"Underground" Theatrical Poster

Pre-production has started on Knockout, an action film that will serve as producer Larry D. Webster’s (Fast & Furious 7) directorial debut. Ross W. Clarkson, who is known for his camera work on films such as Ringo Lam’s The Victim and Isaac Florentine’s Ninja 2: Shadow of a Tear, will be handling the cinematography.

Knockout stars rising martial arts sensation Zara Phythianwill (Furor: Rage of the Innocent, Underground) with Mischa Barton (The O.C.) and Tom Sizemore (Natural Born Killers) co-starring. The legendary Cynthia Rothrock (No Retreat, No Surrender 2) is also rumored to have a role.

Knockout’s plot, which is written by Ben Trebilcook (Die Hard 6 aka Die Hardest), is as follows: A young woman (Phythian), distraught from witnessing the murder of her parents as a child, develops her own unique martial art by playing video games. It’s because of this she suddenly finds herself embroiled in the world of underground fighting.

Knockout has a release date set for 2015, so we should hear more about it as we step into 2014. Stay tuned!

"The Suspect" Korean Theatrical Poster

In the tradition of action-packed thrillers such as The Bourne Identity and The Man From Nowhere comes a new, high-octane Korean film titled The Suspect. Directed by Won Shin-yun (Seven Days, A Bloody Aria), this movie follows a North Korean secret agent who is betrayed by his government. On a mission of revenge, he heads to the South and cuts a warpath through deadly assassins and rival agents, all the while trying to unravel the conspiracy he’s found himself in the middle of.

A promo video is online now and promises plenty of bone-crunching fight scenes and wild car stunts. Fans of movies like The Yellow Sea and The Berlin File will certainly want to keep an eye on The Suspect. If the filmmakers can deliver the goods on this promo video, action buffs should be in for one hell of a treat when the movie hits theaters this Christmas in Korea.

Updates: Watch the latest trailer. – Thanks to Film Combat Syndicate

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"Enemies Closer" Theatrical Poster

THE MOVIE: Jean-Claude Van Damme is reteaming with his former Time Cop and Sudden Death director Peter Hyams for a new project. That film is Enemies Closer and it’s slated for a release sometime in 2013. The movie is described as more of an action-thriller than a martial arts flick. Tom Everett Scott and Orlando Jones co-star alongside Van Damme.

IMDB lists the plot as thus: Deep within a forest on the US-Canadian border, two sworn enemies must work together to escape a ruthless drug cartel hell-bent on retrieving a drug shipment which went missing there.

Updates: First trailer is up. | Although there’s no mention of a DVD/Blu-ray or theatrical release in the states, Enemies Closer will be released in Germany on October 30, 2013. | Generic French poster. | Second trailer. | According to CraveOnline, Enemies Closer premieres in theaters and VOD on January 24, 2014. Also check out the official new poster.

BREAKING NEWS: Yahoo has the newest trailer. – Thanks to Film Combat Syndicate

"Ring of Fire" Theatrical Poster

In an interview with MASBTV, martial arts star Don “The Dragon” Wilson (Ring of Fire, The Whole World at Our Feet) announced that he’s looking into doing a historic martial arts movie after receiving a script from writer/producer James West (A Different World, 2013’s Heart of the Dragon).

West previously wrote a part for Wilson in a 1997 episode of Moesha, where Wilson made a guest appearance playing himself. Since then, the two have kept in contact and remained friends.

Here’s what Wilson told MASBTV: “He just sent me a script that’s kind of a period piece. Something that I’ve never done. It’s a few hundred years in the past. And you know, Jackie Chan, Jet Li… they all do those historic Chinese martial arts movies. And I’ve never done one, so I think this may be the first one. So, we’re gonna talk about getting that film made. It’ll be my first period piece.”

Stay tuned for updates on this project, as well as Wilson’s other upcoming films: The Scorpion King 4: The Lost Throne, an untitled movie with Cynthia Rothrock, White Tiger, The Whole World at Our Feet and hopefully, The B-Team.

"NInja 2: Shadow of a Tear" Poster

THE MOVIE: In Ninja 2: Shadow of a Tear, Scott Adkins (Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) returns as Casey Bowman, a Ninjitsu master out to avenge the death of his wife in director Isaac Florentine’s follow-up to his 2009 film Ninja. The film also stars Vithaya Pansringarm, Kane Kosugi, Tim Man, Ron Smoorenburg, Charlie Ruedpokanon, Mika Hijii, Erika Nagamine and Shun Sugata.

In the past, Adkins revealed via Twitter that – ironically enough – the movie that his fans most want to see made, Undisputed IV, has been the most difficult to find financing for. The producers behind 2009’s Ninja have always been eager to develop a sequel.

This is despite the fact that the movie is not particularly well-regarded among martial arts buffs. For example: the film maintains a not-so-impressive 5.3/10 rating on IMDB in comparison to Undisputed III‘s healthy 7.3 rating.

