Open Road To Release Liam Nesson's A WILLING PATRIOT In 2016

At the moment, Taken trilogy star Liam Neeson appears to be unbound when it comes to action roles, although it IS only a matter of time before he decides to put away his badass screen persona for something a little more calmer. For now though, we have more prospects to look forward to while Open Road Films has since acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the new film, A Willing Patriot.

"A Willing Patriot" revolves around an American federal agent who goes undercover in South America’s dangerous so-called tri-border area — where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet — in an attempt to dismantle a terrorist-funding network.

MadRiver Pictures is backing the film as well as producing with locations set for South Africa, Morocco and Tunisia, with Land Of Mine helmer Martin Zandvliet on board to direct from producer Jason Keller's script. Producers are also present representing Film 360 and Hollywood Gang for the film's wide release in 2016.

In the meantime, Neeson's latest New York-set thriller, Run All Night, is currently available on digital platforms with a DVD/BD release in a few weeks!

H/T: THR

Cannes 2015: MACBETH's Alicia Vikander Tapped For ASSASSIN'S CREED And The Next 'BOURNE' Film

Actress Alicia Vikander is making waves at Cannes this weekend as her most recent film with actor Michael Fassbender, Justin Kurzel's adaptation of the Shakespeare classic, Macbeth is set to premiere. The Ex-Machina starlet is reportedly postioned for two major movies set to release next year - Kurzel's Assassin's Creed and actor Matt Damon's next Jason Bourne film with director Paul Greengrass.

Assassin's Creed reunites its two Macbeth stars and director for a feature film inspired by the hugely successful Ubisoft Game whose initial setting revolves around a man swept into a thrilling adventure with the help of a device that unlocks and ultimately "bleeds" past lives and memories as a clandestine assassin in search of the Pieces Of Eden, powerful artifacts that can control the fate of mankind. Plot details are not known while the film, which was finally greenlit back in February, currently has its production geared for early this Fall for a December 21, 2016 release while Fassbender is currently filming for director Bryan Singer's final entry into Fox's current X-verse, X-Men: Apocalypse for a release a little over a year from today.

Damon is already at work starring in The Great Wall under helmer Zhang Yimou for Universal's 3D release five months thereafter. Earlier on, the next Bourne film, which finally confirmed Damon's involvement last year with returning director Paul Greengrass and continues the thrilling adventure of the title character late inspired by author Robert Ludlum's book series is on par for a July 16 29, 2016 release courtesy of Universal.

Following Cannes, moviegoers can catch Vikander in Guy Ritchie's feature TV adaptation, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. this August, with more info to follow regarding Kurzel's Macbeth which is already getting some positive feedback from festival attendees. A few clips can now be seen online which ought to whet the appetite for netizens at large until the film gains some distribution ground in the hopeful near future.

Watch them below and stay tuned for more info!

H/T: Deadline

Cannes 2015: C2M, SP International Join For Action Franchise Venture, HIGH SPEED

There's more news out of Cannes this week and while plenty of the announcements made have been amply exciting and refreshing, others haven't had as much of an impact, particulatly with regard to the niche exclusive to fighting games and the fandom in support of a certain Namco/Bandai property back in the running for a remake. Low and behold, however, this one involves an entirely seperate entity with updates pertaining to the new movie, High Speed.

According to Variety, China's C2M Media will be jointly financing the new action movie co-production with producer Steven Paul's indie banner, SP International. Initially with the hopes of getting stunt veteran and filmmaker Vic Armstrong on board to direct, Paul has been working on getting this particular production up and running for a while with the last known report dating as far back as 2013 as Screendaily. The plot at the time illustrated the film's inspired vision likened toward Cannonball Run (1981) and the Fast And Furious franchise with a story centered on the CIA's globetrotting mission to put the breaks on a potentially catastrophic criminal plot set to unfold during a multi-vehicular rally chase. The new report claims no specfic plot or cast/crew as it stands, except that the film is being described as "an action packed race around the world" with the intent on expanding into franchise of its own. Production is set to commence at the bottom of the year with a versatile Asian and European cast led by a principal American actor, and plans to finish in time for a 2017 release in Asia via C2M Media and in North America via Sony Pictures through its output deal with Paul's company.

