Is Roel Reiné Directing A HARD TARGET Sequel?

Much ado has been said among fans for a potential sequel to action auteur John Woo's 1993 Hollywood feature, Hard Target. It felt more like a standalone actioner on its face, really, but that doesn't mean following up would be impossible.

Lead actor and action star Jean-Claude Van Damme is all for sequels to any number of his previous milestone hits, what with Hard Target having futher embedded his place as a Hollywood legend. So, if the latest report from Nu is true following earlier blurbs from the set of Van Damme's China set on Pound Of Flesh, it's no real surprise and I'm certain that nostalgic fans will surely appreciate this latest offering, now with The Man With The Iron Fists 2 and The Admiral helmer Roel Reiné in the director's chair. However, there's at least one catch.

Reiné is reportedly set to begin shooting Hard Target 2 in October through November without Van Damme returning to the role of skilled Cajun survivalist, Chance Boudreaux. While the first film saw our protagonist take on evil rich game hunters targeting Lousiana's homeless veterans, the sequel is currently being scripted for similar action sequences to take place in Thailand and Burma.

With Van Damme becoming quite the actor in recent years, a sequel re-entry for the screen persona of Chance Boudreaux would have been very welcoming for the fanbase with a gritty character that sticks greatly to its instincts when danger thickens. Unfortunately though, that doesn't appear to be happening, although thankfully Woo himself may be on board to produce with actor Vinnie Jones reportedly set for a role.

Van Damme's schedule may be pretty loaded considering previously announced titles like The Tower and The Penrose Affair are still pending, so it's reasonable to believe he'll be too busy for this one even if he were the preferred candidate to lead. At any rate, hopefully we'll soon learn more on who will be filling his shoes.

Jones is currently expected to appear in several more films from here on, including Allan Ungar's Gridlocked which has a 2016 stamp while Reiné's epic period naval actioner, The Admiral, awaits its U.S. release this Spring from XLrator.

Stay tuned for more info.

H/T: The Action Elite

John Woo Returns To Action In 2015 For MANHUNT

Masterful action auteur John Woo's most recent efforts with the two-part romantic epic, The Crossing, met some lackluster commerical results upon its release late last year while its second half could arrive in May. In the meantime, the legendary director is refilling his plate once more following updates from the blurbosphere in lieu of this month's events at the Hong Kong FilMart where Media Asia unveiled a new poster announcing their development for the new revamp of a classic Japanese novel and its proceeding film.

Manhunt is the name of the film which doesn't have a cast yet, but bodes excellently as an action thriller that centers on a lawyer who must set out to clear his name after being wrongfully accused and framed for robbery, rape and multiple murders. An adaptation of late author Nishimura Juko's classic novel, Kimi yo Funnu no Kawa o Watare from publisher Tokuma Shoten first arrived in 1976 with director Sato Junya and Black Rain and The Yakuza star, lead actor Takaura Ken starring at the time. Takakura was reportedly a once collaborative hopeful for Woo until Takaura's passing on November 10, 2014 at the age of 83.

The film also marks Woo's return to action since crossing over from his stellar Hong Kong career with Hollywood titles such as Hard Target, Broken Arrow and Face/Off before returning to China once more to helm the award-winning two part 2008/2009 epic, Red Cliff, among other things.

Manhunt is expected to commense filming this year. Stay tuned for more information.

H/T: Variety, Twitchfilm

Johnnie To Headlines Alongside List Of Acclaimed Directors For An Eight-Part Hong Kong History Epic

It's imaginable to be excited these days if you're a fan of acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To. The Triangle and Blind Detective helmer is already the prime subject of a remake effort over at Sony for his 2009 crime pic, Vengeance these days, although if a wee bit of Hong Kong history and some martial arts are your preference these days, then you're in luck.

Word from Twitchfilm states that To will be heading an 8-part anthology ensemble project, focusing on Hong Kong's history within the last seven decades, with each portion attributed to seven other legendary directors, namely reuniting with fellow Triangle co-helmers Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam, in addition to attaching Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, John Woo, Sammo Hung and Yuen Woo-Ping. The project is reportedly one of three newly announced titles in development under To's watch, including a new crime pic with Drug War star Louis Koo starring alongside Wallace Cheung, and a producer assignment for another three-way directorial heist epic between helmers Frank Hui, Vicky Wong and Jevons Au Man-kit.

The very fact that To's Hong Kong historical octology is loaded with so many names speaks with much regard to just how epic this project is going to be, as well as informative for those not too familar with the history of the bustling city and its culture. It's not widely known what to expect of this particular project, although hopefully we'll see some nuggets go viral along the way, although the attachmemt of the likes of Yuen, Hark, Woo, Hung and Lam have definitely garnered my interest.

Keep your eyes peeled!