STEEL RISING: An Interview With Larnell Stovall
Film Combat Syndicate: Thanks for taking the time to chat Larnell! How has 2014 been for you so far?
undisputed 4
Scott Adkins Returns To Play Boyka In UNDISPUTED 4 This June
It’s a week of really great news for fans of action star Scott Adkins. His most recent pairing with director Isaac Florentine for Compound B’s Close Range wrapped earlier this year and two new titles have made headlines for him as well, with the current filming of Jarhead: The Siege and the forthcoming theatrical overseas release of his performance with action star and debut director, Wu Jing in Wolf Warrior next month.
Now comes word from The Action Elite that Adkins will be putting the tattoos, knee, wrist and ankle wraps once more as the cult character favorite, Yuri Boyka in a hotly awaited fourth installment of the Undisputed franchise starting this June. No doubt, Florentine will be back to direct in what will be his eighth movie with the actor and featuring fight choreography by Undisputed 3 action auteur Larnell Stovall, and screenwriter David N. White who wrote the script for the direct-to-video sequel with Michael Jai White and its third, all spun from Walter Hill’s original 2002 movie with Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames.
The film itself has been a long time coming since being confirmed during Fantastic Fest in 2013 with no immediate movement, and it’s one that comes with perpetual hype from fans who have wanted another in the face of the third film’s faltering to movie piracy upon its release. So bear in mind the time it took for this film to finally come about as we can all safely say this movie almost didn’t happen, because thankfully the production itself can finally movie forward with the promise of seeing Adkins do what he does best.
So, don’t steal movies, and most of all, don’t steal this one. Show your support by purchasing it legitmately and continuing the creative flow of successful action movies that deliver quality in full. And by all means, stay tuned for more info!
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
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.
Ninja 2 Producer Frank DeMartini Confirms UNDISPUTED 4 At Fantastic Fest
According to an update from Fantastic Fest via Twitch, film producer Frank DeMartini responded to a fan question on Friday night regarding the currently developing fourth installment of the Undisputed franchise, by saying the following (click the link for the full context):
“The Undisputed 4 script is being written right now by David White and it should shoot in the spring. Unless Scott wants too much money.”
The answer came from a Q&A panel that acconpanied the festival premiere of director Isaac Florentine’s latest action thriller, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, starring Scott Adkins and actress Mika Hiji, all of whom appeared for the Friday night panel, in front of an attending crowd. Also sitting in attendance among the audience members was actor and Undisputed 3: Redemption co-star Marko Zaror, to whom Adkins and Florentine expressed their hopes to work with him again in the near future. Zaror currently stars in the latest Fantastic Fest premiere of Robert Rodriguez’s new film, Machete Kills, which will have its wide release on October 11.
Seven months after filming wrapped going into the completion of post-production, a trailer was finally released to the public with an unspecified release date which is still pending. The film sess Adkins reprising his role from the film the first film, now out to avenge the death of his beloved wife and unborn child, against incredible odds and darker forces that lie in waiting.
It’s been a couple of years since Adkins emerged online with the good news after returning in Undisputed 3 as the iconic fictional Russian kickboxer, Yuri Boyka. The character has become a phenomenon among fans of the Undisputed franchise who woke up to the films since Florentine’s direct-to-DVD sequel in 2005, which ultimately illuminated one of the best actor/director partnerships in action film history.
In maintaining the excitement since Adkins sat for an inteview with Crave Online while promoting director John Hyams’ Fantastic Fest premiere of Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning, sharing his own ideas of a post-prison “Rambo-style” storyline for the film. “For me, I would want to call it Boyka: Undisputed IV because now it’s out of the jail setting,” says the actor.“Boyka’s out of prison. It’s onto the next step of his life. I think people know the character Boyka so well now anyway that you could just go Boyka: Undisputed IV.” Ironically, Adkins also mentions in the same interview that a script was already written, so the statementd from DeMartini on Friday night likely suggest that there may have been different drafts being circulated in the pre-production process, which is quite reasonable after all this time. After all, I myself had my own ideas.
So, all in all, have no allusions doubting the film’s coming existence. Even as Adkins has other films to work on, with others we can only dream of seeing him in (*cough* Ninja 3 *cough* Special ID 2 *cough* Mortal Kombat *cough* Undisputed 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10+ *whooping cough*), Boyka fans can sit safely by their DVD collections and nearby computers cheering on their favorite beloved 720º kicking butt whooper as part 4 comes. In the meantime, Adkins‘ next role will be that of King Amphitryon in the Renny Harlin-directed March 2014 release of Hercules: The Legend Begins, with the first footage to be screened at next month’s New York Comic-Con.
More news ahead.