Tekken: The Movie

[AkATheCleric138]

I am not sure whats better news, This guy who wants to make Tekken, influenced by old kung-fu movies or the Clerks 2 announcement.

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news04/040827b.php

[Johnny Daywalker]

"It will not be anything like Mortal Kombat or any of the Lara Croft movies. You will get the feeling of Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon. I want the audience to get to know the characters, so when they have to battle each other it will be more dramatic".
--
"One concern of mine is that the fighting be good, because I personally think the fighting in something like The Matrix which a lot of people were like wow, doesn?t do it for me. Because I grew up with the Hong Kong films where the way the fighting is filmed, it?s filmed for the choreography of the actual art form".
--


Meh i'll believe that when I see it. Lofty words and goals. I hope for everyones sake he brings something to the table but I doubt he will. If I had a nickel for everytime I heard that kind of talk from those who thought they'd top what Hong Kong has done i'd be a millionaire. The story and script better be sound because good acting and good fighting are generally two seperate things. Usually in Hollywood they sacrifice one for the other.

I wouldn't diss what the Matrix did. I still remember the first time I saw Keanu and Lawrence fighting in that dojo with no stunt doubles or close up shots. That to this day remains a cinema highlight for me. Woo Ping and the Wachowski's did a terrific job with those films when it came to the Kung Fu. Now when they included something other than real humans thats another story (even though I didn't think it was that bad as many stated). Which reminds me about Kurt Wimmer. He seemed very intent on Milla being ready for Ultraviolet action wise. Really hope that comes together well. I use to like Tekken quite a bit back in the day. Hope they get Paul, Law, Hworang and Lei somewhat right.

[AkATheCleric138]

Well I agree in some sense, but what is boasted here is possible. Most of the fighters in the game have very realistic and unique fighting styles that any trained actor can be capable of. With the appropriate training they easily could have (for example) Vin Diesel bust out some NASTY capoeria as Eddy Gordo. Also with the appropriate special effects in place they could really bring these characters to life. As for the story, as long as it doesn't get too far fetched(as Tekken has some very camp moments) it can really be the best video game translation to date. The story would probably focus around the Mishima/Kazama family history and tie in supporting characters from the game around it. As long as they don't realize its uneccesary to include EVERYONE as that would be overkill and take away from the movie itself.

[Carlton Stevens]

Vin Diesel in the same sentence as capoeira and Eddy Gordo gives quite a odd taste when said out loud.

[Johnny Daywalker]

(for example) Vin Diesel bust out some NASTY capoeria as Eddy Gordo.

Well i'll be a monkey with two peters.

The story would probably focus around the Mishima/Kazama family history and tie in supporting characters from the game around it.

I wish they would but I doubt it. Lets not forget Hollywood made Guile the main character in Street Fighter (when Ryu really was the main man) however Anderson's MK did have a lead asian (Robin Shou) play Liu Kang so who knows. I just doubt they'll make the Mishima's the main characters. I can't think of a Hollywood film (Outside of The Last Samurai) that had a prominent Japanese actor. However Henry Sanada would be a great choice for Heihachi. I'm more curious what Sammo Hung will do with Soul Calibur.

[AkATheCleric138]

Merely an example, He is the right type of knucklehead I can see the studios casting for Eddy or DMX even. Not a personal pick, but a likely one. I am not sure who who be appropriate for Eddy. I can see Russell Wong as Lei Wu Long. And although she is not the action star type Monica Potter would be a great Nina Williams or Carrie Ann Moss witha dye job even. Sean William Scott after some serious working out, would be a great Paul Pheonix. Tyler Mane(Sabretooth from X-Men) would be a great Jack or Jack 2, everybody and their mother can see Dwayne Johnson as King. Brandon Lee would have been an awesome Jin.

[AkATheCleric138]

I'm more curious what Sammo Hung will do with Soul Calibur.

Jeez, I don't know about that one. I hope they DON'T make Soul Caliber into a movie. I just feel it wouldn't be right.

[Johnny Daywalker]

I'm going to go kill myself.

[AkATheCleric138]

It just donned on me that Sonny Chiba would be THE FUCKING MAN! as Heichi. (Not that he isn't the MAN already)

[E.C.]

