It was back in July in 2013 that two memorable action classics starring legendary superstar Jean Claude Van Damme, Bloodsport and Kickboxer were each finally announced to be remade with their own directors, with the latter to be helmed by Tai Chi 0 director, multifaceted actor and producer Stephen Fung. On Monday, almost a year later, official news finally confirmed from Cannes announcing actor, stuntman and martial artist Alain Moussi (pictured left) will be taking the lead in Fung's new film.
The actor most recently did stuntwork on Camille Delamarre's directorial debut remaking the 2004 action thriller, District B13 in last month's release of Brick Mansions, in addition to working on films such as Guillermo Del Toro's 2013 techno monster thriller Pacific Rim, and the upcoming release of filmmaker David Hayter's own directorial debut, Wolves with Lucas Till and Jason Momoa. Monday's report also confirmed what may be expected as the official synopsis of the remake:
Kickboxer tells the story of David and Kurt Sloan, the descendants of a well-known Venice, Calif., fighting dynasty. When David wins the Karate World Championship, a promoter lures him to Hong Kong, despite his brother's protestations that the man is a crook. When Kurt travels to Thailand to meet his brother, he discovers he has died, and seeks his revenge.
Fung's career has taken him on a journey over the years from acting to screenwriting, producing and directing films such as Tai Chi 0, Tai Chi Hero and the techno suspense thriller, Control with fellow film partner, actor Daniel Wu. In an interview with TimeOut Hong Kong back in March, Fung confirmed that Kickboxer will be an English-language remake of the original film and will also be set in Thailand, with the goal of getting "a larger Western appeal" with a more "brutal and mature" vision than his previous directorial work on Tai Chi 0 and Tai Chi Hero.
Interestingly enough, like with most martial arts fans, the original film, directed by Mark DiSalle remains a personal favorite for him, as per what inspired him to direct the film to begin with. "It’s a film that I really enjoyed watching when I was young." he says. "Growing up in Hong Kong, you get exposed to a lot of martial arts films and we make a lot of good ones, so we have a pretty high standard. The movies that were coming in from Hollywood at that time were not very good, except Kickboxer, which was one of the good ones. Van Damme is a trained martial artist, so his moves look authentic in the film. We are not just going to do a direct remake. There has to be something of importance that warrants a remake. I hope it’s going to be a challenging experience."
Also to boot, are the additions of The Man With The Iron Fists co-star and mixed martial artist Dave Bautista (above/left) who is set to star in the August release of Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy, and actor and fellow mixed martial artist Georges St. Pierre (above/right), off the heels of portraying Batroc The Leaper opposite actor Chris Evans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Further casting may be well on its way, with only speculation as to whether or not some fans may get their wish to see Van Damme in the film's reimagining in one form or another.
As always with these things, time will tell. Stay tuned!
H/T: THR