So, an action packed race around the world eh? And it's titled High Speed, so I imagine fast cars, jets, jet packs, speed boats...basically Fast And Furious on a global scale is what comes to mind for me. It sounds fun and I think this could become something worthwhile for a franchise if it all works out.

I'm not letting up on that other thing though. That one is kind of important to me, and I'm not alone here.

Stay tuned for more info.

Photo: Cannonball Run

Cannes 2015: THE MONKEY KING'S DAUGHTER Set To Shoot This Winter

A number of Chinese co-productions being announced in Cannes this month continue to make way in the press. This so far includes the latest coverage of another cinematic variation of the classic Journey To The West story preparing to spin-off into modern-day fantasy for fans of the YA movie-going crowd with the new film, The Monkey King's Daughter.

First off, I had no idea the guy was a parent. And secondly, I'm not too familiar with the source material to know if this is actually canonical, although it's prominent in the current 2009-2013 series of books by Todd DuBois who is in charge of the screenplay for the corresponding film set to go into production this Winter according to THR. The book series, aimed at children aged 8 to 14, centers on Meilin, a normal California high school girl, unknowing of her heritage, whose genetic make-up transforms her into a superheroine on her 16th birthday and transports her to ancient China where she learns her roots and is joined by her legendary father in battling the forces of evil to save her mother. 

Red Sea Media is reportedly handling the sales at Cannes where the news is that Lü Jianmin will be backing the production through his Beijing-based Chunqiu Time Culture Company banner collaborating with ANA Media’s Scott Einbinder. Executive producer Aki L.G. Aleong will be providing his services as such as CEO of Mustard See Media Group for Nanhai-based Ace Studios to faciliate while production commences in China and Canada beginning later this year.

This won't be the only bit of news relevant to any and all releated to the aforementioned folklore with AMC's forthcoming Badlands series in addition to Global Star's upcoming altered U.S. distribution of director Soi Cheang's own 2014 box office hit, The Monkey King starring Donnie Yen, parallel to Cheang's forthcoming sequel with Aaron Kwok later this year as well.

Stay tuned for more info!

H/T: City On Fire

CANNES 2015: Julien Seri's New Thriller, NIGHT FARE, Goes On The Hunt In A New International Trailer

Yamakasi and The Great Challenge helmer Julien Seri's latest feature-length come back is destined to grab the attention of movie goers who love a good thriller. His new movie, Night Fare, has already snatched multiple sales around the world including the U.K. and Japan with WTFilms representing the movie at the Marche du Film at Cannes this month, and for seemingly great reason!

SYNOPSIS:

Luc and his English friend Chris take a taxi to go home after partying hard all evening in Paris. At destination, they run away without paying the fare. They got the wrong driver for this... The taxi goes immediately into hunting mode, chasing them all night, wherever they go. But does he only want his money back?

Not bad for a film privately funded with a million Euros and shot quickly, and not to mention that premise is absolutely fantastic!

Night Fare isn't the only film of it's kind that I'm certainly looking forward to seeing one day myself. For now though, everything seems to fit in this international trailer just beneath, and you'd be forgiven for already being sold afterward. Take a looksy!

Cannes 2015: Not One, But TWO MILLION K(L)ICKS Are Now In Order For Mike Moeller To Star!

It's becoming an electrifying weekend of news for movie deals coming out of France, and fans within the martial arts action niche aren't being ignored at all. Several deals have been made so far, including one regarding the latest directorial debut success of Alex Padrutt's martial arts drama, One Million K(l)icks, the story of a fighter's ultimate battle for survival in an underground online betting tournament with German action sensation Mike Moeller starring.

The film is already set for distribution in the U.K. through international sales agent, distribution company Evolutionary Films who, as of this week, will officially co-produce the English-language sequel, Two Million K(l)icks: Hong Kong Death Match with Moeller returning to star. Mike Leeder and Rudiger W. Kuemmerle, who produced the first film, are back to produce for Ross Boyask, helmer of such actioners as Left For Dead, Ten Dead Men, and actress Cecily Fay's fantasy adventure, Warrioress, to direct as well as write with co-scribe Marco Theiss.

Production is expected to start early next year with locations in Hong Kong and Macau, as well as Henry Luk's ACE Studios in Nanhai, China where Luk will serve as consulting producer.

