A live-action Chinese film adaptation of Konami’s 1987 arcade hit, Contra (aka Kontora or Gryzor), is in the works. The film will be produced by Wei Nan (Soul Transfer Station) and backed by Beijing Starlit Movie and TV Culture. The highly popular video game involved two Rambo-like characters who take on an alien army. The character design of the boss aliens were highly influenced by H.R. Giger’s Necronom IV, which were the source for the Xenomorphs in the Alien film franchise. The original … Continue reading →

Now that Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ Kong: Skull Island (reboot of the King Kong franchise) and Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla have done their damage at the box office, Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. are in full swing with Godzilla vs. Kong, a mash-up of the two aforementioned titles. According to THR, Adam Wingard (director of Netflix’ upcoming Death Note), who made a name for himself with low-budget horror thrillers such as You’re Next and The Guest, has closed a deal … Continue reading →

In the tradition of Nah Hyeon’s recent film, The Prison, comes The Merciless (aka Hoodlum), an upcoming crime thriller by writer/director Byun Sung-Hyun (Whatcha Wearin’?). The Merciless (read our review) involves a couple of prisoners (Sol Kyung-Gu of Another Public Enemy and Siwan of The Attorney) and their search for higher power in the criminal world. The film also stars Kim Hee-Won (The Man from Nowhere), Jeon Hye-Jin (Tell Me Lies), Lee Kyoung-Young (The Prison), Kim Sung-Oh (A Bittersweet Life) and Heo … Continue reading →

Well Go USA is finally releasing Haofeng Xu’s highly-anticipated, award-winning martial arts film The Final Master (read our review) on DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand on July 25, 2017. Xu made a name for himself by penning the screenplay for Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster. But it was 2011’s The Sword Identity, his directorial debut, which showed Xu’s true talent. Then came his acclaimed second film, 2012’s Judge Archer (aka Arrow Arbitration). Xu’s trend in both films was presenting … Continue reading →

Three months ago, it was reported that Chinese entertainment company Huayi Brothers (Mojin: The Lost Legend, Dragon Blade) announced the production of The Mask of the Black Death, an upcoming film based on a script by one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress). Now, another never-before-filmed Kurosawa screenplay, Silvering Spear, has been acquired by Jinke Entertainment from Kurosawa Production Co. for a big screen … Continue reading →

Two months ago, we reported that Warner Bros. was courting Jordan Peele (director of the sleeper hit, Get Out) to direct the live-action, big screen adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, which has been in development hell for over 5 years. Turns out, Peele, who is a fan of Akira, wants to concentrate on original content. Here’s what he told BH.com: “I think [I could do it] if the story justifies it,” Peele said. “Akira is one of my … Continue reading →

Producer Roy Lee is back with more Asian remake antics with Drug War, an English language remake of the acclaimed 2012 Johnnie To film of the same name. According to Variety, Lee is producing Drug War alongside Andrew Rona, Alex Heineman, Juan Sola and Jaume Collet-Serra. There is currently no director attached. Lee is responsible for producing English language remakes of countless, high-profile Asian titles, including The Ring, The Departed, My Sassy … Continue reading →

Three years ago, it was announced that Django Lives!, a sequel to 1966’s Django, was in the works. Originally, Joe D’Augustine (One Night with You) was attached as director, but now duties have shifted to filmmaker Christian Alvart (Pandorum), off a screenplay by John Sayles (Battle Beyond the Stars). Fortunately, Franco Nero (The 5th Cord, Enter the Ninja, Die Hard 2), the star of the original, is still returning as the titular character. According to SA, Alvart’s Django Lives! will catch … Continue reading →

Over ten years ago, Hong Kong megastar Leon Lai (A Hero Never Dies, Fallen Angels) made his directorial debut in the 2006 musical, A Melody Looking. Now, Lai is back in the director’s chair for something a little bit different: Action! – with a film called Wine War (read our review). When a world renowned Chinese sommelier residing in France is contacted by his childhood buddy in China to help him auction … Continue reading →