As a longtime (and still) Tekken fanboy, the usual dream cast choices:

Jackie Chan as Supercop Lei Wulong
Chuck Norris as aging American biker and no-nonsense fighter Paul Phoenix
Sonny Chiba as old powerful Heihachi
Zhang Ziyi as young playful Ling Xiaoyu
Mark Dacascos as either Jin or Kazuya.

[Mysterious Alien Creature]

This will be the second attempt at a live-action Tekken film:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260136/ http://www.kfccinema.com/reviews/kungfu/avengingfist/avengingfist.html

[Gemini]

I hope that gigantic tree guy is included, myself.

[AkATheCleric138]

totally unrelated to Tekken, I think Nintendo should devise "Nintendo Films" kinda like Marvel Comics' Marvel Films and Produce some of their characters into movies. I know the Super Mario Bros. movie was total poison, BUT I wouldn't mind seeing a CGI animated film based on the plumbers something along the lines of Shrek. Its totally possible and would very well work in that format as opposed to a live action piece of drek. Metroid also has a GREAT story that can be transferred to film easily, as well as total box office success material: a LOTR-esque "The Legend of Zelda" Heath Ledger or Orlando Bloom have Link written ALL over them.

[fabfunk]

Just figured I've give my two cents... this guy, Charles Stone III, is a tremendously talented filmmaker. I think he's a really distinct voice, and I'm glad to see he can look at something like TEKKEN with such broad aspirations. With his filmography, he's already shown himself to be immensely versatile, especially if you catch his 2002 one-two punch of DRUMLINE and PAID IN FULL.

DRUMLINE is a far better movie than it deserves to be, and there's a kinetic, infectious energy behind the direction. The performances are also surprisingly good, fairly sincere from the actors, which is a surprise for a film of that nature. And PAID IN FULL, disappointingly ignored upon it's inception, it's one of the best of the urban crime stories that harkens back to early nineties stuff like JUICE while rehashing old cliches in new and stylish ways.

It's worth noting, however, that the guy first received recognition for creating and starring in the Budweiser "WASSSSSUP!" commercials.

[Johnny Daywalker]

Well thats interesting. Perhaps this guy can bring something new to the table afterall then.

[AkATheCleric138]

This will be the second attempt at a live-action Tekken film:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260136/ http://www.kfccinema.com/reviews/kungfu/avengingfist/avengingfist.html

I read the link you posted and even in the bottom of the article i clearly states that this has no connection to Tekken WHAT SO EVER except for the fact that a few of the characters resemble Jin, Jun and Hworang.


AS for Charles Stone III, if he has the passion to make a Tekken movie that harks back to the days of Street Fighter(Sonny Chiba) and Enter The Dragon, then I say we are lucky to have someone so sensible at the head of this film. As long as the appropriate budget is given and the cast is Fucking A SOLID.

[SPEEDRAZOR]

He's also very concerned about the fighting scenes - "One concern of mine is that the fighting be good, because I personally think the fighting in something like The Matrix which a lot of people were like wow, doesn’t do it for me. Because I grew up with the Hong Kong films where the way the fighting is filmed, it’s filmed for the choreography of the actual art form".

my thoughts exactly. i still cant understand why people love fight scenes in movies like the matrix and hero. there is no power or urgency in them. watch ong bak and reaslise that stuff is horseshit. you dont feel like these people in these movies are in danger, they fight for ten minutes and nobody gets hurt. if i wanted to watch dance numbers i'd watch strictly ballroom. but then you see a movie like zatoichi or equilibrium, where the fight scenes last mere seconds, and are a hundred times cooler and more powerful than being bored to tears watching people ducking and weaving swords for half an hour. one of the best fight scenes hollywood has produced lately i think is in mission impossible 2, these guys pound on each other to the point where they actually look tired, and are fighting dirty and sloppily, smacking eachother into rocks and kicking eachother in the head. thats a thousand times better than neo and seraph dancing with eachother for no reason other than "well, its been too long since weve had any kung fu, lets just chuck some in here!"

i think with that quote up there, that this guy is gonna make an awesome fight movie.

[Johnny Daywalker]

one of the best fight scenes hollywood has produced lately i think is in mission impossible 2, these guys pound on each other to the point where they actually look tired, and are fighting dirty and sloppily, smacking eachother into rocks and kicking eachother in the head.

