Home Entertainment Van Damn! KICKBOXER and BLOODSPORT are getting reboots

Van Damn! KICKBOXER and BLOODSPORT are getting reboots

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Sure, Hollywood may no longer be interested in coming up with original movie ideas, but at least they only concentrate on one remake at a time. That is, unless you’re looking at Jean Claude Van Damme films that is. JCVD may be past his bicep-flexin prime, but the movies he starred in are still kinda watchable these days.

Which is why not one, but two of his classics will be getting the reboot treatment.

Van Damme

First up Bloodsport, the 1988 movie which introduced audiences to Van Damme’s mighty revenge-thighs as he took part in an underground tournament known as the kumite. Van Damme’s breakout role, the film was based on the true life events of secret agent ninja Frank Dux, which in reality were about as authentic as the meat in a McDonalds patty. Still, the real-life fiction is one helluva great film with an awesome rock tune which James “V for Vendetta” McTeigue will be helming.

I dig McTeigue films, as he’s one of the few director’s in Hollywood that can film a fight scene that doesn’t have a Bourne again cameraman recording the action in shakey fits. The new take on the film will apparently look more at Brazil’s Vale Tudo fighting style, a no holds barred martial mixed arts way of of fist to face techniques.

Robert “Taken” Kamen is working on the screenplay, which has a ton of producers attached to it as well.

Next up, Kickboxer. That 1989 film introduced audiences once again to the revenge-thighs of Van Damme, as JCVD starred in a recycled version of Bloodsport essentially. Only with more fists wrapped in bandages, flames and broken glass.

This reboot though, will see a little Tai Chi influence the Kickboxer. Specifically through director Stephen “Tai Chi Zero” Fung, who will be working off a script supplied by Dimitri Logothetis and Jim McGrath. I still dig both movies, even if they are fundamentally the same. They both had great fight scenes and great villains, but only one of them had a drunk Van Damme dancing in a seedy thai bar.

Last Updated: July 25, 2013

11 Comments

  1. I will confess.
    I have these bad boys on Blu Ray.

    Reply

    • xdvd

      July 25, 2013 at 12:06

      Same here. The dancing in Kickboxer is hillarious. I had this video saved to my phone for a while now.

      Reply

  2. Tbone187

    July 25, 2013 at 10:54

    Ahhh! Before he started making too many doubles of himself…

    Reply

  3. Lardus

    July 25, 2013 at 11:10

    Both good movies that I have not yet added to my collection. Wonder if both movies will have the same actor playing the lead roles…or just who the hell is going to do it!

    Reply

  4. James Francis

    July 25, 2013 at 11:17

    Kickboxer would need an entire rewrite, as the story wouldn’t hold water with today’s audiences. A full grown man learns kickboxing from scratch to avenge his brother’s defeat against the Thai champion? Not likely. Also, maybe this time a Thai actor could portray Tong Po…

    The idea of a Bloodsport remake has me excited, though. I just hope they don’t get too fancy, but instead simply amplify the movie’s structure, which played a role in inspiring brawling games like Street Fighter.

    Reply

  5. CypherGate

    July 25, 2013 at 11:30

    They should have just stick with the original fighting styles in my opp. Lets hope these reboots turns out well.

    Reply

  6. Skyblue

    July 25, 2013 at 11:35

    Ahhh I remember all that Van Damage! Loved both these movies back in the day.

    Reply

  7. Lourens Corleone

    July 25, 2013 at 11:53

    I only watched Maximum Risk for the boobs.

    Reply

    • James Francis

      July 25, 2013 at 14:07

      I watched Double Impact for the boobs.

      Reply

  8. Justin Hess

    July 25, 2013 at 13:12

    Sadly, because everything has to be pg-13 these days, we will miss out on seeing a man having the shin bone smashed out of his leg. Pity.

    Kids today just don’t know

    Reply

    • James Francis

      July 25, 2013 at 14:07

      But at least we can hope to see the bottom brick die.

      Reply

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