Film Combat Syndicate

Whether or not you're a fan of Paramount Pictures's and Platnum Dunes's latest iteration of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the fact is that it's getting a sequel with the likely reprisal of actress Megan Fox in her role of April O'Neil among other new and returning faces. On that note, Variety went underway on Tuesday with a report announcing the addition of fellow Turtles' ally, New York City's masked vigilante Casey Jones for actor Stephen Amell, star of the DC Comics-based CW series, Arrow.

Director George Miller's latest dystopian fantasy action revival, Mad Max: Fury Road has been on a social media blitz with growing fanfare attributing some gorgeous fan-based poster art online and short bursts of promo footage via Twitter with the #MadMax hashtag in recent weeks. The fanfare alone, stemming from last year's SDCC trailer, was enough to get a real conversation going on just how well the new film might bode, sporting all kinds of stunning visuals and a fresh look that stays true to the core aesthetic of a Mad Max movie, now with Tom Hardy in the title role.

The Next Karate Kid and Young Guns helmer Christopher Cain's attachment to the new film, Legion Of One, has been in the works for some time now. A pitch promo was filmed back in 2013 over at KCW Studios as the brain child of Gung Fu Grandmaster Joel Castillo and it's finally picking up some movement in lieu of film market events overseas last week.

If there's one thing that director Paul Feig is proving with newest action comedy, Spy, it's the danger of underestimating a good thing. The new film starring Melissa McCarthy and action star Jason Statham has already received several upworthy reviews following its SXSW premiere earlier this month, landing this as a considerably entertaining piece of work from the Feig/McCarthy duo in lieu of their forthcoming Ghostbusters prosepcts.

This was a bit of a last minute stretch as my weekend was a bit busy taking care of other things. Still, hopefully this list is ample enough to give you all something cool to look at. One honorable mention I'll lend is the latest short film trailer for The Betrayal, the debut video for Force Storm Entertainment. There are details you should check out in that regard so click here to learn more about it...

I've pretty much spent the past two years I've been blogging as Film Combat Syndicate, in part, musing about the Fast And Furious franchise. No, my fixation wasn't immediate upon the first film in 2002 - it only became so in the months leading up to this article I wrote in 2013, and to say the least, I stand by my fandom.

The Pier scribe, Jay Basu has become a studio favorite as of late, having recently been tapped to help pen a flurry of writings including Universal Pictures's currently-developing cinematic monsterverse following Dracula Untold, and an adaptation of Julie Kagawa's fantasy action novel series, Talon, last year. Hopefully he's had some time to breathe in between, because now it appears that Sony Pictures is following suit with their own forthcoming adaptation of the popular Playstation favorite, Metal Gear Solid, according to Deadline.

There should be no shortage of US/Chinese co-productions these days with the longstanding popularity of Asian film lore also a factor. If anything, there's even more potential than before to take what once might have been standalone films and turn them into sprawling 3.4-part serial movie epics similar to female-centric YA actioners like Lionsgate's The Hunger Games and The Divergent Series franchises to name a few.

Thai audiences can now breathe a sigh of relief this week for the release of international action star Tony Jaa's latest Hollywood debut, Furious 7. Word from The Bangkok Post reports that the Civil Court has lifted the injunction initially requested by Jaa's former management, Sahamongkol Film International Co., Ltd. against Universal Pictures and the film's Thailand distributor, United International Pictures Far East Co.

AMC Television is currently ramping up a promotional campaign for its 2015 slate, which now officially includes the current preparation and production of the new martial arts series, officially titled Into The Badlands. The show has been picking up steam for many months now since its announcement last July prior to landing international film star, actor Daniel Wu to lead the cast of the new series with The Judge helmer David Dobkin directing.

Director Antoine Fuqua's western thriller revival, The Magnificent Seven, is still in the casting phase with just five actors enlisted, so there's still a ways to go before we hear anything about who gets to apprear. In the meantime, MGM is planting its flag for the film's release on January 13, 2017, according to reports forwarded by ComingSoon.net.

