new film was announced as Tekken: A Man Called X, which was previously reported with director Prachya Pinkaew attached.
Kane Kosugi Highlights A New Photo With The Stunt Crew Of TEKKEN: A MAN CALLED X
Stunt coordinator and fight choreographer Brahim Achabbakhe (center) took to Facebook this weekend to share a group photo with his choreography team a day ahead of the forthcoming production for the new film Tekken: A Man Called X from Crystal Sky and Lionsgate. The photo comes just after action star Kane Kosugi (second from right) announced on his official blog that he would be playing the titular role.
The film is set as a prequel to the 2010 reinterpretation of the NAMCO property directed by Dwight Little and starring Jon Foo, Ian Anthony Dale and Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa. Not much else is known about the film as of yet with principal phototography scheduled for the next three weeks, in addition to previous reports that Ong Bak director Prachya Pinkaew was attached as the director.
To name a few, Achabbakhe‘s most recent credits in stunts and choreography include Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li, actor Kazu Neda’s directorial debut in the 2013 action short, Marksmen with Ron Smoorenburg (Who Am I?, Skin Traffik), working with under action director Tim Man and doubling for action star Scott Adkins in Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear which co-starred Kosugi, and going toe-to-toe with Tiger Chen in the Keanu Reeves’ helmer, Man Of Tai Chi. Fans can expect more updated cast and crew news about Tekken: A Man Called X as the year rolls on.
TEKKEN: A MAN CALLED X Nabs Kane Kosugi For The Lead
It was not too long ago that I ranted in an editorial I crossposted over at The Action Elite about the need for a redux of the latest attempt at live-action for Tekken. At the time, my article didn’t meet much ire from a lot of readers (although I wouldn’t be surprised if certain folks disapproved), but many of the reactions I received were pretty upbeat and understanding. Although as badly as I would have wanted to see Tekken remade properly, after the last couple of years, I never would have guessed what would happened next…which now leads me to actor and martial arts action star Kane Kosugi.
Kosugi seen some great fortune throughout his career from childhood to adulthood, nowadays even moreso from the widespread approval of his most recent role in Isaac Florentine’s newest martial arts action thriller, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear. Now the word, forwarded from Kosugi‘s official blog is that he has been tapped to play the titular role in the upcoming Hollywood production of Tekken: A Man Called X, touted as a prequel to the 2009 production of Tekken from Rapid Fire helmer Dwight H. Little. If the news sounds a bit funny to you, then you may recall just a year and a half earlier when Steven Paul, CEO of Crystal Sky announced to the presses that the new film, previously titled Tekken: Rise Of The Tournament, with director Prachya Pinkaew (Ong Bak, Tom Yum Goong 1 & 2) attached, would aim for a direct resemblance to the characters for its pending cast. And for the length of his tweet’s existence, the announcement didn’t stop Katsuhiro Harada, the creator of the very fighting game the films are based, from denying the news a few years after expressing his own disapproval of the Little-directed film earlier on.
Tekken: A Man Called X will serve as the fourth in line of films based on the highly acclaimed fighting game, since the 1998 animated film and director Yoichi Mori’s 2011 CG feature-length rendering, Tekken: Blood Vengeance, which Harada-san also helped with. The film also serves as Kosugi’s third fighting game-driven film since voicing the character Ryu in the 1999-animated film Street Fighter Alpha before going under action director Corey Yuen’s wing for the 2006 all-girl fight flick, D.O.A.: Dead Or Alive, in addition to Kosugi’s latest collaboration with Scott Adkins’s stunt double and co-coordinator for Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, actor and stuntman Brahim Achabbakhe (Marksmen, Man Of Tai Chi) who will reportedly to direct the action scenes.
There is no word yet on who else has been cast, let alone what Harada-san’s response is to the film since his deleted tweets about anything Tekken movie-related as of 2010. So keep those antennae up and on high alert going into 2015 when as the film’s production makes headway.
Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear is now available on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital wherever movies are sold with further releases pending. Meanwhile, Prachya’s new film, Tom Yum Goong 2, is currently on its way to the U.S. with a 3D release date from Magnolia also pending.
H/T: Kung Fu Cinema
Kellan Lutz Embraces His Destiny In The Final Trailer For THE LEGEND OF HERCULES
The final trailer for Hercules: The Legend Begins aired this week in the final weeks before the film’s North American release on January 10th, 2014.
