Jean-Claude Van Damme Cast In Kickboxer Reboot, Tony Jaa Out

The planned reboot of the Kickboxer movies remains active, but there’s been a few changes to the cast before production gets underway.

Tony Jaa was initially cast as an updated version of Master Chow from the original film, but Jaa has since dropped out of the project, but his replacement is a lot more familiar to the franchise than anyone, really: Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Producer Ted Field confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter, saying that “we are so excited to have Kickboxer roll into production and to have JCVD in the role of Master Chow, passing the torch to Alain, to have him lead the franchise for a new generation”. Field also promised “non-stop” action and “never-before-seen stunts”.

Also on board for the film are Alain Moussi, Dave Bautista and Georges St Pierre.

The new Kickboxer is being directed by John Stockwell, and it started filming this week. Expect a release towards the end of 2015.

Now we just need a reboot of Street Fighter with JVD on board…