At the rate things were, it seemed that cinemas in Thailand were on course for the impending release of director James Wan's Furious 7, the franchise that has garnered its fair share of love and support from fans worldwide. As it stands though, at least one person saw fit to dampen the fanfare, specifically speaking Sahamongkol's own founder and chief executive Somsak Techaratanaprasert who reportedly filed an injunction against the release of the film following a longstanding contract dispute with actor and martial arts superstar, Tony Jaa.

If you were around about a year ago or so, you may recall previous reports on the announcement of actor, martial artist, writer, producer and stuntman Noah Fleder's inspired production base, Force Storm Entertainment. Built on the brewing reinvigoration of impending Star Wars fandom, with thanks in large part to the facilitators at Crestec Studios in Torrance, California, Fleder and the folks behind the scenes have been working toward developing a substantive platform for the shared vision at Force Storm Entertainment to accomodate fans with a variety of shortfilms and skits ranging from mockumentary-style comedy and laughs to impeccable drama, action and stuntwork.

It'll be a few months before we hear anything more on the long-awaited release of Canadian film duo, Matthew Bennett and Sasha Moric's indie action thriller, Concrete: Gangs Of Union City which will soon land in the U.S., the Middle East and throughout Asia. In the meantime, the two are pairing once more for another project they've been processing for quite a while in the form of the new webseries, The Terminal, starring actor and martial artist, Jonny Caines with Bennett directing and Moric handling cinematography.

With great power, comes great irresponsibility. #deadpool#officialsuit@deadpoolmoviepic.twitter.com/MPM89bYz1B
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) March 27, 2015
It's been an electrifying time for the production of director Tim Miller's long-awaited feature Marvel adaptation, Deadpool from 20th Century Fox. Actor Ryan Renyolds finally debut the first official look of his titular character in the new film via Twitter this week in ceremonious fashion as things kick off for its release next year on February 12 with a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick which aims to revitalize the character in fresh form long after Renyolds debuted the unmasked role himself with action star Scott Adkins in Gavin Hood's 2009 helmer, X-Men Orgins: Wolverine.

From this day forward, there will be no shortage of hype among fans familiar with the latest renaissance of James Bond movies featuring actor Daniel Craig following the success he's had with Casino Royale reboot, Quantum Of Solace and the 2012 Winter success of Skyfall. This year, we move on to the continued start of a new beginning for the title character based on Ian Fleming's novels all with an assortment of new faces reprising classic characters for the next phase of superspy 007's globetrotting endeavors in this, the 24th feature film in the franchise, Spectre, lending its titular attribute to the '61 and '62 films, Thunderball and Dr. No.

Director Mark Atkins's most recent pairing with actress and producer Natalie Burn for the new survival thriller, Awaken, is currently gearing up for opening night at the Artemis Women In Action Film Festival in Los Angeles on April 24. In the meantime, he's currently readying his newest release from The Asylum, Road Wars - undoubtedly a timely outing considering the Mad Max fanfare being generated this season.

Cue the anti-Bay rage!

The forthcoming reboot this summer with Terminator: Genisys hasn't been all hype and excitement, but the production so far seems keen on introducing as much of the unexplored source material as possible which could be a good thing. It's really just a matter of who cares at this point, but nonetheless, if this franchise is something you've already grown to appreciate even as its mainstay, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger has found a way to stick around despite his age, chances are you'll love this one, and with any luck, director Alan Taylor's work here will forsee the new trilogy waiting to happen.

There's no question that international action star Donnie Yen has had a massive and memorable career following his vast cultural upbringing in the states and abroad. His earlier career with Yuen Wo Ping before growing his own team which would see a diverse enlistment of names like Michael Woods, John Salvitti, Yuji Shimomura and Kenji Tanigaki have contributed greatly to his status as a Hong Kong superstar in film while wearing several hats from star to produer and director, and even crossing over between Asia, Europe, and for a time or two, Hollywood.

Last year's release of the Dan Gilroy-directed Nightcrawler became a winner among movie goers for actor Jake Gyllenhaal who proves time and again to have the caliber to deliver some of the intriguing performances to date. This year, the actor is back, beefed up and bound for more glory with his newest effort, Southpaw, now in the good company of filmmaker Antoine Fuqua with Kurt Sutter and Richard Wenk penning the story of Billy Hope a young boxing champion forced to overcome immense odds amid tragedy, self-destruction and judicial indignance to gain his daughter back from the system.

