Sho’ nuff! Anyone who knows anything about martial arts movies knows about the under-appreciated The Last Dragon. Released in 1985, the film starred Taimak in his big-screen debut alongside 80s sex symbol Vanity and the late Julius Carry as the villainous Shogun of Harlem. After an underwhelming run at the box office, The Last Dragon became a huge hit on HBO and home video. After recent shout-outs on HBO series Insecure, Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, and Netflix’s Cobra Kai, even more are flocking to the karate classic and wondering why The Last Dragon never got a sequel.
During a recent interview with Leroy Green himself, Taimak, for our Revisited series, I learned that a follow-up to The Last Dragon is potentially on the way. According to Taimak, The Last Dragon‘s screenwriter Louis Venosta regained the rights to the film a little over a year ago and has since been working on a new script. While he could not divulge any specific details about whether it was a sequel or a reboot, Taimak did confirm he would be involved with the project.
Obviously, both Vanity and Julius Carry have passed away in the three decades since The Last Dragon premiered, but the possibilities for what this new project could be are astounding. There is a lot of love for blaxploitation films out there but there is even more appreciation for revivals of beloved properties and The Last Dragon is a perfect candidate to make a huge comeback.
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