It takes a great deal of confidence in the quality of your product to get started on a sequel before its predecessor has even been released, but the makers of the upcoming “Kickboxer: Vengeance” are preparing to do just that with production already underway for the film’s sequel, “Kickboxer: Retaliation”. Of course, now that the trailer for the former has dropped at last, who would second guess that call when the reboot of the 1989 cult classic “Kickboxer” looks this amazing?
The cast of “Vengeance”, which premiered on July 14th at Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival, is a certifiable Hall of Fame roster of martial arts virtuosos. Stuntman Alain Moussi of “Street Fighter: Resurrection” takes on the role of Kurt Sloane, made iconic the original film by Jean-Claude Van Damme, who will himself appear in the reboot (as well as “Retaliation”) in the role of Kurt’s Muay Thai mentor, Master Durand. Dave Bautista assumes the role of the savage Muay Thai champion Tong Po, whilst real-life MMA legends Georges St. Pierre and Gina Carano take on the roles of Kavi and Marcia, two characters unique to the rebooted take on “Kickboxer”. The film will also tug on a lot of hearts with the appearance of the late Darren Shahlavi in the role of Kurt’s brother Eric, who falls victim to the bloodlust of the vicious Tong Po.
Judging from the trailer, “Vengeance” will pay homage to the original while charting its own course – which is exactly what any remake or reboot should do. There’s enough call backs and fan service the ’89 film to get fans appropriately geeking-out without going too overboard and the Muay Thai-driven action sequences it must be said, look pretty stunning!
“Kickboxer: Vengeance” will drop in theaters and Video on Demand platforms on September 2nd. Stay tuned for more info on both “Vengeance” and “Retaliation” coming soon…
