Ong-Bak 2 (2008)

[GwaiLoMoFo]

Article about "director" Tony Jaa & "producer" Panna Rittikrai's Ong Bak 2: Ong Bak 2 (http://www.beyondhollywood.com/tony-jaas-ong-bak-2-gets-sold-first-poster/)

Meanwhile, in America the Weinstein Brothers still owns the rights to gOng Bak 2, which means we can expect to see the film released in U.S. theaters in about two years (at least a year after everyone else in the world has seen it, of course) with a crappy rap soundtrack, as the Weinstein Brothers are wont to do with their Asian action releases
:lol GUARANTEED!!

[Knockabout]

My expectations are even higher now :D

http://www.extremestunts.se/Eng/blog/ongbak.htm

[AlbertV]

I agree Knockabout. It looks as if Tony and the team are going old school with setting too. I'm definitely interested in seeing this one!!!

[Endsang]

Worked on the upcoming Thai action movie Ong Bak 2.
Where I play a chinese ninja that fights Tony Jaa with the tiger style. In a 2 vs 1 fight.

Pardon me if I am ignorant, but is there such a thing as a chinese ninja, or ninjas practicing chinese kung fu? (In the traditional sense, of course).

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

If you define Ninja loosely as a stealth assassin, but the ninjas as we know em are a japanese phenomenon! I think the word has lost it's meaning with time though!

[Shaolindogma]

I hope this movie gets in U.S. theatres. I remember the first movie wasn't released on many screens and i had to wait a while before it was available on DVD.

Endsang: You're not ignorant and that was a good question. Ninjas have been a popular cinema subject for a very long time. HK and the Shaws have been using Ninja themes since the 70's. In some movies the Chinese claim to have invented Ninjas. I don't remember which movie it was but it might have been Ninja Against Shaolin or Duel to the Death which are excellent movies IMO.

[Tosh]

I'm looking forward to this more than anything at the moment, it looks interesting, I really hope Jaa pulls something great off.

Ninjas are definitely Japanese, they were really just Samurai turned assasins. But yeah the term now can covers any stealth assasin, I'm sure the Chinese had their version of them and they were called something else but the word Ninja became very maketable.

[venoms5]

Ninjitsu is supposed to have its beginnings with the Mao Shan secret spies. I think the beginnings of these were shown in LEGENDARY WEAPONS OF CHINA.

[venoms5]

Wow. The pics are nice! Can't wait for this one!:)

[Yi-Long]

I thought I read somewhere (a book or something) that ninjas originated in China, as 'forest demons' (bands of robbers who lived in the forests) would only come out to either rob, or to offer their services for money. They used the book by Sun Tze as some sort of guide. Scholars and priests often took refuge with these groups, and over the years learned much about it.

When political unrest grew in China, and the goverment (Sui dynasty) came down hard on priests, and scholars and robbers etc... they fled from China over to the islands of Japan, taking with them the knowledge that they had accumulated over the years...

The priests took refuge in the mountainous areas in Japan around Iga and Koga, and from there on it all started...

[will91XingYu]

I can't wait for this and then i saw ninjas in it! Also the period setting is making me really excited for this film, i can't wait!

[Chinatown Kid]

Tony Jaa and Donnie Yen are two of the best martial artists on film today, I would love for these guys to face off against one another on screen.

[David Rees]

Any idea when this is scheduled for release?..


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[CrazyFrog]

well, the pics look interesting! And wouldn't it be Thai ninjas? Haven't heard of that before.... .

I like the costumes and the setting. I am curious to see how they incorporate the traditional dancing stuff (khon). One thing I do really like about Tony Jaa's stuff (limited as it is) is the incorporation of Thai historic arts, even if they're not very well known, into his movies. He did that with Ong Bak (Muay Boran) and looks like this one too.

[CrazyFrog]

This is a report from the Cannes Festival by the Twitch folks. I guess they screened a Ong-Bak 2 trailer and from his mini-report, the guy seemed pretty impressed. Starting to get excited about this one now!


http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/todds-cannes-diary-day-one/

[greenfan]

You're think you're excited?....