Speaking honestly as someone who enjoys a good fight or rumble fuck Mission Impossible 2. They Live was better. I'll take Hero and Matrix anyday over M:I 2 yuck.

[SPEEDRAZOR]

just because mission impossible 2 the movie was shit doesnt mean the fight was. the fight was excellent.

[Carlton Stevens]

Mission: Impossible 2 has gritty and realistic fighting? You mean John "Master of the Unnecccesary" Woo's Mission:Impossible 2? To be quite honest, it may seem brutal, but its not a hard realistic fight by a long stretch. Things like hitting someone on the head with a fucking rock causes concusscions, not getting back up and into stance. That fight was highly stylized, just as much as many others you just sighted as examples.

A hard realistic fight lasts about a few seconds, and involves short controlled hits met to finish it then and there. Not many movies dare to do that sort of actual fighting at risk of detaching the auidence. The Bourne Series does this the best way, but its still fairly stylized, but more so in the camera work rather then the actual ass kicking.

I'm not trying to be a dick, but I can't see how that fight was as realistic as you make it out to be. Equilbrium and Zatoichi are much better examples. I agree, that fights are very flashly and stylized, and they bother me sometimes, especially wire work. However, I think many people like Ong Bak not for hard martial arts realism, but rather for its technicalties and style. Its much better then the hard and fast cut martial arts style of many American films. Its simpler, and promotes a use of conventional martial arts rather then a super imposed and exaggerated form.

That's how Jackie Chan movies and Hong Kong movies paved the way. Their take on fighting is much better, and definently shows more. Whether its realistic or not goes out the window with a lot of them, but it shows the full extent at least, and doesn't surround it in a pretty wrapper. Instead the movie shows impressive stunt and martial arts work without the aid of wires. Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is respected in fighting because the wire work, though excessive, is fairly fluid. Donnie Yen and Jet Li were able to make the work there smooth, even if some of the other fights didn't look that way.

The last two Matrix movies forget about smoothness and just focus on the basic movement, causing some of Neo's more dramatic flips to look like a dead corpse is doing it rather then a fluid human being. I don't know what the hell happened after the first one, but things got very blocky and less controlled, not looking convincing at all.

There is a huge difference between realism and style. However, there is a constrained difference in how style is used in the fight. Realism is hard to dictate in a fight on film, and when you do its hard to keep the auidence interested without flashy moves. Style however is either in the film itself or done within the actual fight. Both can work sometimes, but over doing either of them makes it either very fake or very broken and stretched. This Tekken movie will obviously have a stylistic flare to it, because based on the many fighting styles it would be hard not to. However, it can be done well if its looked at with conventinal and contemplative taste, similar to how Bruce Lee looked at the martial arts fight scene. He knew the movies wanted to see the full blow, but he also knew the extent to that actual image and how far you can pull it off.

[Johnny Daywalker]

Take a good look at what Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan did in the 80's. Ong Bak and the Thai's are trying to do that again and god bless them for it but that shit isn't happening in Hollywood. Take that pipe dream and smoke it away.

[SPEEDRAZOR]

im not saying that mission impossible's fight is realism incarnate. but its much more entertaining and brutal because you actually feel that these guys are tired and hurt and one of them is gonna end up losing. i honestly believe that the fights in the matrix reloaded are some of the worst, most boring ever. and i honestly believe (as someone who saw hero 2 years ago and didnt get caught up in the hype) that movie was just plain boring, its beautifully shot, has amazing visuals, production value through the roof, and absolutely no heart, never ending fight scenes that consist of nothing but dancing and floating around on strings (something i will never find entertaining) really just bore the hell out of me. and that nonsensical mystical sounding garbage that passes as dialogue really got to me. "i must travel the lands so a caligraphist can create me a new word for sword" gimme a break!

fights like bourne identity that actually have an immediacy to them, ones where they dont pussyfut about for half an hour are much better.

i think this comes from the fact that i did martial arts as i was growing up, and the martial art i did was Hapkido. Its a martial art in which the purpose is to end the fight immediately. arts like karate show you how to punch and kick really hard, where as hapkido taught you to put them on the ground and keep them there. to disable them right away. i guess subconciously thats what i want to see in movie fights aswell. id rather watch Out for Justice than guys on wires. but i guess thats just me.

