Not even a month after we got the final trailer for the long awaited Chinese Hercules documentary all the enthusiasm has seemingly evaporated. Bolo Yeung’s son David Yeung has decided to block the release of the documentary- supposedly acting on his father’s behalf.
“I am incredibly grateful to have such a loyal and supportive fanbase. However, I want to make it clear that I did not give permission to Hussar Entertainment Productions-or any other party-to create or release any documentary about me, including the recent trailer for Chinese Hercules…”
Why would he randomly decide to stop the release of the movie now when he seemingly did nothing for 5+ years of production is a mystery to me (and I doubt he was not aware of the work in progress for all these years). Now, all the hours of interviews of Bolo Yeung’s various co- stars including some who are no longer with us will be lost. And being a passion project of dedicated Bolo fans Chinese Hercules was to be released for free on their youtube channel, so there was no money to be gained either way.
Bolo & David Yeung
So, what exactly happened behind the scenes (don’t forget that one of the producers actually worked with Bolo on Diamond Cartel) and what really prompted this decision- we might never know.
Only, you don’t really need a permission to make a documentary about a public figure…
When people say Captain America today they almost certainly think of the decade long tenure of Chris Evans, from Captain America: First Avenger to Avengers: Endgame (and maybe beyond), but the original movie adaptation actually happened in the 90s, produced by none other than Cannon Films head noncho Mehahem Golan, staring Matt Selinger (yes, the son of the writer J.D. Salinger) and was directed by the WM Crew old favorite Albert Pyun ( The Sword and the Sorcerer, Cyborg & Nemesis).
Famously troubled production was started in ’89 by Cannon Films and continued by 21 Century Films (when Golan exited Cannon Films). Because of the budgetary concerns filming was moved to Yugoslavia (Jadran Film Studios, Zagreb & Dubrovnik) from the originally planed Italian location. In fact the budget got so thin at times that Pyun was supposedly forced to fake a full day of shooting without any film in camera (because they couldn’t afford any) just to keep the morale of the crew up! Man, what a trooper!
Plot was changed from the comics to include the Italian child prodigy becoming a Red Skull (made in an super- solder experiment mirroring one of Steve Rogers). Then we would get a version of classic Captain America sacrifice that ends with him frozen in ice for decades just to reappear in time to stop the Red Skull (now crime boss) from kidnapping the President of the USA.
When the movie first came out in 1990 it was met with overwhelmingly negative reactions and it didn’t even get a theatrical release in US. VHS release did fare better (and the movie did start gaining a bit of a cult status as the years went by).
But in reality Pyun had a much different, more mature and experimental vision for the movie, vision that as it often happens was compromised to keep the studio happy. Only he could never really let go of it and up to his last days he always carried the four original film reels with him wherever he went. It took him a long time to get reels digitalize and he unfortunately didn’t live to see the revival of his vision fulfilled. Well, until now.
Surprisingly over the weekend there were some rumbling of a surprise screening on Twitch that turned out to be the Original Cut of Pyun’s Captain America! And the reactions are overwhelmingly positive!
Movie is said to be a completely different animal than the released version- a 70s style paranoid thriller with a very melancholic mood, sharp contrast to the goofy action version we got. It seems in some ways Pyun was trying to do a Winter Soldier before the Winter Soldier (albeit on a shoestring budget of just 3 million dollars).
Now, I’m sure the Evil Disney Corporation will consider blocking this from ever being released but after all this time and effort I think the director deserves to have his vision seen, especially now when he’s no longer with us.
Surprising even us hardcore horror fans, sequel to the cult movie Slaughterhouse (1987) just had and an early premiere of it’s long gestated sequel Slaughterhouse 2: Death Metal. Premiere was held in The Motor Transport Museum in Caampo , same location that was used for much of the filming last year.
The truck museum was a setting for the murderous father and son duo- who make beef jerky out of hikers they catch on the Pacific Crest trail. I mean, what else could you do with them.
Against all odds producer Jorry Encoe and director Rick Roessler decided to restart the franchise after close to 40 years after witnessing sold out showing in Alamo Drafthouse organized by Quentin Tarantino. I guess they realized people are finally ready for a bit more slaughter.
Wide release is planned for 2025, and we’ll update you as soon as we have more information.
If you follow our blog or other B-movie aficionados you are probably well aware of Yor, Hunter of Future (1983)- not to be confused with Gor (1987) or Outlaws of Gor (1989).
Yor was one of the string of Italian productions and co- productions following the release of John Milius‘s Conan the Barbarian staring Arnold Schwarzenegger that created a whole boom in Barbarian movies especially here in Europe. In a relatively short time period Italians churned out hits likeAtor, The Conquest, Gunan King of the Barbarians, Thor The Conqueror and The Trone of Fire.
