I feel a lot like Frank Dux during the final fight in BLOODSPORT: someone has thrown sand in my eyes at the confirmation that the Van Damme-less BLOODSPORT reboot is moving forward with filming slated to begin in early 2014.
The original BLOODSPORT is a Cannon Films classic based on the “true” life story of Frank Dux who entered the underground Kumite competition in Hong Kong. Featuring Bolo Yeung, Donald Gibb, and a young Forest Whitaker, it is one of those classic 1980s guy movies. While there have already been three piss-poor sequels, they all kept the kumite plot device and felt like sequels. The reboot from TAKEN screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen was planning to completely jettison that aspect and make it the story of an American who goes to Brazil to recover from the violence he has experienced in Afghanistan who gets involved in a martial arts contest.”
Phillip Noyce was linked to the film before but has since left. V FOR VENDETTA director James McTeigue is now helming the film for Relativity Media who are planning on shooting in Australia and Brazil beginning early in 2014, according to Variety. The new plotline seems to keep in line with the old one: The new film, which has not been cast, will explore the life of 21st century mercenaries as they collide with the underground world of Brazilian Vale Tudo fighting.
While V FOR VENDETTA was decent, McTeigue has turned in the lackluster NINJA ASSASSIN and THE RAVEN, which basically means this BLOODSPORT reboot is probably going to suck. From the description, the only similarity is the title. In fact, this BLOODSPORT sounds more like the movie FIGHTING with Channing Tatum which is not a good thing.
With shooting locations and dates already set it looks like there is no stopping this from happening. In that case, all I ask is that the filmmakers at least get Van Damme to cameo. I never thought saying including JCVD would improve a movie, but there you go.