Cannes is granting an out-of-selection screening of director George Miller's latest bit of cinema fanfare revival, Mad Max: Fury Road, this May upon its theatrical release. It's all the hype for those who have grown fond of the previous titles starring Mel Gibson in the title role as the renegade outlaw in a dystopian world of sand, blood and fire, and gasoline is the ultimate commodity for survival, which surely makes for a heavy undertaking for actor Tom Hardy in lieu of any possible sequels that could follow.

Director Nishimura Yoshihiro's resume is much ado with all sorts of envelope-pushing aesthetics for Japanese fantasy action, sci-fi and horror, with titles like Tokyo Gore Police and Zombie TV to name a few. With this, his latest contribution now in the form of Torakage (a.k.a. The Ninja War Of Torakage) should service nicely for those who can never get enough of some good ole' Sengoku-era splatter action with ninjas, sexy witches and creature lore.

Following Green Lantern and Casino Royale helmer Martin Campbell's attachment to the upcoming production of espionage submarine thriller, Hunter Killer as of late last year, Variety broke word that actor Gerard Butler will be joined by actors Common and Billy Bob Thorton. The film is based on the 2012 novel, "Firing Point", co-written by Don Keith and retired U.S. Navy Commander George Wallace as a follow up to their 2003 best seller, "Final Bearing", the latter book which centered on an espionage driven tale of the U.S.'s mission to put an end to a South American drug kingpin and his expansive cartel.

While we await the verdict on the production of actor Steven Seagal's new film, Code Of Honor, or a third Under Siege film or any number of titles he may have had in mind or might be tied to, Lionsgate is snagging the rights to distribute the new action pic, Absolution. It's his fifth film with director and writer Keoni Waxman following recent films like A Good Man and Maximum Conviction, so it's considerable to see a such a pairing as this with Seagal in his usual heavy-set, monotone tough-guy element which hardcore fans will appreciate.

While director Param Gill's new film reads as a modern nod to ancient Hindu mythos, it certainly bares its share of attention-getting beauty and radiance coupled with stylish action to boot, and let's face it: Rigorous kung fu training never looked so lush!

Being a Donnie Yen fan in 2015 comes with some perks, especially with distributors taking notice, and Well Go USA's forthcoming U.S. release of Yen's 2014 martial arts crime hit, Kung Fu Killer is no exception. The film is one of the most highly measured titles to date from dear director Teddy Chen as of late with Yen making the most of his booming career in the expanding world of Asian film lore from Hong Kong and abroad for today's generation. In lieu of this, fans ever-eager to enjoy what audiences in Hong Kong and China get dibs at first will proudly do so when Well Go USA finally releases Kung Fu Killer in select theaters on April 24.

The least you would exepct is to see your world turn upside down in the wake of a plague that turns people into sickly cannibals. That said, welcome to Maggie, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest world of spine-chilling chaos induced by director Henry Hobson and co-starring actress Abigail Breslin with a story centered on one Midwest father's devout protection of his ailing daughter amid her slow and agonizing transformation into a zombie.

Action film production at large is a bit tight and can endure its share of challenges. Such is the case for debut writer and director Salamat Mukhammed-Ali and writer/producer Dauren Mussa's long-awaited Kazakh-produced action drama, The Whole World At Our Feet, which wrapped production in 2011 as a milestone achievement for the genre within the region, as rare as it is for action films to be made in many areas of the world while Kazakhstan certainly has its share of titles invested in the genre for fans domestic and abroad, and in that regard, on top of some of the stellar action sequences now seen in the latest trailer, the impressive cast list surely speaks for itself as well.

Director Joe Lynch's latest contained action hit, Everly, starring the irresistible Salma Hayek, is getting some love this Spring following its iTunes/VOD premiere and short theatrical release in January and February. The DVD and Blu-Ray are poised to finally release in late April, but if you're a member of Cinefamily and wish to make it an event, you're just in luck.

April is the month to pay close attention if you're a fan of WWE Studios and their continued efforts to follow through with The Marine franchise. The fourth non-consecutive installment, The Marine 4: Moving Target from director William Kaufman sees The Marine 3: Homefront actor Mike Mizanin returning with actress Summer Rae who will be attending a screening at Camera 12 Cinema in San Jose, California on Friday, March 27 at 7:00pm PST.

