Jean-Claude Van Damme is officially returning for Kickboxer: Retaliation, the sequel to Kickboxer: Vengeance. The Belgian actor had starred in Kickboxer: Vengeance as a karate master. He played the lead in the original 1989 Kickboxer. Dimitri Logothetis (Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers), who holds two black belts, is the writer and producer of Kickboxer: Vengeance, and is directing the sequel.
Van Damme signed his contract live on video via his official Facebook page recently. “JC brings his charisma and martial arts talents to Kickboxer as no other actor can,” Logothetis said.
Filming begins in Thailand soon. The sequel also stars Mike Tyson, football star Ronaldinho, and Hafpor Julius Bjornsson. Kickboxer: Retaliation is produced by Our House Film. Rob Hickman is producing and Larry Nealy and Steven Swadling are the executive producers.
Kickboxer: Vengeance is directed by John Stockwell, and starrs Alain Moussi, Dave Bautista, Gina Carano, Georges St-Pierre and Darren Shahlavi. RLJ Entertainment bought the rights to Kickboxer: Vengeance, a remake of the original film, and plans to release it this September in theaters and VOD.
The sequel stars Moussi playing the Kurt Sloane role, as he’s taken forcibly back to Thailand to fend for his life against a new formidable foe, portrayed by Bjornsson. Ronaldinho is playing the role of an imprisoned expert martial arts kicker who shows Sloane how to refine his deadly kick. – Reuters/Dave McNary