I just came in my pants a little after reading Todd's review of the promo.

[CrazyFrog]

Twiddling thumbs waiting for Ong-Bak 2 trailer to hit the Internetz

[HyperDrive]

It's going to be nice watching this after all of those CGI fests that came out this year.

[Tosh]

Dang I was hoping for the trailer, when is this set to come out? Can't wait to see what Jaa can do with this one, we know he can deliver the fights, everything else can't be as bad as TYG.

[Drunken Monk]

Is this meant to be the "Ong Bak 2" trailer? It's dark, messed up and has added bull**** on the end...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBxw_gu90Jw

[AlbertV]

That's the trailer all right. The end looks nothing more like a film shot by martial arts students, but that first part is ONG-BAK 2.

[udar55]

You can see about 4 seconds of the ONG BAK 2 promo video shown at Cannes at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIDcUUktC0Q

[Elhcay]

Promo reel
http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/tony-jaa-brings-the-pain-weve-got-the-ong-bak-2-promo-reel/#extended

[Drunken Monk]

Wow. I'm excited.

They do give the "moves" and weapons some bloody stupid names though in that reel.

[greenfan]

From 3 minutes of footage Jaa already looks like twice the director that Pinkaew is. I have a boner.

[ironfistedmonk]

Sweet, looking forward to it now. I don't see what it has to do with the original Ong Bak tho?

[greenfan]

It's a sequel in name only. I like the period feel of the film....feels kinda 'old school'

[Tosh]

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek:


Oh I'm all over this, Jaa is the mother F'n MAN! I haven't seen anyone handle a 3 section staff with that much skill since Pops! When is this released?

[thehangman]

I think its around august/sep time in thailand so prob along time to wait for western audiences

[Monk Sante]

Tony Jaa and Donnie Yen are two of the best martial artists on film today, I would love for these guys to face off against one another on screen.

Tony would have to slow down in order to give Donnie a chance to look good on screen. Tony would steal the show by a long shot. Never Happen. :cool:

[daisho2004]

This movie looks Killer I just wish it would've had a different name. Since it has nothing to do with the 1st. Movie what so ever. But I cannot wait to see this movie.

[gorhama]

Just watched the promo and holy crap...I just creamed in my pants!!!

Jaa is looking like a hell of a director. Also it looks like some of our complaints have been heard and Jaa will have plenty of fighters of his skill level. The choregraphy looks very promising.

I also like the period setting, along with the different weapons and fighting styles.....damn I can't wait!!

[Monk Sante]

I hope Jaa continues to make films overseas for the true fans of this genre.
Please Tony don't go Hollywood on us! :cool:

[daisho2004]

Monk Sante: I have to agree with you there it seems when Asian Actors cross over to Hollywood there movies lose a lot of the magic, they had when filming overseas. DAMN HOLLYWOOD!!!!!!!!

[Mark Pollard]

Hollywood may not know what to do with Asian martial arts stars but they do open the door to more investment for future projects. Look what Jet Li has done since coming to Hollywood, Asian-produced films like FEARLESS and THE WARLORDS. Let Jaa do a couple mediocre Hollywood action films so he can take the subsequent fame and fortune back to Thailand and make even more magic happen.

[Yakuza954]

I don't know, I think I rather have Jaa make more smaller budget movies than spend any time in Hollywood. Besides, the most appealing thing about Jaa's movies right now is the gritty action and hard-hitting stunts, and you don't need 20 million dollar budgets for that. Most of the best martial arts movies of all time were made with budgets 1/20th the size of that.

Fearless and Warlords would have been made regardless of Hollywood -- there's just a general trend for big-budget historical epics in China right now (with Chinese funding) that isn't reliant on Hollywood influence or Jet's heavy wallet book. Jaa isn't that young either and there also always runs the possibility that Jaa will spend too much time in Hollywood and waste away the prime years of his career making films like "The Tuxedo" and "Cradle to the Grave". This is all a moot point however, as we know Jaa will eventually go to Hollywood... the only questions are when he's going and who will be chosen to play his partner in his first buddy-cop movie.