[Charlie Brigden]

The point of HERO wasn't to wow you in that kind of way though.

I agree the fighting in THE MATRIX was lacking, but Hollywood seems to have forgotten how to make a fight look real. The last movie I can remember that really pulled it off was FIGHT CLUB.

[Carlton Stevens]

I understand where you're coming from SPEEDRAZOR, I took Kendo for quite sometime, and I've seen Hapkido portrayed in a dojo not far from here. I have my misgivings about wires, and have expressed them numerous times. However, I see no problem with Ong Bak though it was flashy, it wasn't overly so and like Daywalker said, its going back to a much simpler and conventinal time where the martial arts didn't have a huge gloss brush over it. I can appreciate that, because it shows impressive martial arts skills even though its to a partially stylized beat. Its also a movie which went against the grain and said. "No fucking wires." I have quite a bit of admiration for that.

[SPEEDRAZOR]

oh i have no problem with ong bak, thats one of the ones i said that i think is great!

[Carlton Stevens]

*slaps himself*

Then, I will calm down.

[SPEEDRAZOR]

i worded it weird hehe, i read it again, and i can see how it would look like i said that ong bak is horseshit, what i meant is the other stuff is horseshit in comparison.

[Chris Myers]

dream cast :

Russell Wong - Kazuya
Bruce Willis - Heihachi Mishima
Joshua Jackson - Jin
Ziyi Zhang - Xiayou
Laurence Fishburne - King
Taye Diggs - Armor King
Vin Diesel - Paul Phoenix
Mark Wahlberg - Hwoarang
Jet Li - Lei Wulong
Mario Van Peebles - Eddy Gordo
Jason Scott Lee - Law
Andrew Bryniarski - Jack 2
Adrian Brody - Lee

[Ben Moore]

It will not be anything like Mortal Kombat or any of the Lara Croft movies. You will get the feeling of Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon.

Wasn't Mortal Kombat already a rip-off of Enter the Dragon? Yes, yes it was.

[SPEEDRAZOR]

although it came nowhere near close to the coolness of enter the dragon.

[AkATheCleric138]

It will not be anything like Mortal Kombat or any of the Lara Croft movies. You will get the feeling of Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon.

Wasn't Mortal Kombat already a rip-off of Enter the Dragon? Yes, yes it was.

Well I am expecting Tekken to be taken to that greatness that Mortal Kombat attempted to, but just couldn't quite touch. Maybe a little less kid friendly and more Ass whupping. Majority of the fans of Tekken are old enough to see some harcore shit, and most certianly blood.

[Colt45]

I can't stand fucking wire-fu.

[turk128]

Going back to a realistic fighting style is a not the right path to a better action/martial arts movie, just something different. Real is just the other side of the coin of wire-fu. What's most important is making the fight look convincing no matter what style is used. Just look at the current cult favorite, Equilibrium; far from realistic yet not exactly wirefu but most importantly convincing within its environment.

Tekken, Charles Stone III is saying the right things but I'll remain skeptical (just look at PWS Anderson for example). It is good that he seems to know what style he wants and type of story he wants to tell.

I say hire the fight choreographers from Drive and Brotherhood of the Wolf and you'll have just about the right style. Get both the criminally overlooked Donnie Yen and Mark Dacascos for the starring roles, and no A listers at all cost (B and Z players would be great, thou)! And get Wimmer to direct wouldn’t hurt either :)

[Fat Dragon]

I refuse to become erect for this movie.If people in Hong Kong(the new wave AND the old wave)can't even make decent fight films anymore,why put faith in this guy?

I don't know what happened,it's like the magic of 80's HK action film just died out.You would think even old guys like Chan,Hung,Biao,etc.and the veteran choreographers would be able to put all their experience to good use,but it seems everyone in HK forgot how to make kickass action.

I still can't get the love for Mortal Kombat,that shit was so weak and superficial.Robin Shou blows.I'm bored,there's nothing on tv,I'm done with this post.

[Johnny Daywalker]

Nice posts Turk and FD I agree 100%. Yeah I continually shake my head at whats happened to Hong Kong. Well they were great for awhile and we can always admire and enjoy the classics I guess.

