After the news of the new Return of the Living Dead(1985) sequel ( expected Christmas 2025 ) it turns out there’sanother little thing brewing in the ROTLDuniverse and that’s the return of everyone’s favorite scream queen Linnea Quigley as the iconic punk redhead- Trash in Trash’s Revenge!
SHE’S BACK!
As always campaign is up and running, this time on CineBacker and you can check it out right here.
After a surprise reveal at the end of Episode 3 of the fantastic 90s Hong Kong tribute web series Tiger Cops our favorite Aussie ass- kicker Richard Norton finally filmed a full on fight scene for the upcoming Episode 4.
Maria Tran ( King of the Cross, Tracer) and the director Adrian Castro found the time in their busy schedule to not only film their new movie Echo 8 Trilogy but also the new episode of their cult Tiger Cops series too. Considering the last part of the series was released in 2017 (not counting the 2020’s Tiger Cops: Toilet Paper Hero and ’23 Tiger Cop: Yes Madam specials ) this is a quite a pleasant surprise. And the fact that they did it in only couple of days is even more impressive.
MARIA TRAN VS RICHARD NORTON
And a little tease of their fight scene. You can definitely see some nice fight choreography here.
Originally started in 2015 Episode 3 of the Tiger Cops series finally revealed that none other that Norton is the mysterious crime boss White Ghost. Considering both Norton and Tran are from Australia and that Norton was one of the most impressive gweilo villains in the Hong Kong cinema in the 80s and 90s it was a match made in Kung Fu heaven. I mean this is the man that went against: Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Yasuaki Kurata & Cynthia Rothrock just to name a few.
In the Previous Episode:
You can see the rest of the episodes on the Fideo Videoyoutube channel and as for Norton, we should see him next going toe to toe with Cynthia Rothrock like in the old days in the Black Creek in the first part of the 2025. You can still check out that project over here.
It’s been a long time coming (5 years!) but it seems that the fabled Bolo Yeung documentary is finallyready to go. And I must say I’m duly impressed.Filmmakers managed to interview practically every relevant co- star Bolo had through his 100+ movie career, from his Enter The Dragon (1973) co- star Bob Wall (R.I.P) to his Bloodsport (1988) and Double Impact (1991) nemesis Jean Claude Van Damme, Cynthia Rothrock (Tiger Claws 1, Tiger Claws 2 ), Matthias Hues (TC2000) and even Richard Norton(Ironheart). And that’s not even a half of it.
Weightlifter, Bodybuilder, Martial Artist and Actor
We also get a candid look at the man behind the on- screen villain persona with the mix of rare interviews, old photos and recording spanning all the way to his earliest days in the post- WWII China. Man’s got quite a story to tell and his journey takes him from China to Hong Kong to Hollywood, California and everywhere in between- I for one, can’t wait to follow along.
From the gritty streets of post-war China to the dazzling lights of Hollywood, Bolo Yeung’s story is one of resilience, transformation, and unrelenting determination. Known to millions as the iconic villain of Enter the Dragon and Bloodsport, his journey is far more profound than the characters he played.
Produced by Hussar Entertainment,Chinese Hercules: The Bolo Yeung Story is directed by Pavel Nyziak and is expected to debut in 2025.
After what seems like years of waiting the continuation of the Circuit MMA franchise– featuring the 90s action mainstay Olivier Gruner (Nemesis, Alien Interceptor ) as Dirk Longstreet. Originally conceived as a TV series by the producer/ director Jalal Merhi retrofitted The Circuit as a new trilogy of films, and the first one starring the Tae Bo legend Billy Blanks ( King of Kickboxers, Balance of Power) is out today on Amazon Prime Video!