Update: Photo of Adkins in Ninja 2. | According to Adkin’s Facebook page, Ninja 2 has an official title: Ninja: Shadow of a Tear. | The film will be premiering at this year’s Fantastic Fest, with director Isaac Florentine and producer Frank De Martini in attendance. | Amazon.com has the Blu-ray and DVD cover, as well as a pre-order date for December 31, 2013. | First trailer.

BREAKING NEWS: Your friends at Beyond Hollywood have a new trailer, which is a similar, shorter version of the last trailer. This movie looks to be another Undisputed III-style triumph for both Scott Adkins and director Isaac Florentine!

"The Extendables" Theatrical Poster

Say hello to the cast of The Extendables: Brian Thompson (Cobra), Mark Dacascos (1997’s Drive), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid), Gary Graham (Robot Jox) and Kevin Sorbo (Kull the Conqueror).

Before you get too excited, keep in mind that The Extendables isn’t exactly the B-movie version of The Expendables that you’re expecting (see the B-Team). Written and directed by Brian Thompson – who is mostly known for playing the main bad guy in 1986’s Cobra with Sylvester Stallone – The Extendables is more of a parody/satire somewhere between 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap and 2008’s Tropic Thunder.

Also known under the working title Action Hero, The Extendables’ tagline is as follows: What if all the Expendable actors were rolled into one character and he was given the job to direct a movie? Judging from the trailer, Thompson seems to be doing a medley impersonation of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

The Extendables has a release date set for 2014. Until then, be sure to check out the trailer.

"Road House" Japanese DVD Cover

The Wrap reports that MGM has hired Rob Cohen (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) to direct its upcoming remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze movie Road House. The original, which was directed by Rowdy Herrington (Striking Distance), revolves around a tough bouncer (Swayze) who is hired to tame a violent bar. The remake is being written by Michael Stokes (Iron Eagle IV, Exit Speed, Exit Speed).

The original Road House grossed over $30 million domestically. Since its release in 1989, the movie has become a cult favorite amongst action fans. Like most remake jobs, Cohen faces the challenge of pleasing loyal fans of the original, but with films like Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and original The Fast and the Furious under his belt, Cohen is worthy choice.

Now, the next question remains: Who will fill in for Swayze? We’ll keep you posted.

"Commitment" Theatrical Poster

There’s some positive buzz surrounding Park Hong-Soo’s debut feature, Commitment. This action-drama stars rapper/actor Choi Seung-Hyun (of the hip hop Korean boy band “Big Bang”) and Kim Yoo-jung, who is mostly known for her role as the prostitute’s daughter in Na Hong-jin’s The Chaser.

Here’s the official plot: After his father’s botched espionage mission, North Korean Myung-Hoon (Choi Seung-Hyun) and his young sister Hye-In (Han Ye-Ri) are sent to a labor prison camp. In order to save his sister’s life, Myung-Hoon volunteers to become a spy and infiltrates the South as a teenage defector.

Commitment was originally released in South Korea on November 6, 2013. Well Go USA, who carries the film’s North American rights, is giving the film a limited release on December 6, 2013. Watch the trailer, courtesy of Apple.

Updates: The film will be available on Blu-ray & DVD on March 11, 2014. Pre-order today!

"The Way of the Gun" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Christopher McQuarrie (The Way of the Gun, Jack Reacher) will be a busy man. In addition to Mission: Impossible 5 and a live-action adaptation of the 1970s anime series Star Blazers, he has signed on to direct an action film called Three To Kill, which is based on the novel of the same name by Jean-Patrick Manchette.

Deadline reports that Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) is on board as the protagonist. Could it be that the acclaimed actor – who is known for his dramatic roles in films like A Single Man and Arthur Newman – is following the footsteps of ex-serious actor Liam Neeson by taking on a violent action film? Judging from the film’s plot, it’s a possibility.

According to Amazon, Three To Kill is about a businessman (Firth) who witnesses a murder — and is pursued by the killers. His conventional life knocked off the rails, the man turns the tables and sets out to track down his pursuers. Along the way, he learns a thing or two about himself.

Three To Kill certainly has the potential to be an interesting flick. Other than Firth, there are currently no other actors attached to the movie. We’ll keep you updated.

"Control" Chinese Theatrical Poster

THE MOVIE: Film Combat Syndicate reports that a new movie called Control – a sci-fi action/thriller directed by Kenneth Bi (Girl$) and starring Daniel Wu (The Man with the Iron Fists) – will be released domestically on November 21. Control also stars Yao Chen (Firestorm), Simon Yam (The Thieves), Leon Dai (Reign of Assassins), Ady Ang (Saving General Yang) and Shao Bing (Let the Bullets Fly).

Here’s the official synopsis: Control takes places in a futuristic city and revolves around the themes of “being controlled” and “losing control.” Daniel Wu plays Mark, a man who commits perjury for his company in order to help his mother. However, he meets a mysterious person who threatens him and forces him to rob a bank. After the theft, the mysterious person continues to cause disasters to happen to Mark, which is when Mark vows to break free from this person’s control and expose his or her true identity.

Updates: A teaser trailer has been released (no english subtitles). | Newest poster. | Newest trailer.

BREAKING NEWS: Check out the newest poster, plus Film Combat Syndicate has a couple of behind-the-scenes clips.