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Van Damme is the most ‘remade’ action star in the world!
Cityonfire.com’s ‘Wolf Warrior’ Blu-ray Giveaway!
Does JCVD’s ‘The Eagle Path’ finally have a release date?
Latest poster for Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful 8’

Van Damme is the most ‘remade’ action star in the world!

Posted: 11 Aug 2015 12:06 AM PDT

Love him or hate him, there's no denying that Jean-Claude Van Damme is a trendsetter when it comes to action and martial arts movies. He’s also a name that helped build franchises that gave birth to endless money-making sequels and prequels. In the late ’80s/early ’90s, films like Bloodsport and Kickboxer rejuvenated a genre that was practically in limbo during the final stages of the Chuck Norris and Ninja-craze era.

Van Damme's influence can only be compared to the Bruceploitation explosion of the '70s.

Back then, it was Van Damme’s popularity that opened the Hollywood doors to names like Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Olivier Gruner, Dale ‘Apollo’ Cook and Loren Avedon. It was because of films like Bloodsport and Kickboxer that copycat titles (i.e. Bloodfist, King of the Kickboxers, American Kickboxer 1-2 and Raw Target) were profit makers on video rental shelves. Even the great Roger Corman will tell you he was riding the waves of Van Damme’s success when he developed the Bloodfist franchise for Wilson.

"Double Impact" most likely gave Jackie Chan the inspiration for "Twin Dragons"

Van Damme’s influence can only be compared to the Bruceploitation explosion of the ’70s (Bruceploitation is a term used to describe the Bruce Lee lookalike films that dominated grind house theaters; i.e. Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee, etc). Whereas, Bruce Lee knock-offs had the words “Fist," "Fury," "Enter," "Dragon" and "Game" in their titles; Van Damme’s had the words "Blood," "Kickboxer," "Target" and "Impact” in them.

And let’s not forget about Double Impact (1991), a film that most likely gave Jackie Chan the inspiration for Twin Dragons (1992). Ironically, Twin Dragons was made during a time when Hollywood studios were getting ideas from Hong Kong action films, which proves that Van Damme’s impact (no pun intended) was not only game-changing, it was a world-wide phenomenon.

Van Damme was bringing in acclaimed-Hong Kong filmmakers years before most studios caught on.

Even towards the mid/tail-end of his successful film career, Van Damme was bringing in acclaimed-Hong Kong filmmakers years before most studios caught on. He brought in John Woo for 1993′s Hard Target, Ringo Lam for 1996′s Maximum Risk and Tsui Hark for 1997′s Double Team and 1998′s Knock Off. Ask yourself: What other western actor has worked with all 3 of these Hong Kong legends? (not counting Corey Yuen for 1986′s No Retreat, No Surrender). He even helped launch the career of future Blockbuster-maker Roland Emmerich (ID4, White House Down) with 1992′s Universal Soldier.

Jackie Chan visits the set of Tsui Hark's "Double Team."

Ever since the unorthodox, but highly acclaimed J.C.V.D. in 2008, Van Damme has been walking on a comeback trail. Although he never hit that “John Travolta/Pulp Fiction” peak, his career has definitely been well-balanced for the last 5 years.

2012′s The Expendables 2 gave him a co-starring role in a major Hollywood theatrical release alongside legendary names like Stallone and Schwarzenegger; he’s also been in a string memorable commercials for Coors Light, Go Daddy and most recently, Volvo. Sure, he’s still pumping out straight-to-DVD movies, but heck, so is Bruce Willis and Robert De Niro. For the most part, Van Damme’s current output of films maintain a certain quality and entertainment value that fans are proud of (let’s pretend Derailed doesn’t exist).

Whether they’re new or old, Van Damme movies are both marketable and iconic. It’s no wonder why many of his films spawned endless Van Damme-less sequels (Timecop 2, Timecop TV series, Kickboxer 2-6, Bloodsport 2-3, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business) relying solely on the film’s titles to make a quick buck.

Today, many of his movies are currently being developed for remakes and/or reboots, as well as sequels. After much thought and a good chunk of research, it has come to my attention that Van Damme is currently the most ‘remade’ action star in the world.

Let’s examine the Van Damme films that are/were in the process of being remade:

Corey Yuen's "No Retreat, No Surrender" helped launched the career of Van Damme.

No Retreat, No Surrender (1986): This cult favorite was Van Damme’s debut martial arts film. Under the direction of Corey Yuen (Transporter), it introduced Hong Kong-style choreography to U.S. audiences. Not only did it jump-start Van Damme’s career, it also sparked a newfound interest in martial arts films.