This will be the third time Merhi has worked with Blanks after movies like Talons of the Eagle (1992) and incredibly entertaining SF/Action- TC 2000 (1993) and the first time working with David Yeung after spearheading number ofhis father’s BoloYeung‘s North American movies like Black Pearls, Tiger Claws and the aforementioned TC 2000. Yeung was of course also in another tournament movie with Blanks this year, 90s action homage– The Last Kumite (2024) and will next be seen in two-parts of Bond of Justice: Kizuna starring the late, great Sonny Chiba.
Samson a retired fighter has to get back to the Circuit fighting ring in order to save a young student, Samson needs to face the skeptics, re-affirms his faith and combine with his hard work
It’s just what you wished for Christmas, well, at least some of you (I know you’re out there Hawk- fans).
To rewind for a bit (for those just joining in)- legendary comicbook writer Garth Ennis (Preacher, Punisher, The Boys) unexpectedly brought Hawk The Slayer back in a form of comic in 2022 (with the help of the artist Henry Flint) but since then we heard very little about it. (Although you can buy a nice collected edition right here).
Well, it turns out that Hawk fans showed up in numbers and the comic was successful enough that it warranted a sequel. New 10 part series (!!!) called Hawk The Slayer: The Last of Her Kind, done by the team of writer Alec Worley and artist Simon Coleby with colorist Gary Caldwell will be published starting with the Christmas 2000 AD issue (Prog 2413)- that comes out December 18th. So, you won’t have to wait that long at all.
Art by Simon Coleby & Gary Caldwell
Alec Worley is a serious Fantasy Movie buff (he even wrote a book called Empires of the Imagination: A Critical Survey of Fantasy Cinema in 2015) and he posted a defense of the merits of Hawk The Slayer on his substack this October (which should have been a sign). It’s called What Hawk The Slayer Got Right (Defending the Sword and Sorcery kinda- classic) and it can be read right here:
And as for the Prog- you can place a pre- orderhere if you’re so inclined.
Now, as as far as I know Rebellion (2000 AD parent company) owns the movie (and video game) rights too, so maybe this will be a case similar to the new Deathstalker and after the comics– the fabled sequel (Hawk The Hunter) gets going again! With current unending slew of 80s sequels (more to come in our next WM News article) being filmed–you just never know.
We talked about the return of the famous Martial Art duoCynthia Rothrock & Richard Norton (after 30 years) some months back- and now we finally have the first full trailer. And it has as much ass- kicking as you can imagine. Which is pretty damn impressive considering most of the actors started their careers in Action Movies in the 80s!
The rest of the cast is equally impressive for any 80s and 90s Martial Art movie fan- featuring the third member of their China O’ Brian (1988) team- Keith Cooke (also know as Sub Zero in Mortal Kombat films) along with the the Kickboxing legends like Benny “Jet” Urquidez (Meels of Wheels) and Don “The Dragon” Wilson (Bloodfist) with Keith Vitali of Revenge of the Ninja fame. And speaking of Ninjas, first American Ninjamaster (student of Maasaki Hatsumi of the Bujinkan organization) Steven K Hayes is also in this movie!
Pretty incredible cast for a relatively low budget movie. And yes, I know Wild West wasn’t full of people doing Karate but it’s not like American movies are known for their historical accuracy.
The plot centers around a sheriff’s sister who seeks revenge against the terrifying leader of a group of outlaws after discovering he brutally murdered her brother, his wife, and other family members in a gritty southwestern town.
Now, enjoy all the Karate Cowboys and if you want to pre- order the movie, Black Creek Indiegogo campaign is still open right here.
Month after the beginning ofproduction Raven Banner is launching sales at Cannes and we now have an official photo of Daniel Bernhardt as the titular Deathstalker– and he’s just as badass as I expected.
The Kingdom of Abraxeon is under siege from The Dreadites, a mysterious horde of warriors, whose sudden appearance are rumored to foretell the return of Nekromemnon, an ancient sorcerer long thought dead. Such times of chaos are times of fortune for men like Deathstalker who, having broken ties with all guilds and banners, now ekes an existence from the spoils recovered in the wake of Dreadite attacks.