Sabrina Siani in The Throne of Fire (1983)
Directed by the Italian exploitation director Antonio Margheriti (Canibal Apocalypse, Castle of Blood) it’s somewhat unique in a bunch because it’s a Prehistoric/ Barbarian mix that also goes heavy into SF as it goes on. Margheriti read the comic in the Italian magazine Lanciostory (1975) and found it fascinating.
Not that Margheriti!
It starred an international cast of (former TV Captain America) Reb Brown🇺🇸 , actress Corrine Clery🇫🇷, Luciano Pigozzi 🇮🇹 and John Steiner🇬🇧 and was filmed mostly in Cappadocia, Turkey. Initially it was savaged by the critics including those of Variety and TheNew York Times (and it was nominated for 3 Golden Raspberries) but now years later it has a cult status and is a must see for all Barbarian movie aficionados like us. Still it is considered a biggest hit of Magheriti‘s career as Columbia Pictures distributed the movie to a more than 1000 screens in the USA, a personal record for him. And back in Italy it was presented in an extended version as a 4- part TV mini-series on RAI 1.
Now back to the still not widely known fact that Yor was originally an Argentinian Comicbook called Henga el cazador aka Yor the Hunter. Created in ’74 by Ray Collins (aka Eugenio Juan Zapietro) and artist Juan Zanotto ( Falka, Downtime). Until now it was only published in Spanish and Italian, soI was pretty surprised when I found out that Antartic Press (Warrior Nun, Ninja Highschool) is publishing the first English edition as a 4 issue limited series.
It might be a bit late but it’s never too late to enjoy beautiful Argentinian style black and white artwork.
First issue is out now. You can read it digitally here or order it from your local comicbook shop.
Almost exactly 40 years since the firstmovie Mutilator 2 is finally coming our way. More than a year after the movie finished production we wondered what is going on– we’ll now we got the answer!
Movie will have it’s premiere on next month’s Fright Fest, August 23rd.
Starring the returning Ruth Martinez and Bill Hitchcock and new stars Terry Kiser (Friday The 13th, Part VII), Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey at Night) and Eva Hamilton (Death Kiss).
Long- gestating Full Moon project directed by the late special effect wizard David Allen is finally out in cinemas this weekend. So, let’s take a step back and see how this unique project came to be and why it took so long.
The Primevals has origins in another project, Raiders of the Stone Ring that was developed in the 60s for British Hammer Films. Later it was re- developed as Primordium or The Glacial Empire in the 1970s but it still struggled to find financing until Charles Band (Empire Pictures, Full Moon) took an interest. Unfortunately the project again stalled but Bandpushed through and finally managed to secure the financing in the early 90s and movie was finally filmed in Romania and Italian Dolemites in 1994. Allen planned to work on stop- motion effects for two or three years, inspired by the old Ray Harryhausen classics (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Clash of the Titans) . Unfortunately 14 months later he fell ill and tragically passed in 1999 without completing his magnum opus.
Full Moon also suffered financial difficulties after separation from Paramount Home Video which further delayed the project. But Allen did leave all storyboards and stop-motion puppets to his colleague Chris Endicott who on and off worked on finishing the movie. And after many years and 2018 Indiegogo campaign movie was finally finished (although in a slightly truncated form) in 2020 and after a festival run The Primevals is now out in limited release- Alamo Drafthouse theaters (you can check listings right hereto see if there’s a showing near you).
First thing first- I have nothing against the different remakes and re-imaginings (as long as they have something new and interesting to offer) but some movies should just never be remade. Near the top of that list is Alex Proyas’s The Crow (1994), adaptation of James O’Barr‘s cult comicbook and the last staring role of Brandon Lee who tragically lost his life during the filming.
Just that fact alone (combined with his iconic performance that can’t be duplicated) should be enough but unfortunately Hollywood producers can’t be expected to show even an ounce of human decency.
Hell, if they decided to do a fifth sequel, last one beingThe Crow: Wicked Prayer(staring Edward Furlong) they could only go up but the role of Eric Draven should never be recast. Here we go:
2008, December- Stephen Norington announced that he is to write and direct a “reinvention” of The Crow. “Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style.” Sounds bad already.
2011, April- After Norrington stepped away from the project, 28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has signed to direct. Bradley Cooper was inexplicably it talks to play the lead.
Bradley Cooper, fine actor but he looks more like an Owl to me.
2011, August- Cooper drops out due to scheduling issues and Mark Wahlberg is in talks for a lead. That doesn’t sound much better.