India's own foray into superhero movie territory often blurs the line between the genre with what it stipulates in practical action thrillers considering how balls-deep they go in whimsicality of stunts. That said, picture director Vikram Bhatt who is now on the verge of releasing his own sci-fi actioner, Mr. X, a story of a freak accident which causes a man to generate the power to turn invisible and use it accordingly to dispense his own brand of justice. It's not too far out of a plot despite how general it is in its vaguery, really, and the spectacle here seems justified with some glossy visuals to boot.

It's a week of really great news for fans of action star Scott Adkins. His most recent pairing with director Isaac Florentine for Compound B's Close Range wrapped earlier this year and two new titles have made headlines for him as well, with the current filming of Jarhead: The Siege and the forthcoming theatrical overseas release of his performance with action star and debut director, Wu Jing in Wolf Warrior next month.

It was only a few years ago as action star Donnie Yen was promting the 2013 cop thriller, Special ID, while pitching the idea of possibly casting former boxer Mike Tyson in a hopeful sequel at the time. You least expected that sort of thing would happen even as Tyson himself was bolstering his own acting career in TV and film, namely with Todd Phillips in the first two Hangover movies, and an appearance in Jean-Marc Mineo's Gates Of The Sun to name a few.

Director Shinagawa Hiroshi's latest zombie romp, Z-Island is still in position for a May 16 release and a new trailer has arrived which you may view below, as well as a music video for the film; I can't read Japanese and anyone who's ever tried using Google Translate knows how craptastic it is, so if you know the artists, cool. If not, then at least enjoy the music and/or the imagery of watching legendary  V-Cinema star, action hero Aikawa Sho and co. kicking tons of zombie ass. Fun for everyone!

Call it "Die Hard In A Nuclear Facility", if you will, but 20th Century Boys trilogy and Eight Ranger 1 & 2 helmer Tsutsumi Yukihiko's latest high-tech hostage thriller, Tenku no Hachi (Bee Of The Sky) looks sure to impress upon its release.

It's been a while since we heard anything about Safe House scribe David Guggenheim's script for 20th Century Fox's planned production of Narco Sub, and not too long since action star Liam Neeson kicked off the year with two action thrillers of his own, Taken 3 and last month's Run All Night. On that note, the latest report from The Wrap has confirmed the actor's role in the new film in addition to TV veteran Brian Kirk's attachment to direct.

The production of action star and debut director Wu Jing's newest helming effort, Wolf Warrior, has seen quite an addition to his journey in film. It certainly lended its fair share of physical challenges in recent months as well as technical ones, considering the film was supposed to release late last year at some point or another.

Well, another weekend has passed with some rough bumps and Monday is here. Of course, this means The Hit List is back and its obviously a little shorter which was bound to happen. Nevertheless, there's still plenty here to pay attention to, so know that this won't be a complete waste of your time...

Martial arts instructor, actor and debut director Edwin S. Nichols III's career is definitely one to keep an eye on in the months to come. Following principal photography in the first half of 2014, Shilo marks the debut project kicking things off over at his Austin-based Living Heart Productions, LLC banner, aimed at creating feel-good cinema with positive and enlightening messages.

Hong Kong is the place to be right now for nearly any and all business now for Hong Kong directors, namely long-celebrated legendary filmmaker Ringo Lam now heralding his latest return to the fray with the new crime thriller, Wild City. It's Lam's latest since working on his share of the weight in the 2007 pic, Triangle, and with this in mind, those familar with the DNA of Lam's body of work will likely see this newest effort as an exceptional treat worth viewing.

There's no doubt that Bollywood cinema has its fair share of action heroes and actor Akshay Kumar has, and continues to make a name for himself in that department with a flurry of titles, current and upcoming. That said, the May 1, release of his latest, Gabbar from director Krish is now getting a full-on headstart with a full trailer featuring Kumar as a dark vigilante delivering justice to an unjust system, joined by the supporting performance of actress Shruti Haasan. Of course, as is the nature of Bollywood action, the delivery entails a Smörgåsbord of big kicks with bigger leaps and stunt sequences as usual, which should be fun anyway you cut it.

