THE FIST OF ONG BAK: New TV Series In The Works Expanding On Hit Thai Martial Arts Franchise
This week saw an announcement flying under the radar a bit away from the trades that a new premium television drama is in development following up from the hit action franchise, Ong Bak. The show in question, The Fist Of Ong Bak, is the name of the new eight-part hourlong episodic, and hails from O4 Media in association with 5X Media and Sahamongkolfilm International.
Plot and casting details about the new series are pending, while fans pining for more Thai action now have something to ponder since the original broke ground in 2003. As genre fans in the West were already afoot with the reception of Hong Kong crossover sensations like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen, it wasn’t long before the niche took notice with Prachya Pinkaew’s inaugural Ong Bak, which essentially catapulted local stuntman and burgeoning action talent Tony Jaa to global stardom.
In the original, Jaa plays Ting, a rural villager who journeys out to Bangkok and forced to square off against the city’s meanest brawlers while in search of the missing head of his village’s revered Buddha statue. The film scored box office and critical acclaim for its organic, barnburner action sequences that reset the standards for blockbuster martial arts action in the new millenium, permeating around the kind of action design frequented in old-school Hong Kong cinemafare.
Jaa would reteam with Pinkaew and the film’s co-star, actor and comedian Petchtai Wongkamlao, and action director and longtime cohort Panna Rittikrai, for back-to-back prequels releasing respectively in 2008 and in 2010 in a directing and starring capacity. Both were picked up for U.S. releases by Magnolia genre label, Magnet.
The Fist Of Ong Bak will be produced by Alon Shtruzman (La Brea, Tatami, A Small Light), who is co-CEO of exec chairman Scott Einbinder’s Los Angeles, Madrid, and Cape Town-based 5X alongside Gil Goldshein. Also producing is Ryan Lindenberg (Green Lantern, Life as We Know It, Blindspot), and writer, creator and showrunner Yalun Tu (NCIS: Hawai’i, My Undead Yokai Girlfriend, Capture). O4 Media is heading up its Asian-Pacific output for a 2025 release.
“Fans can expect a fresh take on the action-packed narrative that captivated audiences worldwide,” said Gary Pudney, Founder and Managing Director of O4 Media. “We are excited to partner with 5X Media on this landmark project. With O4 Media’s extensive distribution network and the creative prowess of both 5X Media and Sahamongkolfilm International, the series is poised to captivate diverse audiences globally.”
The collaboration, Pudney added, “allows us to blend all our strengths and deliver innovative, cross-cultural entertainment to new markets globally, enriching The Fist of Ong Bak legacy.”
Source: O4 Media
Lead photo: Tony Jaa in “Ong Bak 3” (2010). Image via Magnet Releasing
