"Rigor Mortis" Teaser Poster

You may recall that Juno Mak started his career as a pop star but made an impression transition to acting in films like Revenge: A Love Story and Let’s Go!, the latter of which we reviewed here.

Now Mak is stepping behind the camera and for his first outing as director he has an especially ambitious goal. Mak is looking to resurrect the glory days of the 80’s Hong Kong vampire films like Mr. Vampire with a creepy new horror flick called Rigor Mortis.

To help him accomplish his mission, Mak has populated his cast with a host of familiar and legendary faces.

The only surviving member of the Mr. Vampire series, Chin Siu Ho, will have a prominent role but fans can also look forward to Kara Hui (My Young Auntie) and Richard Ng (The Lucky Stars series) making an appearance, among others.

I’d say Rigor Mortis has a good shot at bringing back the glory days of 80’s Hong Kong horror, when hopping vampires collided with well-choreographed martial arts, but bear in mind that Juno Mak says he’s going for a more much darker and more serious tone. You can read in great detail about the film here, where James Marsh is keeping track of production and will be offering interviews with the cast.

Update: Variety reports that various distributors have been keen on securing the rights for Rigor Mortis. It’s only a matter of time before a North American release will be announced just in time for Halloween. Until then, here’s the trailer.

BREAKING NEWS: Your friends at Well Go USA have officially acquired the film for North American release. After a film festival debut this fall, the distributor is hoping to have the film on Blu-ray and DVD in early 2014.

"Batman Returns" Japanese Theatrical Poster

When you think of Ben Affleck, there are a few things that come to mind. To be fair, the top of this list includes recent Oscar success and a generally blossoming reputation as one of the most promising directors in Hollywood (following “The Town” and, more significantly, “Argo“).

But then there’s the old Ben Affleck that comes to mind. The one who’s positively dripping with Boston-ness, Matt Damon’s bum-ish sidekick, picking bad films, and establishing a reputation as a poker player on the side. If you had to guess how Affleck spends his free time, there are two things that would come to mind. One is a seedy bar in the middle of a rundown Boston neighborhood. The other is BetFair Casino, an online arcade and casino destination that allows for real money gambling. Given Affleck’s reputation as a pretty hardcore amateur poker player, it’s not hard to imagine him spending hours on this site’s diverse range of gaming options, gambling away his hard-earned acting cash on high-stakes online games. He might even do it while he’s sitting in the seedy Boston bar that first came to mind! Or on his phone during a Red Sox game…. You get the idea. He somehow comes off as a bit of a bum, despite recent success and the real reputation of being a stand-up, down to Earth guy. He just doesn’t seem like Batman.

Unless, apparently, your name is Zack Snyder. The director in charge of the relatively awful “Man Of Steel” has cast Affleck to carry on the role of the Caped Crusader in the sequel to his Superman film, which will see Batman resurrected whether Christian Bale was going to come back or not. It’s an odd choice, to say the least, but it does inspire some interesting thoughts about who would have been more natural. So without further ado, here are 5 actors who would have made more sense than Ben Affleck!

6. Josh Holloway

Who? Actually, this idea from Screen Rant actually makes a lot of sense. Holloway is Sawyer from Lost – he’s big, imposing, he does a great facial tremble when he’s angry, and he’s generally a badass. Sure he’s blonde, but that can be fixed – Holloway would have been an interesting, if unlikely choice.

5. Luke Evans

This guy’s banging on the door for a major leading role. You may know him best as Zeus from Immortals, or as the villain in the most recent Fast & Furious film. He’s dark, brooding and intense, and this would have been a nice chance for him to break through.

4. Hugh Jackman

Okay, so he’s already Wolverine. That aside, Jackman probably could have done the best Bale impression, keeping the modern Batman alive, to some extent. Jackman may look like a permanent Men’s Health cover model, but he’s actually a hell of an actor as well.

3. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Um, did we all forget the end of The Dark Knight Rises? SPOILER ALERT – – Joseph Gordon-Levitt was totally set up to be the next Batman. No, not Robin, even if that was his name – he was 100% set up to be Bruce Wayne’s successor. Why not roll with this and do something original?

2. Scott Adkins

A bit of a ‘dark horse’ pick, yes, but when rumors broke that Scott Adkins had been asked to audition for the role of Batman, the hearts of action movie fanboys were sent fluttering. Adkins has spent the last decade steadily proving himself as a martial arts star to be reckoned with, showing off his skills in movies like Ninja and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. However, it was really 2010’s Undisputed III: Redemption which finally showcased Adkins’ talents as a character actor and displayed that Adkins has the requisite intensity to play the caped crusader.

1. Christian Bale

The bottom line is, it’s too soon for a new man behind the mask. If Bale wasn’t willing to take this role (and he wasn’t, and that was a good thing, because the Batman trilogy was flawless), it shouldn’t have been done. Period. Affleck has become a very talented actor and this is really nothing against him. It’s just too soon.

Here's the Japanese poster just for the hell of it.

Love it or hate, there’s hard to deny that something was missing from last year’s The Bourne Legacy: namely, Matt Damon, the actor who personified the role of ex-spy Jason Bourne for an entire trilogy of movies. Legacy‘s Jeremy Renner is a talented actor who ably tried to the fill the role of the Bourne clone Aaron Cross, but the truth is he wasn’t given much to work with.

Following the lukewarm reception of Legacy, there were rumors that Universal was planning a film that would see Matt Damon’s Bourne and Jeremy Renner’s Aaron Cross, well, cross paths. Recently, Twitch Film broke a story that Universal has changed gears somewhat.

It appears that the plan is to bring both Matt Damon and his Supremacy and Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass back for an Aaron Cross-less sequel.

There’s certainly going to be a lot of paychecks to write and contracts to navigate, but there’s no doubt that most Bourne fans will be happy if Damon ultimately winds up back in the role he helped make famous. Stay tuned for further details.

"Legendary" Key Art

Fan favorite martial artist/actor Scott Adkins (Undisputed III, The Expendables 2) is currently in China filming a new 3D action movie titled A Legend. The movie is actually a British and Chinese co-production, featuring talent from both countries. Adkins stars opposite Chinese actress Huang Yi, who recently turned heads in the lead role of The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake.

Despite the multi-national cast, Chinese Films reports that the dialogue is being recorded in English. The plot follows a tour group exploring China’s unique geographical formations. Scott Adkins and Huang Yi’s characters will fall in love over the course of the story, a fact that is underscored by these new stills featuring the actors oiled up and embracing one another.

Scott Adkins’ own website has more details on the film, describing it as a “95-minute action-packed adventure film shot in 3D.” Also look for an appearance by Adkins’ Expendables 2 co-star Dolph Lundgren. The film has been discussed in the West under the title Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon. Head on over to this fan website for a ton of pictures from the movie and opening ceremony. Stay tuned to Cityonfire.com for the trailer when it debuts.

Updates: Check out the teaser trailer. The movie is finished and now known under the simplified title of Legendary. The film will be screened in 3D at Cannes this month (May 2013), before a Chinese theatrical release in August. Worldwide release dates are to be announced sometime down the road. Here’s the newest poster. | First full trailer for Legendary.

BREAKING NEWS: Introducing the French trailer for Legendary.