The film is reportedly part of a production raft of titles, so I'm looking forward to all or most of these being martial arts movies in some capacity considering the the people involved. On another note, Leeder himself is expected to appear alongside Moeller as well as a handful of action stars led by Mark Dacascos in the upcoming movie, Ultimate Justice.

Stay tuned for more info.

H/T: Impact

Cannes 2015: TEKKEN Is Being Remade...Again.

Now now, get this. Some have different opinions about live action adaptations of fighting games, and video game creator Katsuhiro Harada's popular Namco/Bandai franchise, Tekken, is no stranger to the mix of optimism and ire of fans far and wide. The first film, starring Jon Foo, was filmed in 2008 before taking three years to finally release on US DVD and Blu-Ray, and while the film proved to be a decent tournament movie with plenty of fighting and a talented line-up of martial artists, the film could have been done better in many ways, particularly for a proper reboot. I made this case in a rant back in 2013 and I still stand by that, even after Crystal Sky's own Steven Paul went on record to state that the film would move on with a prequel with a cast that would resemble the characters from the game (look how that turned out). No, I haven't seen it yet, and nor will I torrent it as I'm against piracy, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to at least rent it for a more informed opinion. Hell, I might as well, and why is that?

Well, Paul is back at it again, announcing another remake of the long-running fighting game, according to a new article at Variety. The film is part of a new ménage à trois of film financing between Chinese platform Financing City Network, Paul's Crystal Sky affiliate, SP International Pictures, and East & West Culture Media Company with a slate of ten Chinese and U.S. movies with combined budgets of up to $300 million dollars. FCN is ponying up 70% of the budget on each China co-production where SP International and East & West Culture Media Company will provide the remainder as lead producers. As such, FCN will also bring up to 90% on all remakes of U.S. properties brought by SPIP / East & West. Such may be the case for the new Tekken remake which Paul's company will distribute in North American theaters; the deal also includes some theatrical and home distribution handling via Sony as well.

So, there you have it. A new Tekken remake is coming. Not a third, but a remake. Still, it makes wondering if anyone of us should care since both films have otherwise failed to authentically deliver a proper cinematic translation with respect to the game. We have seen some great improvements with other comic book and game properties like Steven DeKnight's Daredevil, Warner Bros.'s serial web airing of Mortal Kombat Legacy and ESPECIALLY, Joey Ansah's masterful application of Capcom's Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist, to name a few, and all among these are telling signs that there could be a much-needed wave of improvement coming when it comes to properly transferring these properties to film. However, we've heard the promises before, and the arguments for better treatment of these properties on film can never be made enough, even as the movies themselves haven't been released (just look at how fans eviscerated Jon M. Chu's retelling of Jem And The Holograms).

I think I've made my point.

So, we're two movies in now, and I've been dying for a proper retelling of the Tekken game franchise via live action film that it pains me to see it so underhanded, and eventually we'll see if a third time's a charm. Maybe, maybe not...whatever. I just hope the right cast and crew are brought on board to help control where this movie needs to go, and if Harada-san gets to be a lead creative consultant on this with some authority, it would undoubtedly make things a whole lot better. Other than that, it's been thirteen years since Paul acquired the rights to this game franchise to turn it into a workable movie. If they can't get it right this time, perhaps it's best to change hands. Time will tell.

For better or worse, stay tuned for more news to come.

Gary Daniels Gets Ready To RUMBLE In A New Trailer!

Following their previous work on last year's action installment, Misfire, genre favorite, actor and martial artist Gary Daniels and filmmaker R. Ellis Frazier were already underway with their next in line, Rumble. It's yet another entry into Daniels's screenfighting resumé as of late, now in the role of a aged fighter at the twilight of his MMA career, forced to battle his way through a line-up of underground fighters to save his kidnapped wife from the throes of a mysterious crimelord.

The film is written by Benjamin Budd, and is currently making the rounds for the film at Cannes at the behest of the reps at Hannibal Pictures. That said, following a first trailer from late last year, Rumble is back with a second trailer to showcase what fans are in for, which should be nothing short of a story of layered with intrigue, intensity, and the usual assortment of brutal, white-knuckle action with a lead actor who continues to present himself in fine physical form. With any luck, we should here some positive acquisition news soon enough. In the meantime, check out the goods below!

