THE JET: New Martial Arts Champ Doc Now Underway, Keanu Reeves And Highly Flammable Shepherding For 2025 Release
There have been a few updates over the last several years about documentaries and biopics regarding certain martial arts laureates that I’m still curious to see come to fruition if those are still in the works. As of Thursday in a Deadline exclusive, we can now add the name of kickboxing legend Benny “The Jet” Urquidez to the calendar as new documentary, The Jet, is now in production, with Keanu Reeves and Fisher Stevens co-producing.
Slated for a 2025 release per Matt Grobar’s report, Jennifer Tiexiera (Emmy-nominated Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo) is directing the documentary which will chronicle Urquidez’s life in the world of martial arts from childhood. As many fans sports and film fans are aware of, the craft ultimately earned successes for the champion in the ring as well as on celluloid as actor and fight coordinator, with select credits including Hong Kong actioners Wheels On Meals and Dragons Forever, Patrick Swayze thriller Road House and John Cusack-led Grosse Pointe Blank.
“Benny’s fighting career was born out of his struggles with identity, poverty, and race, but he didn’t let those things define him,” Tiexiera said. “The result is a story about how struggle and sacrifice evolved into one about love, spirituality and deeper meaning.”
Stated Reeves, “Benny is a true mentor, and has had such a profound yet underappreciated impact on both cinema and martial arts. I’m very excited to help share his story with the world.”
Maura Anderson and Zak Kilberg of Stevens’ Highly Flammable label producing, along with John Scalise and his FAYA Project. Unapologetic Projects’s own Chris Quintos Cathcart and Tyler Boehm will serve as financiers. The two will also exec produce next to Nancy Weisler, and Brian Maya.
Read more at Deadline.
Lead image via Golden Harvest