2012, January- F. Javier Gutierrez (Before The Fall, Rings) signs on as a director.
“We’re thrilled to have teamed with director Javier Gutierrez and screenwriter Jesse Wigutow on this story, which remains true to the core of Eric Draven’s plight for revenge,” he said. “Giving too much away wouldn’t be any fun. ‘Disorder, chaos, anarchy — now that’s fun!'” (producer) Edward R. Pressman
2012, December- Gutierrez is scouting shooting locations for The Crow, start of filming seems imminent. (Of course we now know it’s at least a decade away.)
2013, February It’s reported that James McAvoy is in talks to play Eric but it’s seemingly pure speculation with no basis in reality.
2013, April- after a talk with Tom Hiddleston (Loki) doesn’t pen out Alexander Skarsgard seems to be the next forerunner for the role. Interesting choice seeing where we’ll end up with this.
2013, May- Welsh actor Luke Evans is finally cast in the lead role. (They finally got someone who looks like a character from the comicbook). He is full of praise for the original movie: “The Crow was a very poignant film from my childhood, which I remember vividly. The soundtrack, also. It was such a solid performance that Brandon Lee gave. It was a very tragic end for somebody that probably would have had a very promising career… I’m Eric Draven. I’m the same character. Obviously, he’s been refreshed and brought up to date. We’re reimagining it to a certain extent, but the story and the plot is mostly the same.”
If this movie had to happen- Evans was a solid choice
2013, July- author of the original comic series James O’Barr finally sells out and joins the project as a consultant. Was it worth it?
“It is important for ‘Crow’ fans to understand that Relativity, Javier, Luke and the entire team are working on a new adaptation of the book itself.”
2014, December- after a long silence Corin Hardy (The Nun) replaces F. Javier Gutierrez as the director of The Crow. The reason given is Gutierrez‘ choice to direct The Rings for Paramount. He remains an Executive Producer on the film. O’Barr supposedly persuaded Gutierrez to move on from the film after multiple delays.
Next day Luke Evans confirmed he was dropping out of the film too, saying; “It’s not, no. No at the minute The Crow is not, not for me, I think it’s a little… I mean I’m sure it’s going to go ahead at some point, but I have other projects that are greenlit and ready to go and projects that I’m very interested in and you know, I can’t wait much longer!”
2015, February, James O’Barr gave an interview stating that Evans exit was partially due to the studio being unwilling to pay him an A-Lister fee due to his success with hits such as Fast and Furious 6, The Hobbit films and Dracula Untold.
2015, March- James O’Barr announces that Jack Huston and Jessica Findley Brown have been cast as Eric and Shelly. The film will be shot in Summer 2015, with a nearly all English cast including a Game of Thrones veteran.
2016, August- Mashable post exclusive that Jason Momoa (Justice League, Aquaman) is cast as Eric Draven. Momoa confirms it with a photo of himself and Hardy toasting with pint of black beauty. Things seem to finally be back on track. At least for a moment.
2018, March Sony announces that The Crow would be released in theaters on October 11, 2019.Things go sideways almost immediately after that.
2018, May- Jason Momoa talks about project’s demise and apologizes to fans on Instagram. Deadline reports pair cited “creative and financial differences” with producer Samuel Hadida, who was responsible for financing the film. That happened just 5 weeks before the filming was about to start in Budapest, Hungary.
2022, April- On April’ Fools day Rupert Sanders (Ghost in the Shell, Snow White and the Huntsman, ) is announced as the new director with Bill Skarsgård (IT) cast as Eric. Later it’s confirmed that English singer FKA Twigs is cast too. Unfortunately, turns out it’s not a joke.
Verdict: As of writing this FilmNation are marching on with Sanders and Skarsgard and filming is about to start any day now in Germany and Czech Republic. Will it actually happen- let’s wait and see.
Movie is currently 20 million dollars behind without a single shot being filmed and will lose a whole lot of more even if they by some miracle manage to start the principal photography.But, so far the curse continues, and I can’t help but think that- that is for the best.
The original director Alex Proyas said it best: “If it wasn’t for Brandon you may never have even heard of this poignant little underground comic. It is Brandon’s movie. I believe it is a special case where Hollywood should just let it remain a testament to a man’s immense talent and ultimate sacrifice – and not have others re-write that story or add to it.
“I know sequels were made, and TV shows, and what have you, but the notion of ‘rebooting’ this story, and the original character – a character Brandon gave life to at too high a cost – seems wrong to me. Please let this remain Brandon’s film.“
We talked at length about different Kickboxers who transitioned to action movies during the golden age of VHS.
