"Bloodsport" German Theatrical Poster

THE MOVIE: Rumors have been circling for awhile now about an in-development remake of 1988’s Bloodsport, the martial arts extravaganza that launched Jean-Claude Van Damme to superstardom. Producer Ed Pressman (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) was shopping around the project at Cannes last year, with Salt director Phillip Noyce and Taken screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen attached.

We haven’t heard much about the project since but, given the attention surrounding Van Damme due to his upcoming appearance in The Expendables 2, it wouldn’t be surprising if Pressman is eager to get this remake off the ground.

And now comes word from the man himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme, that he wants a co-starring role in the picture. Who would he play?

None other than the ‘Shindoshi, or mentor, to protagonist Frank Dux. It would be a nice way for Van Damme to come full circle after all these years and he already did an excellent job playing teacher to Cung Le in Dragon Eyes. However, Van Damme is claiming that the makers of the Bloodsport remake don’t want much to do with him, presumably because they want their new film to stand on its own.

As an aside, Jean-Claude Van Damme also explains just why we saw so many Bloodsport spin-offs and sequels throughout the 90’s. Says Van Damme: “When I did the first ‘Bloodsport,’ it was an independent company and [they] didn’t want bankruptcy, so they sold the title all over the place – 2,3,4,5,6 ‘Bloodsports.’” True enough: you’d be hard pressed to find martial arts series with more sequels than Bloodsport – or Kickboxer, for that matter.

Update: Van Damme is never short of ideas. During an interview, the actor just pitched a sequel – or reboot? – of his early 90’s flick Double Impact. You’ll remember it as the movie where Van Damme played twin brothers, one an aerobics instructor and the other a criminal in Hong Kong. In this update, the California-bred twin Chad would be a riff on Van Damme’s own persona a la JVCD. Now a movie producer who is decidedly short on cash, Chad ends up framing his twin brother Alex when he steals money from some Hong Kong loan sharks. Alex, an Expendables-like tough guy, tracks his brother back to L.A. where trouble ensues.

BREAKING NEWS: Looks like Phillip Noyce is out and the director of Ninja Assassin and V for Vendetta is in. Variety reports that James McTeigue will be directing the Bloodsport reboot. No word on the cast, but the reboot will explore the life of 21st century mercenaries as they collide with the underground world of Brazilian Vale Tudo fighting. Craig Rosenberg (The Uninvited) is re-writing the script based off a story by Robert Mark Kamen (Taken) and Phillip Noyce (Salt).

"Nightbreed" Japanese Theatrical Poster

I don’t know about you but I have a thing for the late 80’s, early 90’s film work of author Clive Barker. His 1990 effort Nightbreed is one of those movies that should have been a horror classic. It had Barker working at the peak of his creative powers; Danny Elfman, fresh off the success of his 1989 Batman soundtrack, handling score duties; and even starred David Cronenberg as a homicidal psychologist in a Scarecrow-like mask.

Yet when you watch the film itself, Nightbreed somehow feels like less than the sum of its parts. Not surprisingly, this is due to the fact that the studio nipped and tucked Clive Barker’s true creative vision.

Currently, studio Morgan Creek holds the rights to the lost Nightbreed footage, the missing reels that should make the story feel more cohesive.

For years, fans have been desperate to catch a glimpse of this elusive Director’s Cut. Now a movement, called Occupy Midian, has mobilized online in order to petition Morgan Creek for a Blu-ray/DVD release of Nightbreed in its complete form. Join the movement on Facebook and perhaps we fans can make a difference. Also, thanks to Todd Rigney of Beyond Hollywood for helping to publicize Occupy Midian.

Update: The Occupy Midian movement has been a resounding success. At this year’s Comic Con, distributor Scream Factory announced they will be releasing the ‘Cabal Cut’ of Nightbreed on Blu-ray. This uncut version of the movie runs for a staggering 165 minutes in comparison to the theatrical edition’s 108 minutes. Stay tuned for future details on the release date and more.