SYNOPSIS:

An aging and injured former MMA champ is forced back into a deadly Mexican underground fight circuit to save is girlfriend who is kidnapped by a mysterious cartel leader and criminal mastermind. With a pimp from Los Angeles extorting him and a Cop from Mexico City on the search for the infamous criminal mastermind, Delgado, David Goran finds himself deep in trouble in Mexico. As he fights his way out, he and the Mexico City Cop finally find out who is behind the infamous Bullpen Fight Club, where fighters fight to the death to save themselves and their loved ones.

Cannes 2015: 80's Martial Arts Fantasy Flick, KUNG FURY, Gets Distribution

It's been a fantastic journey for independent filmmaker, David Sandberg and his team at Laser Unicorns in the past few years, and I don't use the word "fantastic" too loosely. His mission to conceive his latest neon-lit labor of love, Kung Fury, in its grandiose adherence to the lasting cult fandom of all things 1980's-oriented and whimsical, hasn't been an easy one to accomplish, and were it not for the explosively successful crowdfunding campaign that earned him and his skeleton film crew three times over their original goal, it's safe to say that the project likely wouldn't have picked up as much steam as it has, especially in this climate.

Save for its experimental nature, Sandberg's got credentials and he applied them quite well in a such a workable proof-of-concept, now accompanied with even more prominence by way of singer and actor David Hasselhoff as of earlier this month performing a high-energy kick-ass theme song for the film. Yes, to this day as Kung Fury took to the Directors' Fortnight slot at Cannes, this project has been nothing short of a big deal with the promise of a 30-minute shortfilm release looming, as well as the prospects of a feature film production. And with regard to the shortfilm, the word from Screendaily is that Under The Milky Way has officially picked it up for VOD distribution on May 28, 2015 in to release English-language territories, along with Scandinavia, Germany, Russia, Spain and Latin America.

Sandberg, who wrote and directed the shortfilm, stars as its lead - a rogue martial arts detective forced to find his way back to present day 1980's Miami when an attempt to time travel back to Nazi Germany and avenge his friend's death at the hands of Adolf Hitler: Kung Führer, accidentally sends him to the Viking Age. It's all downhill from there as our hero races against time crosses and paths with dinosaurs, Norse gods, machine gun-wielding Viking hotties, killer robots and much more - all in a visionary display of over-the-top action, martial arts and spectacle that shamelessly defies gravity and physics.

If this is your first time hearing of Kung Fury, you're more than welcome to revisit the latest music video, and keep your eyes peeled for more info!

H/T: Screendaily

Cannes 2015: Jackie Chan And Ding Sheng Reunite For RAILROAD TIGERS

Continuing to destroy any dialogue of retirement is action cinema legend, Jackie Chan. His plate is already full but with Chan, you can pretty much expect him to have extra plates handy, especially with his activity over at Cannes.

Word from THR writes that Chan will star in a fresh new $50 million dollar action comedy, Railroad Tigers, with the intent to reverb the greatness of previous classics like Project A and Drunken Master 2 while aiming for no less than the usual "bigger and better" approach to production value, action and stunts. The film will reteam him for a third outing with director Deng Sheng since their previous paring on Little Big Soldier in 2010, and Police Story 2013 a few years ago.

Here, Chan will star as a railroad worker in China who bands together with a group of freedom fighters to use their knowledge of the railway system to cripple the Japanese armed forces. The film is being represented by Hong Kong-based Golden Network Asia as filming sets with a release for next October with Sparkle Roll Media Corp, Shanghai Film Group, Beijing Going Zoom Media and Shanghai New Culture Media Group backing the production.

Chan just recently earned box-office acclaim with the Chinese period epic, Dragon Blade, directed by Daniel Lee. The action legend is expected to commense filming KungFu Yoga in India this Autumn for director Stanley Tong while further news is pending on other titles, including Renny Harlin's Skiptrace for Exclusive Media, and Peter Segal's Civilian for IM Global.

Police Story 2013 will hit limited theaters in the U.S. on June 5 courtesy of Well Go USA.

Cannes 2015: SMG Board's MacCallum's Action Romance Epic, THE STONE FOREST

Filmmaker Nicholas McCallum has worn several hats on sets for film, television and stage work behind the scenes with close to 40 years under his belt, largely contributing his efforts in art and production design since early on.