Even though Van Damme was only in the film for a total of 20 minutes, the public took notice. Keith W. Strandberg (read our interview with him), producer of the No Retreat, No Surrender series, expressed interest in remaking the original No Retreat, No Surrender. If the remake happens, it’ll be interesting to see how they pull off portraying Bruce Lee as a ghost without receiving a lawsuit from the Bruce Lee Estate. Regardless, we’re crossing our fingers for this one.

The original "Bloodsport" was followed by a pack of cheapie sequels starring Daniel Bernhardt.

Bloodsport (1988): This is the title that put an expiration date on the two N-words: Ninjas and Norris. At the time, it was a groundbreaking, brutal and lived up to its title. To put it simply, it was my generation’s answer to 1973′s Enter the Dragon. The fact that it was supposedly based on true events (that’s another story) made it even better. Bloodsport also reintroduced the world to the legendary Bolo Yueng (Enter the Dragon) and co-starred future Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker. The original was followed by 1996′s Bloodsport 2, 1997′s Bloodsport 3 and 1999′s Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite – all cheapie sequels starring Daniel Bernhardt (The Matrix Reloaded).

In 2013, it was announced that Phillip Noyce (Salt) was attached to helm a Bloodsport remake, but somewhere along the way, James McTeigue (Ninja Assassin) stepped in. According to sources, the remake will explore the life of 21st century mercenaries as they collide with the underground world of Brazilian Vale Tudo fighting. The remake is currently stuck in development hell.

We're pretty sure Angelina Jolie doesn't want to be reminded of "Cyborg 2"

Cyborg (1989): Along with 1982′s The Sword and the Sorcerer and 1992′s Nemesis, Cyborg is considered to cult director Albert Pyun’s finest movies. It made enough money to spawn a 1993 Van Damme-less sequel starring Elias Koteas, Jack Palance, Billy Drago, Karen Sheperd and a then-unknown Angelina Jolie. Then came 1995′s Cyborg 3: The Recycler, with Khrystyne Haje, Zach Galligan, Richard Lynch and Malcolm McDowell.

In 2011, it was announced that Pyun was developing a Cyborg remake. For whatever reason, the remake morphed into a prequel called Cyborg Nemesis (aka Cyborg: Rise of the Slingers). The movie, which is currently stranded in post-production phase, stars Kevin Sorbo, Joei Fulco, Dina Meyer, Michael Paré and Sasha Mitchell. Due to Pyun's health issues and retirement, the release date of Cyborg Nemesis is unknown.

Following "Kickboxer" was a slew of Van Damme-less sequels starring Sasha Mitchell (one starred Mark Dacascos).

Kickboxer (1989): Kickboxer holds a special place place in my childhood. After all, it was the first Van Damme movie I ever saw on the big screen. I can vividly remember me and my friends “kickboxing” each other while leaving the theater. It was a moment of excitement that can only be compared to kids pretending to have lightsabers in their hands after just having watched Star Wars in 1977. Following Kickboxer was a slew of Van Damme-less sequels starring Sasha Mitchell (one starred Mark Dacascos).

Currently, a Kickboxer remake, titled Kickboxer: Vengeance, is wrapping up with newcomer Alain Moussi (read our interview with him) in the lead. In addition, WWE star Dave Bautista, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, former MMA star Gina Carano and the late Darren Shahlavi are also part of the cast, with filmmaker/actor John Stockwell (In the Blood) at the helm.

Additionally, Albert Pyun will be directing Kickboxer: City of Blood, which will serve as a follow-up to Sasha Mitchell’s Kickboxer saga. Indonesian actress Julie Estelle (Macabre), who's mostly known for playing Hammer Girl in The Raid 2, is attached as the film’s leading lady. As with Cyborg Nemesis, Pyun's health condition may have brought the project to a temporary halt.

"Lionheart" wins the trophy for having the most aliases: A.W.O.L., Wrong Bet, Full Contact and Leon.

Lionheart (1990): It doesn’t stop there with Albert Pyun. Back in 2014, the filmmaker had this to say about a potential Lionheart remake: "I've been approached about directing a remake of Lionheart with Van Damme by the rights holding distributor. Not sure if I will do this as it doesn't seem to be a film needing a remake. I guess I'd changed the Los Angeles setting to Hong Kong, but I am not sure it fits in with what I do. But I told the rights holder I will consider it depending on how excited JCVD is about it. And if I can make it with my vision of it." The remake was never brought up again and probably for good reason. As it stands, Lionheart – also known as A.W.O.L. or Wrong Bet – is considered, by many, Van Damme’s best movie.

