Julie Estelle joins Kickboxer City of Blood!

One of the most heavily anticipated martial arts films of 2015 in the upcoming “Kickboxer: Vengeance”, which will serve as a reboot of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1989 cult classic “Kickboxer“. The anticipation for the film is ironic, however, given the fact that the original “Kickboxer” series will itself be releasing a new chapter this year, titled “The Kickboxer: City of Blood”. Even better is the fact that Julie “Hammer Girl” Estelle of “The Raid 2” fame has joined the cast of the film!

“City of Blood” will mark the sixth installment of the “Kickboxer” series, with Albert Pyun, who helmed the second and third films of the original series, returning to the director’s chair. Van Damme did not return for the sequels, though he will be appearing in “Vengeance” as the reboot’s wise Muay Thai mentor, Master Durand. From the second through to the fourth movie, Sasha Mitchell took the mantle of the series leading man, David Sloane, the younger brother of Kurt and Eric. The fifth film in the series focused on a completely different story involving a villainous kickboxing promoter, with Mark Dacascos stepping into the spotlight there. For “City of Blood”, Mitchell will return to the role of David, with Dennis Chan reprising his role of Xian Chow from the first three films. Estelle will assume the role of a character named Tun, while Clare Kramer rounds out the cast in the role of Jenny.

The “Kickboxer” series may be the first example in cinematic history of a film series producing a sequel and a reboot simultaneously, but lovers of the series must be smiling ear-to-ear right about now. Perhaps the only downside is that Ms. Estelle’s role in the film isn’t likely to involve claw hammers – what a pity!

Stay tuned for more news on “The Kickboxer: City of Blood” as it arrives!