Nowadays, his newest effort now sees him in the director's chair for the upcoming China-set 3D action romance fantasy thriller, The Stone Forest. Sales agent Arclight Films is currently representing the film internationally at Cannes which kicks off today, where news just broke that Shanghai Media Group is now on board to market and handle the film's distribution. A team from Arclight's Asia-based branch, Easternlight Films, will produce the film with a script by McCallum whose script reteams him with Bait 3Dco-scribes Shayne Alexander and Shane Kraus for a story that centers on an Australian university student whose flourishing romance with a girl in China leads them to discover and ultimately battle a force of evil that curses her.

The Stone Forest is set to begin pre-production this July in Yunnan province (where the actual forest itself is located in China near Kumming) for a June 2016 release. More to come!

H/T: Variety

Focus's THE COLDEST CITY Casts Charlize Theron; 'John Wick' Helmers To Direct

Actress Charlize Theron's latest big screen role can be found in director George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road this coming Friday. The film just had its premiere in Los Angeles and is certainly poised to be the start of a possibly epic and successful franchise whilst certainly lending some momentum to the award-winning co-star for her attachment as well.

Of course, time will tell what the future holds in that regard, but the momentum is high for her this week, and with events beginning at Cannes soon, word from Deadline brings good news for the actress comes by way of Focus Features and their latest North American acquisition for the author Antony Johnston's 2012 Oni Press graphic novel publication, The Coldest City. Focus reportedly locked an eight-figure deal to produce the $30 million dollar adaptation from a script by Kurt Johnstad which centers its story of espionage and double crossing on Theron's role - a super spy forced into action to retrieve a list in order to protect the intel community when the MI6 agent smuggling it to the West is killed just before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Theron is set to produce with producers from Denver And Delilah Productions, Closed On Mondays Entertainment and Sierra/Affinity, along with 87Eleven whose founders, Hollywood stunt coordinators and filmmakers Chad Stahelski and David Leitch are also set to direct. The film is just one in a notch of successes between the directors who are currently on par to direct John Wick 2 following last year's hit, as well as help bring Sony's Harbinger Wars movieverse to the big screen, to name a few.

The Coldest City begins rolling cameras in Germany this October. Stay tuned for more info.

Cannes 2015: Watch The New Trailer For Mike Moeller Starrer, ONE MILLION K(L)ICKS!

Alexander Padrutt's directorial debut, One Million K(L)icks, is certainly one with a setup seen before in previous films, but still presents another delightful experiment in genuine martial arts and drama filmmaking with an actor capable of presenting the gravitas on both ends. Lead actor and action star Mike Moeller is no stranger to this as be continues his rise in the genre with his latest role as talented fighter forced to come to grips with the underground fighting circuit and the crooks running it, as well as his own personal demons.

The film is the launchpad of producers Rudieger W. Kuemmerle and Mike Leeder over at Silent Partners Deutschland and has already had an audience in Europe, specifically in Germany, although the film is now making waves at Cannes this month where UK-based Evolutionary Films will be representing international sales for the film. As such, the company is likely setting things in motion for its release in the UK as the film launches its newest trailer this weekend which you can view below to accompany its new poster art this week.

SYNOPSIS:

ONE MILLION K(L)ICKS is a high impact German language martial arts movie which follows Mike Moeller's character, a well meaning if belligerent fighter who finds himself drawn into the world of an underground martial arts tournaments. He soon learns that money and glory mean nothing when your life is on the line for the entertainment of viewers streaming the fights across the Internet.

The new trailer itself is currently not embeddale on other sites beyond its Vimeo page, so head over there to view the fresh new exclusive trailer with English subtitles to boot!

#MADMAX Unleashes 16 Seconds Of Crazy!

Cannes is granting an out-of-selection screening of director George Miller's latest bit of cinema fanfare revival, Mad Max: Fury Road, this May upon its theatrical release. It's all the hype for those who have grown fond of the previous titles starring Mel Gibson in the title role as the renegade outlaw in a dystopian world of sand, blood and fire, and gasoline is the ultimate commodity for survival, which surely makes for a heavy undertaking for actor Tom Hardy in lieu of any possible sequels that could follow.

In the meantime, Warner Bros. has unleashed a new sneak peek. Short but sweet, and loaded with crazy. R-rated crazy. Watch it below, and keep tweeting #MadMax for more as the campaign rolls on!