Screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen is known for a particular type of movie. Having written all of the TRANSPORTER, TAKEN and KARATE KID films as well as LETHAL WEAPON 3, THE FIFTH ELEMENT, Kamen knows a little something about action flicks. He recently sat down with Crave Online and discussed projects that are happening and some that never saw the light of day.
On BLOODSPORT 2 and whether Van Damme will make an appearance: This film resembles the original in title only. It has nothing to do with any Kumite contest. It has nothing to do with Frank Dux. If the title was not the same, you would not associate the two films. To use JCVD would make no sense because the association would be lost as the story has nothing to do with the first one. If anything it would be a distraction. This is a character driven, politically motivated film. It has nothing to do with splits or muscles or grudge matches and as I said, if the title were not attached to the rights, you would not associate one film with the other.
WTF? Why even make it then? I have been waiting for a proper BLOODSPORT sequel and now we get one and they don’t even have the common courtesy to make it a reboot? Instead we get something completely unrelated? I have not been this disappointed since NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER 2 had zero to do with the original masterpiece. I cry horseshit on this one.
On his alternate vision for THE KARATE KID PART III: [Mr Miyagi] was Okinawan and originally Okinawan Karate came from China. And it came from China by Okinawan fisherman going there and by Chinese traders coming to Okinawa to work. The real Mr. Miyagi, Chojun Miyagi, founder of my style of Karate was from Chinese ancestry. My weapons teacher in Okinawa was of Chinese ancestry and a lot of Okinawan people are very proud that they come from Chinese people and especially the martial arts community. A lot of the guys who were founders of martial arts styles in Okinawa, it came from Chinese martial arts and they just adapted it. So it was very easy to reverse it. As Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel in the first movie, he said the first Miyagi was a fisherman, he got drunk and he fell asleep and his boat drifted to China and he spent 10 years there and learned Karate. When he came back, he knew Karate. I was going to tell the saga in reverse. Daniel and Mr. Miyagi are in a boat. It all happens when Daniel gets hit on the head and he has a dream. He’s in a coma or something and they see a boat in the mist. It docks and Mr. Miyagi and Daniel follow the first Miyagi ancestor into China and then they get involved in this thing. It would’ve been really cool but nobody wanted to do it.
Um, ok? Kamen says he would have used CGI and pre-dated what was done in THE MATRIX, but of course the executives wouldn’t mess with the franchise. He goes on to say he eventually caved when they offered him a shitload of money. Ah, the Almighty Dollar saves us all!
On his version of the French movie B-13: Oh, I wrote the English movie of B13. Brick Mansions is B13. I call it Brick Mansions. We were supposed to do it but I don’t know what happened. Maybe they couldn’t find a distributor or something. It’s been in pre-production forever and I don’t know if it’s going to get done or not. They were talking to an actor, they have a director and they were talking to an actor and I don’t know what happened. Usually I’ll find out when he tells me which is perfectly fine with me.
I am okay with not remaking B-13. The original is a fun movie that works well. For some reason, when Hollywood remakes French movies, they tend to turn out like garbage.
After hearing all of this, I don’t know how much confidence I have in Mr. Kamen. I was excited and now I just feel depressed.
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