We're five years away from seeing how the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will play out once the second phases completes with Avengers: Age Of Ultron in May, but the best part of it all may come as a delight to fans who enjoyed the stellar reign of last year's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The word from Badass Digest (via Slashfilm) has it that filmmakers, brothers Anthony and Joe Russo will take the back-to-back approach helming the remaining two-part finale, Avengers: Infinity War, which are set to release between 2018 and 2019 in the month of May.

Fans and followers of Terracotta crowd not worry following the lack of film festival activities this year. The group has still been busy on other ends, so including working on its distribution of old school kung fu DVD classics in the U.K., and it just so happens they're stepping up into the world of film production as well.

It was a lively Sunday for the promotional team behind director Christopher MacQuarrie's in lieu of yesterday's luminous teaser trailer for the upcoming franchise follow-up, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation starring Tom Cruise and Co. That said, the full trailer is here to make your Monday a little more busy ahead of its July 31 release.

It wasn't too long ago that Irish filmmaker Ruairí Robinson impressed the hell out of the internet with The Leviathan, an original short conceptual sci-fi video with fitting nods to Moby Dick, set in the 22nd century where mankind has colonized many worlds and supraluminal travel is made possible by harvesting exotic matter from eggs of large creatures. It's been scoring points since making the rounds earlier this month and fans and critics have been advocating in support of Robinson and his contribution to the genre as an independent piece completed thanks in part to financing from the Irish Film Board and a jestful moment with Fight Club (1999) and Jumper (2008) scribe Jim Uhls which evidently spawned the creativity we now see in the video.

I suppose it's been worth discussing the prospects of seeing actor Donnie Yen return to the fray in a potential sequel to his previous role in the 2005 crime pic, Sha Po Lang. One never immediately came, but it led to a small string of notable hits pairing him with filmmaker Wilson Yip as the two became the most defining pair in contemporary action cinema at the time, reintroducing audiences to the visionary brutality of the genre with stories toned in tragedy, dark heroism and stylish action to boot. It's the kind of filmmaking that sells to the hardcore niche, and director Soi Cheang is no stranger to this, having established himself quoted films like Dog Bite Dog and Shamo, and recent titles like Accident and Motorway before switching gears and stepping into CG-laden fantasy territory with last year's box office 3D smash hit, The Monkey King.

Director Sam Mendes's 2005 film, Jarhead, always centered itself with me as a standalone war drama servicing some meaty character growth with the help of memorable performances. That said, I'm kind of caught off guard by the fact that a sequel was released last year just nine years later from director Don Michael Paul which was thankfully received enough that its now getting a third from The Prodigy helmer William Kaufman titled Jarhead: The Siege.

It's easy to lose count with all the TV spots now making the rounds for this Friday's release of Furious 7. But, this one teaser, while sensitive in nature as it hasn't really gone mainstream in some territories than others, it does hit you right in the core. Check it out below, and be sure to have some tissues on hand. Or a friend to hug right after.

The fuse is lit, and the first official teaser for this summer's Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is finally up and running. And yes, that is Tom Cruise, beating up baddies, dodging bullets, and hanging off buildings...and an Airbus A400. Yes, he hung outside of an airplane. He did that for real.

Imaginably, director Soi Cheang's most recent duties on next year's 3D release of The Monkey King 2 have been anything but monotonous. It's a task undoubtedly worth undertaking following thuurned to the set in late 2014 for the epic continuation of the mystical martial arts saga based on Wu Cheng'en's epic novel, Journey To The West, which now sees actor Aaron Kwok switching gears from playing the villain in the first film to the title role in this second outing for its pending Chinese New Year kick-off on Feburary 8, 2016.

Award-winning director Zeze Takahisa's forthcoming thriller, Strayer's Chronicle is gearing up to release on June 27 from Warner Bros. Japan with an exciting look attrributed to Honda Takayoshi's 2012 novel. Akko-Chan: The Movie and Confessions star, actor Okada Masaki takes the lead for this epic tale of young kids battling it out with the supernatural alongside Tokyo Tribe co-star, award-winning actor Sometani Shota from a script by Zeze and co-scribe Kiyasu Kohei and action design by Shimomura Yuji(Versus, Re:Born).