pt merantau films

THE RAID 2: BERANDAL Gets A U.S. Release Date!

The Raid 2: Berandal is all the hype among martial arts action cinema fans. If you have been keeping up with the updates, you have already seen the teaser for the upcoming thriller that succeeds its 2011 predecessor and are looking forward to what the sequel has in store, courtesy from its producers over at Merantau Films and XYZ Films. Let’s hope all the theaters in North America are ready for the bloodthirsty, film hungry onslaught of martial arts action cinema fandom headed its way. March is gonna be a sick month for movies. And I’m sure writer and director Gareth Evans has no complaints. Check out the press release courtesy of JoBlo and look out for the full trailer next week! Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films announced today that they will release THE RAID 2 in the United States on March 28. The film will have its […]

KILLERS Gets A New Trailer For You To Enjoy, You Sick Bastard

Lee B. Golden III

Remember the first teaser for Killers, the latest Indo-Japanese action horror thriller from co-directors Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto (dubbed accordingly as “The ‘Mo’ Brothers”) from October? Well, December is here as we are just weeks away from the film’s upcoming four-night premiere at next month’s Sundance Film Festival, and Twitchfilm just forwarded one of two new posters, in addition to the latest trailer from co-production company Nikkatsu, which, among other things, delivers in terrific, gut-wrenching, skin-slicing, repeat-stabbing, vehicular manslaughtering, freefalling and blood-letting fashion. Killers stars Kazuki Kitamura, Oka Antara, Rin Takanashi, Luna Maya and Ray Sahetapy, and is also produced by PT Merantau and XYZ Films, who are also behind director Gareth Evans’ s next, The Raid 2: Berandal, for which a full trailer may be released on December 31. Killers will premiere in Japan on February 1, 2014 before its currently slated for a domestic Indonesia release on February […]

[UPDATED] FAN ART: Julie Estelle As "Hammer Girl" In THE RAID 2: BERANDAL

Lee B. Golden III

UPDATE – 12/16: It has been confirmed that the artist behind the fan poster is Lloyd Stas. Special thanks to XYZ Films own Simon de Bruyn for the head’s up! Fan art continues to be a driving force for fans and followers of many popular properties such as movies, and director Gareth Evans‘s upcoming urban martial arts thriller epic, The Raid 2: Berandal is no exception, having seen its own fair share of unofficial fan-originated artwork from time to time. A lot of this kind of artwork simply goes viral without mention of its creator, which is kind of unfortunate considering that I would love to credit the person who forwarded this latest bit of art onto the internet to ultimately land in the hands of XYZ Films’s own, producer Nate Bolotin, which you can check out below, emulating actess Julie Estelle as “Hammer Girl” XYZ Films is currently in […]

THE NIGHT COMES FOR US Sells Worldwide!

Lee B. Golden III

Just six months away from principal photography, actors Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, and fight choreographer Iko Uwais are running the numbers on the action sequences for producer Gareth Evans’s latest return to the set with director Timo Tjahjanto for upcoming martial arts crime thriller The Night Comes For Us. But even so, the prospects for the folks at Indonesia’s PT Merantau Films and L.A.’s XYZ Films are looking brighter and brighter. Toward the last leg of this month’s event at the American Film Market, XYZ Films have apparently closed distribution deals worldwide for the upcoming film, according to a new report from Screendaily on Wednesday, with rights sold to eOne in the UK, Madman in Australia and New Zealand, Koch Media in Germany, Wildside in France and HGC in China. Also, further deals were closed for Shooting Stars in the Middle East, Daisy in South Korea, Pictureworks in India, […]

Fight Choreography Begins For THE NIGHT COMES FOR US

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Timo Tjahjanto shot off a few tweets on Monday after a completing the first day of choreography for the upcoming production of The Night Comes For Us. Following his previous collaboration with The Raid 1 and 2 helmer Gareth Evans now in the producers chair since scribing Tjahjanto’s Safe Haven segment in the summer 2013 horror anthology, V.H.S. 2, The Night Comes For Us brings lead actor Joe Taslim and co-star Yayan Ruhian back together in a reunion that is likely to be one of the most celebrated after their stellar performances in Evans’ The Raid, featuring the two in one of the film’s most brutal, solid and most pulse pounding action sequences ever put on film, a signature quality of the work coming from Indonesian production platform PT Merantau Films. Described as a story of vengeance and redemption, the current synopsis for The Night Comes For […]

Iko Uwais To Direct Fight Action For THE NIGHT COMES FOR US

Lee B. Golden III

Hours after Killers co-writer and director Timo Tjahjanto delivered the brand new sales poster for his next directorial effort, The Night Comes For Us, Twitchfilm founder and writer, and XYZ Films executive producing partner, Todd Brown brought exclusive updates for the film, regarding credits and a new synopsis. The film made plenty of headlines within the last few years as the script was being developed with PT Merantau’s own, The Raid and The Raid 2: Berandal helmer Gareth Huw Evans reported to direct. Further reports indicated he would be serving as action director and producer. Sunday’s report from Brown, whose company is producing The Night Comes For Us with PT Merantau, confirms that international action star Iko Uwais will be directing the action sequences tailor made for lead actor Joe Taslim to showcase a hybrid blend of MMA, Silat, and Judo, the latter of which Taslim shares the accolades of […]

Salvation Comes With A Price In A New Poster For THE NIGHT COMES FOR US

Lee B. Golden III

Lets spill some. pic.twitter.com/xAqn5ZH9Hi — Timo Tjahjanto (@Timobros) November 3, 2013 With writer/director Gareth Huw Evans’ The Raid 2: Berandal nearing the completon of its post-production since wrapping in July, PT Merantau Films will be back at it with at least two more films, each to be directed by The Mo Brothers, Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel. Tjahjanto took to Twitter on Sunday to unveil the new poster for his own upcoming production of The Night Comes For Us, for which Evans will produce and direct action sequences for Fast And Furious 6 co-star, actor Joe Taslim since starring in Evans’ 2011 thriller, The Raid (a.k.a. Seruban Maut), with co-star Yayan Ruhian coming off both The Raid and the forthcoming sequel. Described as neo-noir action thriller, The Night Comes For Us sets its story in the UK with Taslim leading the way as a mob enforcer struggling to seek atonement […]

New Poster Art From THE NIGHT COMES FOR US Highlights A Year Loaded With Promise

Lee B. Golden III

Best year ever? I’d say. Let’s get started. 😉 Back in 2010 through May of 2012, as PT Merantau Films made headlines with the impending international success of director Gareth Evans hit films like Merantau and Seruban Maut a.k.a. The Raid: Redemption, it was also reported that the same company, in addition to the upcoming sequel in the works, would also be putting out two new genre films. Today, one of those films is back in the headlines with some gritty new artwork as Twitchfilm now reports the first film with a script still in the process of being written will be a neo-noir hitman thriller set in the U.K. titled, The Night Comes For Us. The film, which is neither a martial arts nor a horror film (making this one possibly just an action thriller, though the jury is still out, I’d say) is being co-written by director Timo […]