"The Wicker Man" 1998 Re-release Japanese Poster

Despite a recent remake that tends to draw more laughter than scares, director Robin Hardy’s 1976 chiller The Wicker Man remains one of the finest British horror movies of all time. And now fans will be able to experience the film in all new way: Studio Canal has announced the release of The Wicker Man: The Final Cut on Blu-ray.

This director’s version of the film includes an additional fourteen minutes of footage never screened in British theaters. The Final Cut should hit UK shores via Blu-ray and DVD on October 14th. Stay tuned for news on a North American release!

"Yukikaze" Anime DVD Cover

According to Variety, Warner Bros. is moving ahead with Yukikaze, which will star Tom Cruise as a pilot of an advanced aircraft who squares off against an alien force. Yukikaze is based on Chohei Kambayashi’s popular science fiction novel of the same name, as well as an anime series produced by Gonzo and Bandai Visual.

The Top Gun/Star Wars-style sci-fi action flick is being produced by Jon Berg, Erwin Stoff and Tom Lassally (all whom are also producing Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow, also based on a Japanese novel) with a script written by Dan Mazeau (Wrath of the Titans). There is currently no director attached.

Stay tuned for more developments.

"Age of Wushu" Promotional Poster

Film Combat Syndicate (via Flesh Eating Zipper) reports that Snail Games USA has hinted that their acclaimed PC video game Age of Wushu (aka The Age Of Wulin) might be heading to the big screen: “The Age of Wushu game looks and plays like a major martial arts motion picture so bringing the property to movie screens is a logical evolution,” say Shi Hai, chairman of Snail Games.

What’s more interesting is there’s a slight possibility that Jet Li could be involved. After all, he lent his likeness to the game’s promotional material; but then again, Li openly stated that 2006’s Fearless was his last “wushu” film. Never say never again, right? As always, we’ll keep you updated. Until then, watch Jet Li featured in the poster and commercial for Age of Wushu.

"Predator" Comic Con Teaser Poster

Whether you love or loathe its sequels and spin-offs, there’s no denying that John McTiernan’s 1987 film Predator is one of the greatest works of action cinema.

The movie, featuring Arnold Schwarzenneger facing off against a cloaked alien menace in the jungles of Central America, inspired two direct sequels as well as the Aliens vs. Predator series.

Now it looks like 20th Century Fox is teasing a Predator-related announcement to be unveiled at this year’s San Diego Comic Con.

What could it be?

In all likelihood, the announcement may just end up being for a new 3D Blu-ray edition of the original Predator. However, there is some speculation that this could be a sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s 2010 effort Predators (which received a mixed reception from fans but proved profitable worldwide); or in fact a true sequel to the first Predator, with Arnold returning to his iconic role. Stay tuned for more details!

"Blood and Bone" American Theatrical Poster

Actor and martial artist Michael Jai White caught the attention of genre buffs as soon as he arrived on the scene in the late 90’s, playing the costumed superhero Spawn and squaring off against Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier: The Return. In recent years, Jai White has become something of a cult movie icon by appearing in fan favorites like Black Dynamite and directing the MMA flick Never Back Down 2.

However, if you ask the crew at Cityonfire.com, we’ve got to say that Michael Jai White’s best movie remains Blood and Bone – a film that lives up to its title by delivering bone-crunching martial arts action!

The good news is that Michael Jai White revealed via Twitter that he has a meeting planned for next week in which a sequel to Blood and Bone may be greenlit.

The even better news is that Jai White teased the possibility that Scott Adkins (Undisputed III) could co-star alongside him in the film. Keep in mind that the movie will likely be a prequel that takes place before the events of Blood and Bone, exploring just how Michael Jai White’s character ended up in prison at the start of the first film.

Updates: We recently added news about a Black Dynamite sequel and an upcoming film called Echo Effect with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. According to an interview, White says that Blood and Bone 2 is on the “active to-do list.”