The popular “Kickboxer” franchise made a much-heralded return with its 2016 reboot “Kickboxer: Vengeance” and its 2018 sequel “Kickboxer: Retaliation”.
However, news has been surprisingly quiet since then on when Alain Moussi’s Kurt Sloan will return to the ring, though Alain and writer-director Dimitri Logothetis re-teamed for the 2020 sci-fi martial arts flick “Jiu Jitsu”.
Thankfully, that radio silence has thankfully ended with the news of the conclusion of the modern “Kickboxer” series, titled “Kickboxer: Armageddon”, heading into production.
Even better, news has also arrived that the upcoming third chapter of the contemporary “Kickboxer” franchise will bring none other than Scott Adkins on-board as its villain – and here is why KFK is excited for all of that!
Scott Adkins’ Role in “Kickboxer: Armageddon” Explained
The news of Scott Adkins joining “Kickboxer: Armageddon” was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, who broke down Scott’s role in the trilogy capstone with the following description:
“Adkins will play Cesare in Kickboxer: Armageddon, a martial arts master who rules over a sadistic cult, the descendants of the REG (The Royal Elite Guard) of Burma. Cesare’s teaching philosophy involves learning through pain.”
THR also quoted Dimitri Logothetis on his enthusiasm for Scott Adkins joining the project:
“Scott is an exceptional actor as well as a martial arts legend, and I am looking forward to working with him…I know our Kickboxer fan base cannot wait to see Scott and Alain in Kickboxer: Armageddon. From Undisputed to Accident Man, as well as The Bourne Ultimatum, Scott has impressed us all with his unique action style.”
Additionally, Scott and the returning Alain Moussi are far from the only martial arts masters who will make up the cast of “Kickboxer: Armageddon”, with numerous real-life MMA fighters joining the cast. As reported by Martial Arts Action Cinema, these include former UFC champ Paige Van Zant, along with current UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal and Derrick Lewis.
The contemporary “Kickboxer” reboot franchise has regularly brought real kickboxers and MMA fighters into its ensemble, including Georges St. Pierre, Gina Carano, Cain Velasquez, and Farbicio Werdum in “Kickboxer: Vengeance” and Renato Sobral, Wanderlei Silva, Renzo Gracie, Rico Verhoeven, Frankie Edgar, and even Mike Tyson in “Kickboxer: Retaliation”.
It’s great to see “Kickboxer: Armageddon” keeping that franchise tradition going, though there’s no word yet on whether Jean-Claude Van Damme will return as Kurt Sloan’s wise Muay Thai mentor Durand, a return fans of the series would undoubtedly welcome.
In any case, with the cast of “Kickboxer: Armageddon” shaping up, the threequel is just one of many projects its newly cast antagonist has coming up.
Scott Adkins’ is Really Keeping Busy in 2024!
Scott Adkins is nothing if not an industrious action star, but he’s kicked off 2024 as a particularly busy year after his acclaimed appearance as Killa Harkan in “John Wick: Chapter 4”.
Scott recently finished work on Liam O’Donnell’s upcoming sci-fi martial arts sequel “Skyline: Warpath”, which marks a re-union of Scott with his “Triple Threat” co-star Iko Uwais to much fanboy approval.
At the time of this writing, Scott is also teaming up with his “Undisputed 3”, “Savage Dog”, and “John Wick: Chapter 4” co-star Marko Zaror for Ernesto Diaz Espinoza’s Chilean actioner “Diablo”.
“Kickboxer: Armageddon” is the latest project on Scott’s docket, but 2024 could get even better for what he has coming up.
With Donnie Yen prepping “Flash Point: Resurgence”, the long-awaited sequel to his 2007 MMA game changer “Flash Point”, a cheeky exchange between Scott and Donnie on Instagram seemingly hinted to Scott boarding the upcoming MMA sequel, an obvious godsend for martial arts fans around the world.
Though nothing is confirmed of Scott’s potential appearance in “Flash Point: Resurgence”, Scott nonetheless has stoked the flames of anticipation in martial arts aficionados with his upcoming roles in “Skyline: Warpath”, “Diablo”, and “Kickboxer: Armageddon”.
The “Kickboxer” Franchise is Beloved by Martial Arts Fans
When it comes to the legacy of the “Kickboxer” franchise, its impact stretches all the way back to 1989 when Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Kurt Sloan and Michel Qissi’s Tong Po first met in a glass-gloved Muay Thai showdown in the original “Kickboxer”, which remains a timeless cult classic for martial arts movie lovers.
The “Kickboxer” franchise continued to amass an ever-growing fanbase in the Sasha Mitchell-led “Kickboxer” 2, 3, and 4, along with the disconnected but still enthralling “Redemption: Kickboxer 5” anchored by Mark Dacascos.
With the modern “Kickboxer” movies, the franchise has succeeded in both capturing the nostalgia of the original Van Damme-led movie with his mentor role as Durand along with bringing in a new generation of fans with Alain Moussi’s endearing performance as Kurt Sloan, along with the excellent fight scenes showcased in both “Vengeance” and “Retaliation”.
With Scott Adkins and the pedigree of MMA champs joining Alain for “Armageddon”, that can only turn the dial up to critical mass on the level of anticipation “Kickboxer” fans are bound to have for the modern “Kickboxer” trilogy’s finale!
