Archive for the ‘Worse News’ Category

Worse News: Metal, Martial Arts and Cosmic Horror in Richard Stanley’s new film Steel Donkeys featuring Martial Arts legend Cynthia Rothrock!

Posted: 27/07/2025 in Worse News
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6 years after his unlikely comeback with Color Out of Space (staring none other than the legendary Nic Cage) Richard Stanley is back at it again. In his first UK production since his debut Hardware (1990) Stanley is preparing to shoot a Rock Festival meets Lovecraftian Horror film called Iron Donkey.

And if that isn’t enough he is casting a number of Rockstars and at least one Martial Arts star, because the first casting is surprisingly a Hong Kong action movie veteran Cynthia Rothrock (Yes, Madam, China O’Brian & Black Creek).


“The stars have aligned to conjure this dream into manifestation, a perfect storm of metal, martial arts and cosmic horror, precision calibrated to burn its way into the brains of a whole new generation of metal fans. It makes me hugely happy to be back in the UK and to be returning to my cultural roots with this supernaturally charged psychedelic hand grenade, freely inspired by a real-life misadventure from my younger years. Given the current state of the nation, I firmly believe Steel Donkeys is exactly
what Britain both needs and deserves…”

Movie is to be shoot during a Bloodstock Open Air festival (in Derbyshire) in August with additional filming in KK’S Steel Mill, owned of course by none other than K.K. Downings (ex- Judas Priest). Doesn’t get much more Metal than that.

Heavy Metal meets Horror ( ala Trick or Treat) has always been one of the sub-genres we had crazy fun with, so we can’t wait to see more of this project– hopefully we won’t be waiting long.

Worse News: Cynthia Rothrock’s Black Creek (2025) final trailer and the release date!

Posted: 28/05/2025 in Tribute, Worse News
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First announced in ’23 Cynthia Rothtock‘s Western/ Martial Arts hybrid is almost here. Distributed by VMI Worldwide, Black Creek is expected to hit the Apple TV on June 17th and can even be pre-ordered right here–https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/black-creek/umc.cmc.59gl91h0yamgmjd7lxz7jv6gf

A sheriff’s sister 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.

For fans of 80s and 90s Martial Art flicks, movie is significant as a reunion of China O’ Brian (1990) team of Rothrock, Keith Cooke and the late, great Richard Norton almost 35 years after their last film together. And the rest of the cast is also rounded out with who’s who of old school Martial Art movies with names like Don “Dragon” Wilson, Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, Keith Vitali and Ninjutsu pioneer Stephen Hayes all there.

Also if you want to order a DVD, Blu-Ray or even a Shoutout from Cynthia I believe movie’s Indiegogo is still open (for now) : https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-creek-an-action-film-by-cynthia-rothrock

Worse News: Long lost Tony Todd movie from Full Moon production- Cutter’s Club is out after 20 years!

Posted: 08/05/2025 in Worse News
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After finally completing one long gestating project, stop- motion creature feature THE PRIMEVALS, Charles Band found another lost gem of his Full Moon filmography. It’s a Tony Todd movie he directed almost exactly 20 years ago that ran into financial trouble just 2 days before the production was supposed to end then even worse had it’s negatives lost for decades. Negatives were finally found last year and the Band was hard at work at finishing the movie and now it can finally see the light of day.

Despite being filmed in ’00s Cutter’s Club is an extremely old school horror feature with practical effects by John Carl Buechler (Halloween 4, Friday the 13th 4) and some nice cinematography by the late Mac Ahlberg (Re-Animator, From Beyond). Script was by Neal Marshall Stevens (Thirteen Ghosts).

You can see the official trailer bellow and if you like what you see you can watch the movie for free on Tubi right now.

Worse News: Trailer and the release date for Tiger Cop: Project A feat. Richard Norton!

Posted: 10/03/2025 in Tribute, Worse News
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Back in December we spoke about the fantastic Tiger Cops: Project A short- a love letter to the 90s Hong Kong/ Girls with Guns genre in which the titular heroine Inspector Tiger (Maria Tran) finally confronts the mysterious crime boss White Ghost played by none other than Hong Kong movie villain royalty Richard Norton (Mr. Nice Guy, City Hunter, Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars).