A couple of a years later, Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon) capitalized on Lionheart’s success by bringing in Bolo Yeung (Bloodsport) and Richard Norton (Future Hunters) aboard for the similarly-titled South Korean production, Ironheart. One can only imagine how many times some kid’s parent brought home the latter instead of the Van Damme movie. That’s exactly what the producers wanted.

I'll take Garey Busey and Burt Reynolds' "Universal Solder" over "The Return" any day of the week.

Universal Soldier (1992): Directed by Roland Emmerich (ID4) and written by Dean Devlin (Godzilla), this 1992 sci fi/action flick was Van Damme’s answer to 1984′s The Terminator. It also featured fellow action star Dolph Lundgren (Skin Trade). Because of its popularity, Universal Soldier spawned 1999′s Universal Soldier: The Return (with Bill Goldberg and Michael Jai White), 2009′s Universal Soldier: Regeneration (with Lundgren and Andrei Arlovski) and 2012′s Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (with Lundgren, Scott Adkins and Andrei Arlovski). Dare I mention the Van Damme-less, made-for-TV sequels: 1998′s Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and 1999′s Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business; or The Asylum’s 2007 Universal Soldiers.

In 2011, there were talks of rebooting Universal Soldier into a TV series (a la Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) by Allen Shapiro and Craig Baumgarten, who produced the original. Obviously, the TV series never came to fruition, but there’s always the future.

Van Damme's most ambitious project.

Timecop (1994): Unlike his ’90s rival, Steven Seagal, Van Damme toyed with different genres and characters, hence, Timecop, the peak of his career. This live-action adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book was the perfect mix of sci-fi and action. It’s best describe as H. G. Wells meets Back to the Future with martial arts. Branching out of the film’s popularity was the 1997 Timecop TV series and 2003′s Timecop: The Berlin Decision, starring Jason Scott Lee (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story).

The original Timecop still holds up to this day and is considered Van Damme’s most polished film. With that said, a remake is currently in development. No director or star is attached, but the latest news is producers of the remake have hired Mark and Brian Gunn (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) to write the script.

Since Van Damme's "Street Fighter," there have been numerous video game-to-movie adaptations.

Street Fighter (1994): I know this is pushing it, but I’d be lying if I told you that Van Damme wasn’t the first action star to appear in a live-action adaptation of Capcom’s Street Fighter series (he was also the main inspiration behind Midway Games’ Mortal Kombat). Sure, it was Wong Jing and Jackie Chan that first spoofed Street Fighter in 1992′s City Hunter, but Van Damme’s was an official, full length feature. Despite being written directed by the talented Steven E. de Souza (screenwriter of films like 48 Hrs, Commando and Die Hard), the film was panned by critics and fans alike. But that didn’t stop it from being one of Van Damme’s highest grossing films of all time.

In 2003, there were talks of a Street Fighter sequel with Van Damme (Guile) returning along with Damian Chapa (Ken) and Byron Mann (Ryu). Both Dolph Lundgren and Holly Valance (replacing Kylie Minogue as Cammy) were also attached. Unfortunately, the sequel never saw the light of day.

Instead, 2009′s Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was born. It starred Kristin Kreuk, Chris Klein, Robin Shou, Michael Clarke Duncan and Hong Kong legend, Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink with Me). Another live-action reimagining came in the form of 2014′s Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, a web series that was later edited both as a TV series and feature film. With the new Street Fighter V video game just around the corner, we’re bound to see more live-action Street Fighter projects.

Van Damme's 30+ year career is still going strong.

So there you have it. Cityonfire.com officially declares Van Damme as the most ‘remade’ action star. We’re obviously jumping the gun since there hasn’t been a single Van Damme remake that has even been released, but I’ll delete this article if someone can give me the name of another action star who’s been the subject of so many remakes, reboots, sequels and copycat titles.

Until then, keep logging on to Cityonfire.com for all the latest news and developments regarding all of the titles discussed in this article.

Cityonfire.com’s ‘Wolf Warrior’ Blu-ray Giveaway!

Posted: 10 Aug 2015 11:19 AM PDT

Wolf Warrior | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Cityonfire.com and Well Go USA are giving away 3 Blu-ray copies of Wolf Warrior to three lucky Cityonfire visitors. To enter, simply add a comment to this post and describe, in your own words, this video.

We will be selecting a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you for your home address. Additionally, you must 'Like Us' on cityonfire.com's Facebook by clicking here.

The Blu-ray & DVD for Wolf Warrior (read our review) will be officially released on September 1, 2015. We will announce the 3 winners on September 1, 2015 and ship out the prizes immediately.

CONTEST DISCLAIMER: You must enter by August 31, 2015 to qualify. U.S. residents only please. We sincerely apologize to our non-U.S. visitors. Winners must respond with their mailing address within 48 hours, otherwise you will automatically be disqualified. No exceptions. Contest is subject to change without notice.