Our story begins when Deathstalker (Bernhardt) unknowingly recovers an enchanted amulet from a corpse-ridden battlefield, and finds himself cursed by an arcane magick. Now pursued by a monstrous clan of assassins at the behest of the Dreadite scourge, Deathstalker is forced into a perilous quest to reverse the curse and rid the realm of evil.
It will no doubt be great to see Bernhardt back as a lead actor again after almost exclusively playing villains since Matrix Reloaded (2003).
And while you’re waiting forthe Deathstalker movie, first issue of Slash presents Deathstalker comicbook (by Vault Comics) is now out, and yeah- even Bernhardt himself is reading it!
It’s been a long time coming but we finally have a trailer for the first Chuck Norris role in a action movie in more than a decade (since Expendables 2 to be precise.). And for an 84 (!!!) year old man, he is still in an incredible shape and ready to kick ass and take names!
Fight scenes are choreographed by his youngest son Dakota Norris and man, the kid doesn’t disappoint!
He is joined by a writer/ director Derek Ting and a genre mainstay Marc Singer ( V, Beastmaster, Arrow). Movie is a combination of military action (that’s been a staple of Norris’s filmography since the Cannon Films days) and the Alien/ SF elements- more in line with Singer‘s background. Definitely an interesting if unexpected combo.
It will be available both in Theaters & On Demand– June 21, 2024 so we won’t have to wait long to finally see it. And the crazy thing is- this isn’t the only Norris film we can expect this year!
Long wait is (almost) over! The ultimate 80s Martial Arts movie tribute The Last Kumite featuring Mathis Landwehr, Cynthia Rothrock, Matthias Hues, Kurt McKinney, Billy Blanks , Michel Qissi & David Yeung is available on Digital May 14, 2024 and on Blu-Ray and DVD June 11, 2024.
You can enjoy the full trailer bellow:
“When Karate champion Michael Rivers (Mathis Landwehr) wins the last tournament of his career, shady businessman Ron Hall (Matthias Hues) offers him the opportunity to fight in an illegal, deadly Kumite in Bulgaria with the world’s best martial artists. Michael declines, only to find out later that his daughter Bree has been kidnapped and that in order to rescue her, he is left with no other option but to fight in the deadly tournament. When he finally gets to Bulgaria, he finds out that he is not the only fighter whose loved one got taken. Now, in order to beat the undefeated Kumite Champion Dracko, Michael trains with Master Loren (Billy Blanks), and Dracko’s former Sensei, Julie Jackson (Cynthia Rothrock). But will it be enough for him to win the tournament and save his daughter’s life?“
…and if this one does good producers promise us the next one will be- The Last American Ninja!!! Can you imagine how crazy the cast would be for that one. Maybe they could bring Sho Kosugi back from the (Ninja) retirement, Michael Dudikoff is still out there doing movies so he’s probably available and who knows maybe they could even find my personal favorite- David Bradley?
After a successful Kickstarter campaign for the Deathstalkercomicbook (via Vault Comics/ Slash Presents) we could sense a possibility of a new Deathstalker moviein an air. If fact the comic was first sign of life for the Roger Corman- created property in more than 33 years!
And now it comes to pass– newDeathstalker movie is in pre- production and about to start filming very, very soon.
Hopefully the official poster will look exactly like this
Stalwart of the 90s Martial Arts cinema (Bloodsport II,True Vengence, Perfect Target) Bernhardt transitioned into more of a badass villain roles in ’00s starting with Matrix Reloaded all up to John Wick, Parker, Atomic Blond and most recently Extraction 2. In recent years he also branched out as a Action Choreographer working on such films as Creed 2, Nobody and again Extraction 2.
Filming is about to start in late April written and directed by Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman, The Void) and I sure hope someone saved those pigmen costumes, ’cause it wouldn’t be a Deathstalker movie without them! (Hopefully the OG DeathstalkerRick Hill can make an appearance too.)
Worsemovies 