Richard Norton with “Black Bear” Sifu Damien Chauremootoo

Well, now we finally have the release date for the short film (spoiler: you won’t have to wait long) and the full trailer too. You can enjoy it bellow via Fideo youtube channel:

Starring: Maria Tran, David Hong, Wilson Zou and Richard Norton

And the fun doesn’t stop with Tiger Cop: Project A on the 17.03. because Norton also filmed a short cameo in Tran‘s next installment of her Echo 8 film series, Echo 8: Beyond that we can hopefully expect by the end of the year too. It’s a good time to be a Kung Fu movie fan for sure.

Worse News: Cult classic that introduced the world to Van Damme- No Retreat No Surrender (1985) is getting a new documentary!

Posted: 18/02/2025 in Worse News
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No Retreat No Surrender (1985) was at the time a rare hybrid of Hong Kong and U.S.A.– an attempt to bring Asian Martial Arts movies to American audiences. It was written by Keith Strandberg and directed by Corey Yuen (Dragons Forever, Yes, Madam) in his English language debut. (Yuen would go on to have a successful career in the west from No Retreat 2 to working on Jet Li‘s American movies like Lethal Weapon 4, Romeo Must Die & The Expendables as well as effectively launching Jason Statham as an action star with The Transporter.) It also notably had remaining vestiges of 70s Bruceploitation genre by inexplicably having a main character being trained by a ghost of Bruce Lee (Kim Tai-Chung aka Tong Lung.)

Directed by Oliver Harper (In Search of the Last Action Heroes) documentary features interviews not only with the likes of No Retreat producer Ng See-yuen, original cast members such as Kurt McKinney, J.W. Fails, Peter “Sugarfoot” Cunningham as well as sequel’s Cynthia Rothrock and Matthias Hues but also with famous fans such as Scott Adkins(Undisputed, Ninja). The only one missing is The Muscles from Brussels himself, Mr. Van Damme.

As of now movie is over 40% financed on Kickstarter and if you want you can pre- order it right here. I have no doubt this will get to 100% in no time.

Worse News: Linnea Quigley is back as Trash (Return of the Living Dead) after 40 years!

Posted: 21/01/2025 in Tribute, Worse News
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After the news of the new Return of the Living Dead (1985) sequel ( expected Christmas 2025 ) it turns out there’s another little thing brewing in the ROTLD universe 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.

Worse News: Richard Norton is back in Tiger Cops: Plan A series!

Posted: 20/12/2024 in Tribute, Worse News
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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 Video youtube 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.

Worse News: Finally, the new Chinese Hercules: The Bolo Yeung Story trailer- featuring Van Damme, Rothrock, Norton and much more!

Posted: 09/12/2024 in Tribute, Worse News
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It’s been a long time coming (5 years!) but it seems that the fabled Bolo Yeung documentary is finally ready 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.

Ready to go!

Worse News: The Circuit 4: Faith Fighter starring Billy Blanks & “Bolo Jr.” David Yeung is finally out!

Posted: 30/11/2024 in Worse News
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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 of his father’s Bolo Yeung‘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

If you’re having a problem finding the movie, here’s the Prime link right here: https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Faith-Fighter-The-Circuit-4/0IYZFIZV46LNCI7YC80OK4GPLT?fbclid=IwY2xjawG4HWVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHauUJ1DDhkuYe6dajuQPGelUNEFzAiA5FQ3uq00QUWc4hG9X_GSPjZ8DQg_aem_W_R5tMeVq6DdKeiFscZoYg And if you want to refresh your The Circuit knowledge first , the original trilogy is on Film One‘s youtube channel for free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJNRVVVt50g&list=PLVurKlrSGtv61suj-4qXh6Z_Z4draAmWl

So, bye, ’till The Circuit 5 (and the inevitable return of Dirk Longstreet), I’m guessing we won’t be waiting for too long!

Worse News: Hawk The Slayer comic is back, starting with the Christmas issue of 2000 AD!

Posted: 23/11/2024 in Worse News
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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:

https://alecworley.substack.com/p/what-hawk-the-slayer-got-right

And as for the Prog- you can place a pre- order here 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.

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