Does JCVD’s ‘The Eagle Path’ finally have a release date?

Posted: 10 Aug 2015 12:00 AM PDT

"Full Love" Theatrical Poster

If you’re a fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme, chances are you’ve heard of The Eagle Path (aka Full Love). The 2010 action drama is Van Damme’s first directorial effort since 1996′s The Quest and the movie he chose to make rather than appear in the first Expendables movie. The project was shot on a budget of about $5 million on location in Thailand and eventually screened out of competition at Cannes.

Audiences at its 2010 screening offered a mixed reaction. There were even some critics who compared the film’s more ‘out there’ sequences to 2001: A Space Odyssey or Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life. Fans had to wonder: had Van Damme gone arthouse?

Unfortunately, American audiences have been unable to discover The Eagle Path since Van Damme was reportedly unhappy with his final cut. Rumors suggested he wouldn’t release the movie in the West, even on DVD, until he was able to do another edit. | According to Impact, producer Moshe Diamont (The Black Dahlia, Universal Soldier: Regeneration) came onboard to help initiate reshoots, which were meant to help clarify the story and characters for the audience and beef up the action sequences.

Van Damme took to Facebook to assure fans of the status of the film: “The Eagle Path took longer than what I have expected but that is because I did some recent re-shooting with more ACTION scenes! The movie is going to be re-titled to SOLDIERS. Thank you for your patience… soon, wait for its huge première! — JCVD

Updates: The Eagle Path, apparently now titled Soldiers, has been the most tumultuous film of Damme’s career – and hardly anyone has seen it yet. For whatever reason, this film is taking longer than usual to put together. However, we have long heard that this is one of Van Damme’s most personal projects. Bear in mind, JCVD helped finance Soldiers with his own money and wrote the screenplay, besides directing and starring in it. Regardless of the rumors and the long wait, it sounds like Van Damme is working on something that has the potential to be more than just another martial arts flick.

Here’s some footage: 2010 trailer | Clips 01 | Clips o2 | Van Damme’s 2010 screening intro | Check out the latest clips (sorry, video has been removed), which feature new re-shoots and action sequences that look like they might have been inspired by Garath Evans’ The Raid. | Here’s a brief on-screen clip from Soldiers (aka The Eagle Path). When will we finally get to see Soldiers? The word is it’s completed and fully edited. Now that Van Damme is done filming Pound of Flesh, he can put more focus on finally releasing Soldiers. Rest assured, City on Fire will keep Van Damme fans updated on the status of this long-in-development film.

Apparently, Soldiers is now changing back to its original title, Full Love (aka The Eagle Path). Full Love (click here to see the poster) will make its premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival. “I just watched my film with final mixing. This is the fresh made film poster…” says Van Damme. I will be in Shanghai International Film Festival to share this film with you.”

In our last update, we reported that The Eagle Path’s title was reverted back to Full Love. But now, according to the SIFF schedule, looks like it’s back to being called The Eagle Path. | Van Damme has been promoting The Eagle Path at the SIFF. During this time, he took the stage with Jackie Chan (video) and also gave this interview (video), where he talks about his career, The Eagle Path and the possibility of working with Chan.

BREAKING NEWS: According to imdb.com, The Eagle Path has a North American release date set for January 8, 2016. Our fingers are crossed.

Latest poster for Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful 8’

Posted: 10 Aug 2015 12:00 AM PDT

"The Hateful Eight" Teaser Poster

Quentin Tarantino’s 8th film, The Hateful 8, is an upcoming western flick that revolves around Bounty hunters who seek shelter from a raging blizzard and get caught up in a plot of betrayal and deception. The film hits theaters on January 8, 2016.

The Hateful 8 was shot using Panavision anamorphic lenses with an ultra wide aspect ratio that was used on classic films like Ben-Hur (1959) and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963).

The Hateful 8 stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Channing Tatum, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Remar, Amber Tamblyn, Demian Bichir and Zoe Bell. Legendary composer, Ennio Morricone (Fistful of Dollars), will be providing an all-new original soundtrack for the film.

Updates: For the official plot synopsis, click here (beware of minor spoilers). In case you haven’t watched it yet, here’s the “leaked” teaser trailer. | Behind-the-scenes photos. | New cast additions: James Parks, Gene Jones, Dana Gourrier, Keith Jefferson, Lee Horsley, Craig Stark and Belinda Owino. | First stills and cast photos (courtesy of EW and Collider). | Comic-Con teaser poster.

BREAKING NEWS: Check out the film’s latest poster!

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