Jean-Claude Van Damme Officially Returns to Martial Arts With New Yakuza Movie
A cinematic obsessive with the filmic palate of a starving raccoon, Rob London will watch pretty much anything once. With a mind like a steel trap, he's an endless fount of movie and TV trivia, borne from a misspent youth of watching monster movies on TV, perusing the sun-faded goods at the local video rental shop, and staining his fingers with ink from the Video Movie Guide. Areas of interest include science fiction, film noir, horror flicks, '70s disaster pictures, Bond movies, '90s action, giant robots, dinosaurs, super heroes, and the exuberantly schlocky output of Cannon Films. He also enjoys both Star Trek and Star Wars when they're good, and maybe even more when they're bad. As a Canadian, he also has a vested interest in Canadian movies and TV shows, especially the cheesier ones dubbed "Canuxploitation."
An expert on Marvel Comics, he has also written for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and is a member of the Marvel Research Team. He can frequently be found pontificating on comic-book continuity or bemoaning the misfortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs on his Twitter account.
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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
The Muscles From Brussels are flexing again. Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgian martial artist turned action movie sensation, is returning to his roots with a new action movie set in the world of combat sports. The film is set to be shopped at the upcoming American Film Market.
Van Damme was a European karate champion who moved to Los Angeles to become a movie star; after some extra and stunt work (including a brief, disastrous stint as the creature in the movie Predator), he broke out with Bloodsport, a movie based on the dubiously true story of Frank Dux. Dux claimed that he had been part of a secret underground fighting competition, the Kumite; while Dux's story was almost certainly falsified, the movie made Van Damme an international star. He followed it up with Kickboxer; another movie centering around a martial arts tournament, it brought Muay Thai to international audiences, and further burnished Van Damme's leading man credentials, leading to star turns in movies like Double Impact, Hard Target, and Universal Soldier.
Now, Deadline reports Van Damme is stepping back into the octagon for Katana. The new film will see Van Damme play a retired fighter and family man who's stepped away from his troubled past and competition. However, he's forced back into the ring when the Yakuza crime syndicate kidnaps his daughter. The movie is also set to star several real-life mixed martial artists, including Armenian MMA fighter Melsik Baghdasaryan and French Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion Cyril Benzaquen. The movie is set to begin production in spring 2027, with filming in Japan, France, and Los Angeles. The film is being written and directed by Jeremy Zag, the French film-maker best known for creating the successful Miraculous animated franchise.
Katana is in development; no release date has yet been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
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