[Mark Pollard]

Fearless and Warlords would have been made regardless of Hollywood

Respectfully, I disagree. It's the international "bankability" of Jet Li that encourages investors to back his movies. He's the highest paid actor in China. He received nearly half the budget of THE WARLORDS for his salary. Backers know they'll get a return on their investment because Jet Li sells tickets internationally like no other Chinese actor, with the possible exception of Jackie Chan.

I do agree that money doesn't automatically make a great martial arts movie but it helps. The best martial arts movies take weeks and months to shoot action sequences and this can be extremely costly. Lau Kar-leung could have never made DIRTY HO or THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN without the backing of Shaw Brothers.

The way I see it, there are no short cuts to perfection and only talented filmmakers and stars with enough backing can produce the best martial arts movies. Bruce Lee is a rare exception because he carried his movies by the sheer force of his screen presence and what was at the time revolutionary screen fighting.

In a perfect world, Jaa would never waste his time in Hollywood and instead get all the backing he needs to do whatever he wants in Thailand. If his films continue to sell well overseas that could happen. But like Jet Li and Jackie Chan, there will come a time when his body will not perform to the expectations of his fans and he'll need to rely more on his popularity to rally support in the form of better scripts and higher production standards. This is where having a rock-solid international presence that working in Hollywood provides comes in handy.

[Tigerstyles]

Tony Jaa and Chris Rock, buddy cop film... great idea! or a Thai cop comes to USA to track drug dealers who are also rappers.. pit fights ensue. he wouldn't even have to fight just lift his leg a little or touch these big huge muscle bound westerners and they will fly 20 feet... all done by Yuen Woo Ping or Yuen Kwai. WOW now thats gonna be magic

[Tigerstyles]

seriously th trailer looks ****in awesome, see the wing chun close combat style, that gave me shivers

[Yakuza954]

But doesn't Jaa already have this international "bankability"? I'd argue that internationally he's already more famous than most Hollywood stars. I'd also say the same was true of Jet and Jackie even before their Hollywood careers started. True, working in Hollywood did help raise their popularity even more--particularly their American popularity--but the U.S. isn't even the main target audience for these movies; most Chinese high budget historical movies have already been relegated to a niche audience with short theater runs and small DVD releases here in the United States. The profits for these movies are also very small in the United States when compared to Asia, where the name-recognition is also very different. That's why Andy Lau can headline many of these movies despite having little bankability outside of Asia and why I feel Warlords would have still been made if Jet Li were instead replaced with [insert random Asian star] to go with Andy Lau and Kaneshiro. In comparison, Tony Jaa already exceeds Andy Lau's popularity greatly and it will only continue to grow even if he stays in Thailand.

In the end, I guess I don't see any positive to Jaa working in the United States. Sure, he may get a 20 million dollar paycheck instead of a 5 million dollar one, and theoretically that would help him get better funding for his movies... However, the profits of his Thai movies only look to get bigger and and the problems with his movies so far haven't been the bad budgets or lack of funding, but the poor scripts with their unoriginal story lines and lackluster directing. Hollywood hasn't really shown its better in this regard either.

[Tosh]

Man that trailer is brutal, it gets better everytime I watch it.

Didn't Jaa already turn down Hollywood for the rush hour 3 film? Saying he wants to stay in Thailand and make Thai movies, this tells me the man is in it for more than to just collect the check (which is more than I can say for Jet and Jackie), lets get back to making Kung Fu movies like the golden age (aka the 70's!), you don't need the hollywood budget, you don't need huge epic battle/war scenes, you don't need shiny golden armour - just a hillside, some talent, and bone crushing KF - This is what I want, I'm tired of all the flying and overwrought drama.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Tosh took the words right out of mu mouth.... Back to basics!

This movie looks ****ing awesome!

[fabhui]

Looks like the fans (US!) might just be getting what we are after!

[Monk Sante]

Man that trailer is brutal, it gets better everytime I watch it.

