"Guardians of Galaxy's" Dave Batista has been tapped to join in the remake of the original Jean Claude Van Damme flick along with UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre. The new "Kickboxer" is seen to kickstart the franchise and the career of a relative newcomer playing the lead.
The Exchange and Radar Pictures have inked a deal to produce the "Kickboxer" reboot of the 1989 film that launched the career of Jean Claude Van Damme, Deadline has reported.
The "Kickboxer" reboot will be helmed by Chinese director Stephen Fung whose "Tai Chi Zero" and "Tai Chi Hero" have developed a cult following among martial arts fans.
"Guardians of Galaxy's" Dave Batista joins the cast of mostly newcomers led by Alain Moussi, who will play Van Damme's character Kurt Sloane, whose main claim to fame has been a stuntman ("X-Men: Days of Future Past"). There's also George St. Pierre whose movie career was launched in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."
It's not clear what roles "Guardians of Galaxy's" Dave Batista and George St. Pierre will play.
But producer Ted Field has all the confidence in his cast and he expects the "Kickboxer" reboot to launch the career of the lead actor as kickstart a franchise. Will there be "Kickboxer" part 2?
He even likened Alain Moussi's impact with the "Kickboxer" reboot with Vin Diesel's signature portrayal of "Riddick."
"Alain is a star and will be an amazing leading man. Like Vin [Diesel] in 'Riddick', Alain will make this movie very special, and this Kickboxer will be the start of an amazing franchise," he said per acesshowbiz.com.
Brian O'Shea, who joins Mike Weber and Peter Meyer to executive produce the film, said in the official statement announcing the "Kickboxer" reboot: "We have a visionary director, a strong Hollywood producer, great cast and an action packed script based on a well known property - what more can you ask for?"
