Lin To Direct Cinemax Bruce Lee-Inspired Crime Series, WARRIOR

Well this is fancy!

Cinemax is reportedly beefing up efforts toward developing a Bruce Lee-inspired serial crime drama titled Warrior. Fast And Furious franchise helmer Justin Lin is  poised to executive produce and potentially direct the pilot from a script by executive producer, Banshee co-creator Jonathan Tropper which centers on an anti-heroic, gifted fighter who is thrown into a crisis that undermines his quest for revenge.

The series was the first of several projects that began conception early on as Lin pacted with Chinese media magnate Bruno Wu for the launch of TV enterprise, Perfect Storm Entertainment a few years ago. The project is based on Lee's earlier writings which never saw the light of day after his death in 1973, until they were discovered by Shannon Lee, daughter of the iconic film legend and CEO of Bruce Lee Enterprises, prior to jumping aboard with Lin and Wu and introducing it to Cinemax.

The series is another meaty add-on to the forthcoming roster for Cinemax with its currently successful line-up of action-heavy shows with Banshee getting ready for new season and Strike Back premiering its forth and final season soon. The series also serves as a reminder of the prospects that await as Lee herself is getting ready to assemble what she deems as the "definitive" Bruce Lee biopic.

It's busy times indeed. There's plenty of Bruce Lee-releated material in development other than the aforementioned, so fans of the late film legend should be quite excited. In the meantime, Lin's latest producer credit on the June 26 release of American/Asian cross over road comedy, Hollywood Adventures, while his pilot for the second season of True Detective airs on June 21.

Lin is also directing Star Trek 3 which has a July 8, 2016 release.

In seperate TV-related news, NBC has reportedly dropped the pilot for its own series similarly-titled Warrior, which may see its new home at Fox instead.

Stay tuned.

Holt McCallany Enrolls As The Villain In NBC's WARRIOR TV Series Pilot

The last time I saw Fight Club, The Losers and Blackhat co-star, actor Holt McCallany on television was back in 2000 during the short-lived run as an exiled former solider-turned-freedom fighter among three other co-stars for one of the best shows on television. The show was called Freedom, and the network at the time, UPN, cancelled its run and leftme nothing to do with my evenings.

At any rate, that was well over a decade ago and now McCallany is about to move onto his next venture back on the small screen as the principle villain in NBC's forthcoming pilot, Warrior. McCallany will play international crime lord Andriv Vorobin, head of his own gym and the local YOMI, and a former prize fighter who is still a mixed martial arts force to be reckoned with. McCallany stars opposite lead actress Natalie Martinez (Death Race) in the role of Kai Forrester, a damaged heroine who works undercover with mysterious forces between physical and mystical realms to take on Vorobin with the help of Agent Golden, played by actor Lance Gross. Also starring are actor Will Yun Lee in the villainous role of Susano with actress Andy Allo starring as Vorobin's daughter.

Crossbones series co-executive producer David DiGilio is scripting the pilot and is executive producing with Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald for director Phillip Noyce to helm. The show is just one in a slate of action packed shows in development between networks with NBC already making a huge killing with other projects like Blindspot and Endgame in the works. It's a real milestone achievement, especially for martial arts fans who wish to see some more televized live-action martial arts action, and a show like Warrior seems fitting for that agenda.

Stay tuned.

H/T: Deadline

NBC's WARRIOR Adds Lance Gross And Andy Allo

Television is currently the best place to catch some of the best action ever shot on film if movies can't come fast enough for you. For this, we look to NBC's most recent announcement of a new pilot for the potential series, Warrior, which is already getting some significant attention as of late with a cast that so far included actress Natalie Martinez leading opposite actor Will Yun Lee.

Crossbones series co-executive producer David DiGilio is scripting the pilot and is executive producing with Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald as things continue to take shape for director Phillip Noyce to helm. In the meantime, Deadline has reported the addition of two more names, Crisis co-star, actor Lance Gross, and actress/musician Andy Allo. The series itself described as being set in a grounded modern-day pseudo mystical setting with Martinez playing Kai Forrester, a troubled and damaged heroine working undercover with physical and spiritual guides to take down an international crime syndicate, YOMI.

Lee has been cast in the villainous role of Susano while Gross will star alongside Martinez in the role of Interpol Agent and former Navy Seal, Agent Golden, with Allo tackling the role of the crime syndicate's daughter. The series reunites Gross with Noyce following their work on Crisis, and Allo has previously done some television work as well with a few occasional spots several years ago on G4TV - one of my favorite go-to channels before network politics interfered. I've never seen Crisis as it's never been my cup of tea, but if there's one thing I enjoy in this instance, its good action on television, and having seen Martinez on screen and considering the genre at hand, I'm already sold.

I wonder who is designing the action for this series as I love the fact that more martial arts shows are coming to television. Stay tuned for more info!

Natalie Martinez To Lead NBC's WARRIOR

Perhaps we should thank the uptick in the trend of martial arts action on television so noted by various folks responsible for the recent popularity of shows like the CW series, Arrow, among a few others on local and cable networks which happen to be presenting some of the best action on television in recent history. Thankfully it's a trend that may not go away anytime soon with a number of shows being renewed or newly added this year, including NBC's latest forthcoming contribution to the martial arts action genre, Warrior, which is already underway with casting since its announcement last month.

On Friday night, word from Deadline revealed that Death Race (2008) and End Of Watch (2012), actress Natalie Martinez s added as the leading lady for the new series pilot following actor Will Yun Lee's attachment as the villain on Monday. Phillip Noyce is directing from a script by executive producer David DiGilio and scribes Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald which will focus on Martinez's role in a the new series being described as follows:

In a grounded, contemporary multicultural and sometimes magical milieu, a damaged heroine works undercover with physical and spiritual guidance from a mysterious martial arts master to bring down an international crime lord.

I suspect plenty of more names will be added to the line-up in helping to shape Warrior as the next level of martial arts television drama and storytelling. There is a major momentum here and I hope others take advantage of this exciting opportunity in action-packed entertainment. Let's keep the trend going!

NBC's New Martial Arts Drama, WARRIOR, Now In Development

The recent successes over the years with animated action adventure shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Attack On Titan and The Legend Of Korra are certainly lending some credence to the notion that a bit of live-action fanfare is in order, especially with everything that has been happening online with shows like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.

Alas, NBC is currently working on trying to muscle up its own programming according to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter (via AV Club & i09).  Crossbones series co-executive producer David DiGilio will write and executive produce the series with Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald for a new female-centric martial arts drama titled Warrior, and it goes a little something like this:

In a grounded, contemporary multicultural and sometimes magical milieu, a damaged heroine works undercover with physical and spiritual guidance from a mysterious martial arts master to bring down an international crime lord.

Not too long ago, we had shows like Buffy, Nikita, and short-lived action dramas like UPN's Freedom and Russell Wong starrers Vanishing Son and Black Sash, so it's certainly refreshing to see a new martial arts series in developement in among others, especially in an age where comic book superheroes adaptations are the in-thing. Actor/producer Daniel Wu's upcoming appearance Badlands is still on deck for AMC as well, and with any luck, popular online concepts like Epic Rival's own Clandestine will finally bear the fruits of network priority following such a long and on-going process as well.

Warrior hasn't cast anyone yet at the moment, but given the plot and the amount of screenfighting and acting talent we have seen, let's hope NBC doesn't just pick a pretty face that can "look tough" when yelling "Action!". I suppose the only question now is, who would you like to see as NBC's own new Warrior? Comment below!

H/T: Reader @Jade_Owl