Didn't Jaa already turn down Hollywood for the rush hour 3 film? Saying he wants to stay in Thailand and make Thai movies, this tells me the man is in it for more than to just collect the check (which is more than I can say for Jet and Jackie), lets get back to making Kung Fu movies like the golden age (aka the 70's!), you don't need the hollywood budget, you don't need huge epic battle/war scenes, you don't need shiny golden armour - just a hillside, some talent, and bone crushing KF - This is what I want, I'm tired of all the flying and overwrought drama.

Well Said. :cool:

[daisho2004]

Tosh: as always well stated I'm tied of the Matrix slow motion action scenes, bring back the 70's bone crushing blood squirting effects.

[WuxiaFan]

After what the Weinsteins did to Tom Yum Goong (The Protector--a stupid name, btw), I'm not holding out much hope for ONG BAK 2 to be in it's original form in US theaters. I will go see it anyway, but I know I will have it uncut on DVD before then. The promo reel is unbelievable.

[Chinatown Kid]

Tony would have to slow down in order to give Donnie a chance to look good on screen. Tony would steal the show by a long shot. Never Happen. :cool:

Yeah your probably right as Jaa is younger and better overall physically. Donnie still is more versatile as far as techniques/variety imo as he's been around longer and had more experience. Jaa is gifted and does amazing stunts and hard hitting fights but I think it would still be interesting to see Donnie paired up against him, think Yen's MMA techniques against Tony's brutal Muey Thai. The trailer looks great for Ong Bak 2 BTW, can't wait to see it. :)

[Bravery]

Man that trailer is brutal, it gets better everytime I watch it.

Didn't Jaa already turn down Hollywood for the rush hour 3 film? Saying he wants to stay in Thailand and make Thai movies, this tells me the man is in it for more than to just collect the check (which is more than I can say for Jet and Jackie), lets get back to making Kung Fu movies like the golden age (aka the 70's!), you don't need the hollywood budget, you don't need huge epic battle/war scenes, you don't need shiny golden armour - just a hillside, some talent, and bone crushing KF - This is what I want, I'm tired of all the flying and overwrought drama.


He is just now breaking (some-what) into the western mainstream, and has only been starring in films 4 or 5 years now. It took Jet and Jackie at least a decade before they 'sold out' and came to hollywood. Let's see where Jaa is 20 years from now and what he does. Right now it's easy to say "wonderful Tony for not making any movies in hollywood" when he is just starting out. Besides, the only reason he is even getting those offers are because of what Jet and Chan have done there.

Trust me, when people start looking at Jaa the same as some people had looked at Jet and Chan- like they were only here to put ther bodies on the line for our pleasure- after years of putting his body on the line for everyones enjoyment, which he hasn't done, at least not the level those two have, he will come to hollywood for a break. Then everybody will forget the things he actually stands for and call him a sell out, greedy, out for the money and everything Jet, Chan and others are being called unfairly.

As for the trailer, it looked decent but i'm not blown away. The only movie of his i've actually liked has been Ong-Bak so i am looking forward to this.

[David Rees]

Looks very promising lets hope that the story is an improvement over Tom Yum Goong.
As far as hollywood goes who knows, who could blame him if he was offered mega-bucks to make an American film as long as he doesnt forget his own background and continues to make films in the Far East.

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[Tosh]

He is just now breaking (some-what) into the western mainstream, and has only been starring in films 4 or 5 years now. It took Jet and Jackie at least a decade before they 'sold out' and came to hollywood. Let's see where Jaa is 20 years from now and what he does. Right now it's easy to say "wonderful Tony for not making any movies in hollywood" when he is just starting out. Besides, the only reason he is even getting those offers are because of what Jet and Chan have done there.

Trust me, when people start looking at Jaa the same as some people had looked at Jet and Chan- like they were only here to put ther bodies on the line for our pleasure- after years of putting his body on the line for everyones enjoyment, which he hasn't done, at least not the level those two have, he will come to hollywood for a break. Then everybody will forget the things he actually stands for and call him a sell out, greedy, out for the money and everything Jet, Chan and others are being called unfairly.