One of our favorites among them was always ass- kicking blonde-haired Brit Gary Daniels. Dude went from Taekwondo to Kickboxing and then went on to star in everything from City Hunter to Fist of The North Star to The Expendables (where it took the combined might of both Jet Li and Jason Statham to finally defeat him).
Although mostly known for B-movie action roles he did give us a couple of curve balls this year, first as villain in a new Kung Fu series on CW, something I wasn’t really expecting but now even more so as a Model and Martial Art consultant in a new Epic, Post- Apocalyptic comicbook called RIVALS. It’s Dark Fantasy look is reminiscent of things like Berserk and Fist of the North Star as well as Mad Max and of course Conan the Barbarian.
Gary Daniels as Sago Astar
RIVALS is a Graphic Novel series created by Gerrard and Clarke . Set in a medieval and dark fantasy world with post-apocalyptic overtones, the story revolves around the character Sago Astar – a fight trainer and guard to the leader of Jaan City, Sword Dorn Haath. Though it is a fortified emporium and the one true stronghold on planet Alter, Jaan City is under constant threat from the leaders of the planet’s other six large cities , including the Gokin – a biomechanical and weapon-fused race, and the Dark Mizus amongst many other horrors. Rivals is a new action-packed and epic saga to rival all others. Prepare for war and adventure, for it is coming in droves.
You can see the trailer for the campaign bellow , and if you want to support it Kickstarter link is right here. I for one hope it’s a great success and we can maybe see a live- action version of it one day- my general opinion is that there’s never enough Barbarian style movies out there and Daniels is as good as he ever was.
Last year we spoke about Jon Favreau’s (Iron Man, Jungle Book, The Mandalorian) interview were he let it slip that he’s producing a Christmas special by frequent collaborators Chiodo Brothers (Killer Klowns from Outer Space) for Netflix. Well, now- the time is here and Chiodo Bros’s Alien Xmas is up and streaming and you can enjoy it’s stop- motion goodness just in time for holidays!
A young elf mistakes a tiny alien for a Christmas gift, not knowing her new plaything has plans to destroy Earth’s gravity — and steal all the presents.
Who doesn’t want to see some Aliens destroying Christmas for everyone?
Now, the next logical thing to ask is “what’s going on with the Killer Klowns 2?” and interestingly Netflix is considering that too. “We are talking to them. We’re talking all the time”Chiodo said to ComicBook.com. Of course MGM still has the rights so until they decide to pull the trigger it’s all up in the air but if there was ever a time for a sequel for that craziness of a movie– the time is now! In the meantime enjoy Alien Xmas:
We got the news that after decades in limbo never finished sequel of Grizzly(1976)- Grizzly II: Revenge (1983) is finally about to be released! Movie of course follows the aforementioned 10 foot Grizzly terrorizing young concert goers on a giant Woodstock- style festival. Freshly completed version just had it’s premiere in Los Angeles last week and we can hope to hear more details about the release soon.
With a stellar cast such as everyone’s favorite rascal Charlie Sheen, young George Clooney, Laura Dern and even John Rhys- Davies it’s incredible that the movie was just gathering dust all this time. The only way to view film was a bootleg that surfaced in ’07 ripped from VHS copy of the workprint copy. This version unfortunately had most of the the animatronic bear scenes left unfinished (due in part to the disappearance of the producer Joe Proctor).
Crewman in charge of the bear scenes had this this say on imdb -I had an agreement with Joe Proctor to direct the half size effects unit and all elements ( other than the man in a suit version which was almost complete) were finished and ready to shoot in coordination with the storyboard that I also supervised with artist Tony Beasley. The money dried up and the crew’s PERSONAL equipment was seized by the Government who told us they were held against non payment of production bills.-
Original movie producer Suzanne Csikos Nagy explains the sudden halt in production on the first day of filming the concert:
–The principal photography started on Monday. We had 45 days to finish the film. Everything was mapped out. Sunday was a break. Everybody relaxed when the call came to my home. My partner from Chicago was looking for my husband who was not in the film business and asked him to come to the InterContinental Hotel. When he returned he was pale and devastated.
I asked him, “What is wrong?” And he replied, “Joe, your partner, is leaving Hungary. If you want to save the movie, you do what you need to do. He is leaving in half an hour because there is no money for the production.” I thought this was a joke, but then I realized, I was left alone with 300 members of the film crew from 4 countries.-
With the footage restored and transferred to digital in summer of ’19 GBGB proceeded to film the missing scenes with assurance of preserving the authentic ’80s spirit of the movies. We hope to see it soon and confirm that that’s true. In the meantime you can see the new trailer right here.
Worsemovies 