Turk Yen and Dacascos going wild and fierce on screen would be total bliss for me. I have a little bit more hope for this after Fab mentioned who this Stone guy is. Saying that though I have 0 expectations for this flick.

[Skulk]

Jack=Kevin Nash

http://kevinbigsexynash.com/adimages/punish1a.jpg

[turk128]

Might as well call the new millennium HK genre flics Hollywoodized because it is. It probably started around the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon craze (yes, there were flics like that before but not nearly as popular).

It seems the only thing the craze did was up the production value of HK flics but at the same time import the ass backwards high concept (yet at the same time coming off formulaic) style of script writing so popular in Hollywood along with a false sense of independent filming. The free ranging, fun spirit of HK martial art films has been replaced by a very toned-down serious attitude, so much so that it comes off bland and self serving.

Introducing the HK choreographers to Hollywood also seems to have toned down their style and stopped their exploratory spirit. The good things they have done in Hollywood are nothing new, just their old repertoire placed in new setting.

There are exceptions of course; Stephen Chow has yet to do anything that I have not enjoyed.

Back to Tekken; tapping WWE/F for casting would be great (at least for surpporting & background players). Pro wrestling still has a decent fan base and it's free advertising! Also, the criminally under-used Funaki needs more TV time.

[Mysterious Alien Creature]

AkATheCleric138, I said second attempt, not second Tekken movie. The goal of The Avenging Fist production team was initally to make a Tekken movie, only they did not have the character rights, so they tried to get away from the game concept and ended up just ripping-off other films instead.

What I was referring to in my post above:
http://www.kfccinema.com/reviews/kungfu/avengingfist/avengingfist.html
"For fans of 'Tekken' out there, this is not a 'Tekken' film. Due to the court battles, Lau and company had to remove all the references to the video game. Though some character designs may reflect players such as Jin and Hwoarrang, 'The Avenging Fist' does not follow the storyline whatsoever. The film may seem more along the lines of 'Star Wars' if anything from the obvious allusions that the film makes to the trilogy, but it ends up being a mess of everything that it never really contains an ounce of originality in its plot when it's attempting to separate itself from 'Tekken.'"

More on the legal trouble:
http://www.cinescape.com/0/editorial.asp?aff_id=0&obj_id=34881&this_cat=Video+%26+DVD
"As a notice in the end credits clearly spells out, this is NOT based on Namco’s hit video game franchise TEKKEN. Well, it is, but Namco changed their minds about selling the rights for this film (maybe because they thought they’d get more money from Hollywood), though in typical Hong Kong fashion, production was already under way. The project was stalled several months while lawyers hashed out the details."

http://www.hkfilm.net/vid_tk.htm
"The team behind The Storm Riders completed the film version of the game -- sort of. Apparently, production was delayed because Wong 'forgot' to secure the rights to the Tekken characters and was sued by Namco after he relased publicity photos from the set such as the ones above, which feature Chin Kar-Lok, Kristy Yeung and Stephen Fung. Production on the movie (which was going under sveral different titles, such as God of Fist Style, In the Name of Heroes, and Legend of the Fist Master) was totally halted at times because of legal troubles. Asked for a comment by reporters from The Sun, Andrew Lau said: 'Actually, the case was settled a long time ago. The reason the movie hasn't been released yet is because there is extensive post-production and many special effects that have to be done. Also, we were waiting for a good time to release it!'"

[AkATheCleric138]

AkATheCleric138, I said second attempt, not second Tekken movie. The goal of The Avenging Fist production team was initally to make a Tekken movie, only they did not have the character rights, so they tried to get away from the game concept and ended up just ripping-off other films instead.

My Bad, thanks for clarifying. Based on what I have read Avenging fist could have made a cool Tekken Movie. Sammo Hung as Heichi sounds a little off beat, but who knows? Hworang looked pretty dead on.

[Orin_Quon]

bust out some NASTY capoeria as Eddy Gordo

"Capoeira". Just a nitpick of mine...

Anyway...

I hope that gigantic tree guy is included, myself.

Mokujin! Oh man! Love that character!

But to tell you the truth, i hope they keep the robots, animals and training dummies out of the movie.