As for the trailer, it looked decent but i'm not blown away. The only movie of his i've actually liked has been Ong-Bak so i am looking forward to this.

Well lets not get into talking about Jet and Jackie seeing how this is a thread about Ong Bak 2 (we can save that for another thread:D), I have much respect for both of them, and quite frankly I've enjoyed some of the Hollywood output both of them have had over the years on a certain level, it doesn't mean that I can't have issues with career choices as a kung fu fan, like Jet complaining about getting kung fu roles then getting half the budget for a entire film, or Jackie making hollywood movies then saying he knew they were horrible to begin with.

You got to give credit where credit is due for Jaa though, he gave up an opportunity to be on screen with the great Jackie Chan and get payed Hollywood dollar, he stayed in Thailand to make this movie his way, looks pretty good so far.

[Bravery]

Tosh, I agree those two do have the tendency of coming across as hypocrites.

Jaa is a break from all the bull**** CGI and the over-usage of wires-- in some movies, it's amazing some of the things he can do. Even though I watch his movies to see what he can do next, I hope he eventually implements some story to his movies.

[SiamKnight]

well, the pics look interesting! And wouldn't it be Thai ninjas? Haven't heard of that before.... .


Hello

As far as Ninja or stealth assassin I do not recall any of them in Thai history book but something similar do exist in many Thai period fictions. They were usually local villagers or farmers who already highly trained in survival and hunting skills. They were usually called upon by their Warlord who has conquered their land to do the Job like sneak into Enemies territory to scout, get information or sometimes even assassination. These villagers do not wear uniforms like ninja, when they go out at night, they usually cover themselves with mud or paint themselves all black to blend with the dark. They usually only carry one weapon like a short knife with their teeth. They can run, they can climb extremely fast. They have ability to hold their breath for long period of time. but were not highly trained on hand to hand combat because they were just hunters so if caught they would usually end their lives in order to sealed the identity, keep their family safe and their village at peace. I think these villagers were the closest thing to NINJA in Thai period fictions. There are no evidence that they exist in the real history. So they just remain in the fictions.

[dyenboy]

From the tailer I saw, looks like its a little different but I saw that flying knee move too many times...Tony Jaa is good but has not been proven yet, like a donnie, jet or jackie.

Until he does something totally different then what we are used too, then I will be excited.

He is going up against, no name actors, of course he will shine. Jaa needs to go to Hollywood, just to get experience in HW making experience and learn different acting abilities.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Jaa needs to go to Hollywood, just to get experience in HW making experience and learn different acting abilities.


NO NO NO NO NO NO:eek::eek::eek:

Let him take acting lessons then! Has any of Jackie or Jet's hollywood movies been any good.... A BIG FAT NO!!

[dionbrother]

Putting Jaa in an American movie is the worst thing you can do. They'd have him cut back on his style and acting with Americans would expose some of his acting weaknesses. He's an interesting action star, but has the most repetitive fight choreography since Steven Seagal. Muay Thai must only have eight moves, judging by his fight scenes. I am looking forward to ONG BAK 2, but am expecting another crappy movie with great fight scenes. That's all I got out of his prior movies.

I love all this talk about Jackie and Jet selling out to Hollywood, when in reality, their previous decade of HK movies were often unwatchable and far worse than the Hollywood output. If you can sit through ACCIDENTAL SPY or HITMAN, more power to you. You're made of tougher stuff than me.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Im not a big Jet Li fan by any means, but early-mid 90's flicks like FIST OF LEGEND and OUATIC series is most def better than any of his late 90's- early 00's HLWD films!

And Jackie made some decent flicks in the 90's as well, POLICE STORY 3, ARMOUR OF GOD 2, DRUNKEN MASTER 2, CRIME STORY.... and to some extent WHO AM I, but then he went to HLWD and made all those atrocious lame ass comedies!

Are you telling me that those movies mentioned are FAR WORSE than movies like ROMEO MUST DIE, THE ONE, THE TUXEDO, RUSH HOUR etc.??

