Logothetis to Helm 'Kickboxer: Armageddon' and 'Flying Shadow' in 2022

Veteran action director Dimitri Logothetis, famed for his work on Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxer: Retaliation, is set to shoot his upcoming films, Kickboxer: Armageddon and Flying Shadow, in Mississippi and Malta. These scripts were penned ahead of the recent strikes, and efforts are currently under way to secure a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement, with the aim for production to commence on both projects in the new year.

Kickboxer: Armageddon serves as the conclusive chapter in a reboot trilogy of the highly successful Kickboxer action franchise. The original film, directed by Mark DiSalle and David Worth, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, premiered in 1989. The character of Kurt Sloane, compelled to master the ancient kickboxing art of Muay Thai to avenge his brother, quickly became iconic. Van Damme was featured in the later films Kickboxer: Vengeance and Kickboxer: Retaliation, but was notably absent for the second and fifth installments which shifted the spotlight to Kurt’s younger brother, David (played by Sasha Mitchell).

In Logothetis’ version, Alain Moussi is cast as Sloane, experiencing personal tragedy when an explosive attempt on his life takes that of his family in the film Armageddon. With nothing left to lose, a vengeful Sloane navigates the underground fight scene of Malaysia, with the objective of eliminating the culprit, Master Durand’s twin brother Cesare. This script was crafted by Logothetis and Jim McGrath, the pairs constituted the original reboot's writing team. Producers Joel Shapiro and Rob Hickman are also set to collaborate with Logothetis once more.

In the action adventure that is Flying Shadow, the story follows Travis Rawls, a former Black Ops secret service agent, along with Ling, the commander of a Chinese private security force. The duo races against time to prevent looming disaster after the ancient legendary sword, known as Flying Shadow, is stolen, putting the President’s life in danger. This script is also the joint work of Logothetis and McGrath, with Logothetis producing.

Logothetis, with a reputation for his work on martial arts indie films, has completed his most recent film, Gunner, starring Morgan Freeman and Luke Hemsworth. His past achievement includes rekindling the Kickboxer franchise with Kickboxer: Vengeance and Kickboxer: Retaliation, assuming co-writing and producing roles for the former, and as director on the latter. He also created the sci-fi thriller, Jiu Jitsu, that starred Nicolas Cage.

Now that the news is out of the way, onto the juicy tidbits.

Ladies and gentlemen, gather round, as once more we have proof that the fountain of ideas in Tinseltown is far from drying up. Logothetis, an underappreciated auteur with a love for martial arts and mayhem, continues on his quest to wrestle age-old movie concepts into the 20's.

As all faithful followers will know, the Kickboxer franchise is as iconic as cheeseburgers to a picnic, and an Alain Moussi-potent cocktail of violence and vengeance is just what we need to reminisce about the late 80's - early 90's cinema. Even in a world saturated with action follies, Armageddon sounds finely tuned to deliver a formidable punch.

And if you like your thrills tinged with insanity, Flying Shadow is where the party's at. A secret service agent, a stolen ancient sword, and president's life on the line - you couldn't dream up better fodder for an action thriller, even after a glass or two of Logothetis-brand liquor.

Mister Logothetis, may your director's chair be forever smooth, your cameras forever rolling, and your pen continue flowing, for we are ever ready for some high-octane cinema, served hot and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a wrap from the Hollywood gossip guru.