Gareth Evans Endorses Scott Adkins For A Starring Role In BAD BOYS 3
Best known for his spectacular feats in martial arts action over the years since fully launching his career in Hong Kong, Adkins has become one of the most highly fan-demanded actors of today’s generation of action fans, working with numerous and notable filmmakers and stars like Yuen Woo-Ping, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Isaac Florentine and John Hyams, with appearances in Hollywood action flicks like The Bourne Ultimatum, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Expendables 2. Furthermore, his stardom is largely celebrated by fans throughout the film festival circuit worldwide with roles in recent hits like Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning, Green Street 3 and the forthcoming December 17th and 31st iTunes and DVD/Blu-Ray release of Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, lending a major show of support from Adkins’ fans for roles in bigger budget mainstream films like Batman Vs. Superman and Fast And Furious 7.
Watch The Second Trailer For NINJA 2: SHADOW OF A TEAR
The eagerly-awaited martial arts action thriller, Ninja 2: Shadow Of A Tear has a new trailer this week, as we near its forthcoming U.S. release. As far as new footage goes, there’s only a teeny bit with the action segments staying roughly similar to what was already seen in the first trailer, so there’s pretty much no spoiling it from here on out unless you’ve already seen the film during its festival run in September.
NINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR Gets New German Blu-Ray Cover Art
The eagerly awaited multi-platform release of director Isaac Florentine‘s Fall film festival favorite, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, is now available from German distributor Splendid Film, which will include DTS-HD 5.1 English and German audio with German and Dutch subtitles, and complete with a behind-the-scenes featurette and B-roll footage. Set for a Region B/Region 2 release on February 28, 2014 (learn about your regional codes please, we just had this discussion), Ninja: Pfad der Rache (a.k.a. Ninja: Path Of Vengeance) stars Scott Adkins reprising his role from the 2009 action flick, and essentially generating huge fan and critical buzz since premiering at Fantastic Fest back in September.
Read NINJA 2 Star Scott Adkins’ PSA For Fans
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Ninja 2 Cinematographer Ross Clarkson Re-Launches Campaign For HAMMER-ON
ACS and HKSC certified cinematographer Ross Clarkson has some powerful backing for his credentials as an astute professional at shooting action. His latest feature-length work under director Isaac Florentine, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear is earning some top notch reviews after its premiere on Friday night at Fantastic Fest, in front of a select audience representing but a mere portion of a much larger fanbase awaiting the film’s release.
That said, back in April, Clarkson launched a brand new, ambitious effort to get his own feature-length action thriller off the ground titled Hammer-On, joined by actor Byron Gibson, and several select stunt professionals familiar with the production of Ninja 2, including up-and-coming actor and professional stunt coordinator, Brahim Achabbakhe.
Since then, Clarkson had to put those plans on the backburner to work in Bulgaria for director Renny Harlin’s latest 3D epic action adventure, Hercules: The Legend Begins. And over time, fundraising dwindled and eventually shelved until further notice…until now, with a new work trailer to help showcase his own vision for the film, which sees Gibson front and center with Achabbakhe, martial arts action veteran and Marksmen co-star Ron Smoorenburg, and actor and screenfighter Charlie Ruedpokanon.
CLICK HERE to take a look at the Indiegogo campaign page and then decide for yourself if you want to see Ninja 2‘s own acclaimed action cinematographer Hammer-On with another potential martial arts action master piece!
HERCULES: THE LEGEND BEGINS Reigns Next Month At NEW YORK COMIC-CON 2013
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TOO MUCH BOYKA?: My Thoughts On Scott Adkins And The Undisputed Franchise
That said, after having a chance to watch Undisputed 3 in the last few days (expect a Film Of The Week review before the end of the year), I honestly feel that the character Yuri Boyka has come full circle in the Undisputed canon. So if we are to get another film, I believe the character should get a standalone feature, so that the Undisputed franchise doesn’t suffer from too much Boyka, lest we forget the original narrative in which the Undisputed franchise was rooted.
Watch The New Official Trailer For NINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR
Casey Bowman has finally settled down. He’s happily married to Namiko (who is pregnant with their first child), living in Japan and teaching at the Koga dojo. While buying her a present, Casey is attacked by two punks. He shrugs it off, assuming it to be a simple mugging. But when Namiko is brutally murdered later that same night, Casey’s world falls apart. Stricken with grief and thirsty for revenge, Casey tracks down the two thugs who tried to rob him, but they can’t provide him with any clues to his wife’s murder. So Casey travels to Thailand, to the dojo of a close friend. His grief and anger are taking control of him and he lashes out while sparring with other students. When one of the students is killed in the same way as Namiko, Casey finally gets the clues he needs to track down his wife’s killer and unravel a mystery of grudges deep in the Burmese jungle.