Both of them made some real stinkers in the 90's, but nothing that can compare to their flacid HLWD output!

I bet you think Chris Tucker is funny, and DMX is a good actor:)

[dionbrother]

POLICE STORY 3 and FIRST STRIKE are awful. DM2 and OPERATION CONDOR are overrated disappointments compared to PROJECT A or POLICE STORY 1 & 2. I hate the RUSH HOUR films, but I enjoy the two SHANGHAI movies very much and found AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS to be an underrated flick. I've been following Chan since the early 80s, and have always noted his peaks and dips in quality (when every newjack was acting like he could do no wrong).

It's the same with Jet's work. HITMAN, MY FATHER THE HERO, BLACK MASK and ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA AND CHINA are generic, unmemorable movies. It's like he showed up to recite his lines, smile for the camera and let the stunt doubles do all the fighting (A friend was on the set of OUATIA&C and verified that fact). The majority of his Hollywood work is crap, but I don't blame him for cashing in, and at least enabling him to get financing for a project like FEARLESS.

Their Hollywood movies are forgettable because Hollywood still doesn't understand Chinese martial arts movies. But Hong Kong rarely understands how to make them these days as well (there are exceptions, though, but these movies aren't as numerous as they were pre-1991).

It's interesting to note that Steve Wang returned to FX work, because he can't get financing for ANY of his film projects, despite stellar results with DRIVE. Hollywood is F'ed!

Tony Jaa doesn't need to be part of a system that won't understand his appeal. Why should he follow the same path as Alain Delon, Jean Reno, Chow Yun Fat, Toshiro Mifune, Terence Hill, Jackie Chan and Jet Li? All were major stars in their homeland that went on to make Hollywood movies that reduced them to exotic novelties. I'm quite tired of it, myself.

[doug maverick]

Im not a big Jet Li fan by any means, but early-mid 90's flicks like FIST OF LEGEND and OUATIC series is most def better than any of his late 90's- early 00's HLWD films!

And Jackie made some decent flicks in the 90's as well, POLICE STORY 3, ARMOUR OF GOD 2, DRUNKEN MASTER 2, CRIME STORY.... and to some extent WHO AM I, but then he went to HLWD and made all those atrocious lame ass comedies!

Are you telling me that those movies mentioned are FAR WORSE than movies like ROMEO MUST DIE, THE ONE, THE TUXEDO, RUSH HOUR etc.??

Both of them made some real stinkers in the 90's, but nothing that can compare to their flacid HLWD output!

I bet you think Chris Tucker is funny, and DMX is a good actor:)

i think chris tucker is hilarious. go watch some of his stand up and if you can keep a straight face I'll give you a dollar.

[Gir]

Loved the trailer. I can't wait for this movie. I just hope the story matches the action this time.

I don't think it would be a bad idea for Tony Jaa to come to Hollywood. He could learn a little from Hollywood and they could learn a little from him. Yeah, the movies would likely not have the great action like his Thai movies but I think it would be helpful in the long run. He's going to need to do more than just endless martial arts films to stay around. Let's be honest his first two major international movies were basically the same movie storywise as well as a lot of the fighting (but I loved both!). It will eventually lose it's appeal.

And for the record I loved the first Rush Hour movie and thought Chris Tucker was hilarious.

[dyenboy]

like dionbrother said, another crappy with great fight sequence, thats all he's put out..until jaa has a well rounded movie, ong bak 2 is just another tony jaa movie, and you know what i mean..heheh

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Yeah that's what it looks like. Hopefully it's at least a little bit better of an overall movie than Ong Bak and TYG, but judging by the trailer I don't think it will be.

[doug maverick]

yeah maybe he can learn how to actually craft a ****ing story really make an actual film. people talk so much trash about hollywood movies but hollywood films are the most copied films world wide. your favorite kung fu film was copied from an american film. almost every hong kong or other non hollywood directors sites mostly american filmmakers and films as there inspiration. stop hating on hollywood, just to sound hip.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

:confused::mad:

Oh... and I'll take that dollar now!