Tony Jaa And Prachya Pinkaew Reunite For TOM YUM GOONG 2

OpiumKungFuCracker · 04-26-2011, 03:12 PM

Fuck Yeah!!!!! The more Jaa news the better and you have JiJa from Chocolate co-staring in this too??? Holy fuck balls, The Elephant man is coming back, the future is here!!!

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/04/t...um-goong-2.php

Sources from Twitch:

Quote:

Tony Jaa is taking another very big step towards reclaiming his position as the top martial arts screen fighter in the world. And this one is more than a little bit surprising on a great number of levels.

We brought word earlier this month of a new Hong Kong based project that would match Jaa with fight choreographer Sammo Hung and now Thailand's Sahamongkol Film have announced that Jaa will reunite with director Prachya Pinkaew and fight choreographer Panna Rittikrai for Tom Yum Goong 2.

Missing elephant jokes aside, this is big news for Jaa with the original Tom Yum Goong - released as The Protector in North America - marking both his last true hit and the beginnings of his troubles. It was immediately after Tom Yum Goong that Jaa essentially declared Pinkaew unnecessary and unwanted, announcing that he would direct his next film himself. Pinkaew was deeply insulted and the relationship between the star and the director who built his career degraded to the point where they weren't even on speaking terms. Pinkaew would go on to groom Jija Yanin in Chocolate while Jaa would crumble badly under the pressure of directing Ong Bak 2 himself, eventually losing control of the badly over budget and over schedule project.

But Tom Yum Goong 2 will reunite the entire Tom Yum Goong / Ong Bak team with Jaa in the lead, Pinkaew directing, Rittikrai handling fight choreography and Chocolate star Jija Yanin also handed a significant role - the first time Jaa has ever shared the stage with another marquee fighter. Like the upcoming Chocolate 2, this film will be shot in digital 3D.

The big surprises in this are twofold. First, Jaa and Pinkaew have patched things up and are working together again. This can only be viewed as a good thing because, frankly, neither has been as good without the other. The bigger surprise, though, is that Jaa is once again in the Sahamongkol fold, which I would never, ever have expected to happen. Jaa's original ten year contract with the company will have expired before this film goes in to production, meaning that they have struck a new deal. Consider that at the peak of the Ong Bak 2 debacle Jaa took refuge in a police station claiming that the studio had sent gangsters after him and, well ... the prospect of the star willingly signing up with the studio again seemed unlikely to say the least. Whether there was any basis to the gangster story isn't even the point - if Jaa believed there was enough truth to it that he sought police protection that says something about how incredibly bad the situation between star and company had gotten and I'm amazed that they've gotten back together.

Pinkaew's Chocolate 2 is scheduled to go in to production in May and will need to be completed before this can begin, so don't expect Tom Yum Goong 2 any time soon. But fans should be happy to know it's coming.

AndyWayne84 · 04-26-2011, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OpiumKungFuCracker

Fuck Yeah!!!!! The more Jaa news the better and you have JiJa from Chocolate co-staring in this too??? Holy fuck balls, The Elephant man is coming back, the future is here!!!

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/04/t...um-goong-2.php

Sources from Twitch:

That's the best news i have heard all day sweet!!!!!! Jaa and JiJa from Chocolate as his co-star even better this Sequel i'm looking foward to seeing :).

thedirtytiger · 03-31-2012, 04:11 PM

They are shooting TYG2 right now, but everything is being kept really secret for now. No pictures, no photos, no press releases, no visitors allowed to set - nothing ! A certain actor who shall remain nameless who has worked with the Pinkaew / Panna crew before more than once went to the set for a meeting and asked to bring a friend who had also worked with the crew before and they said no, so absolutely no info seems to be available other than the cast and crew right now.....

TibetanWhiteCrane · 03-31-2012, 04:42 PM

I can't get excited over Tony Jaa news anymore. Out of all his films I only like Ong Bak..... I was so hyped when he first came on the scene, but by the time Ong Bak 3 rolled along, I had just stopped caring.

He had some incredible momentum, but I think he choked, dropped the ball, blew it, missed his shot...... pick your platitude. And yes, I know that being labelled the new big action hero of the world or whatever, has to put a certain amount of pressure on you (as we all saw), but I don't think that's an excuse for making poor movies.

If he kicks ass with this one, then I'll give him another chance. But if it's another wafer plot, set to bad techno music, and the same five muay thai moves in slo mo, over and over again, then I won't bother with him anymore.

P.S. this is just my opinion.... it's not like Tony Jaa HAS to live up to MY expectations.... I just don't think he delivered in has last three films.

andy338 · 04-01-2012, 02:12 PM

I think you're right, after Ong Bak and the world tours and live demos Tony built up incredible momentum and was getting a lot of press coverage but unfortunately he never really capitalised on it. I was blown away like many others when he came on the scene but recently I rewatched Tom Yum Goong (Warrior King) and found it to be a complete mess, after the initial excitement of seeing his impressive acrobatic hard hitting style wore off then I just felt like I was watching demo reels on youtube rather than a film. I know that plot is never strong in these movies but I can watch 80s HK flicks dozens of times without feeling bored but Jaas films I can only watch once/twice cos the choreography feels so predictable. I think we all hoped he'd progress but sadly I don't see him improving on the original Ong Bak, as I mentioned his amazing acrobatic moves were a big part of his fights but at 36 these moves will be much harder for him to perform and as it seems to take him years to make a movie I don't see him getting the attention that he had back in 2003.

TibetanWhiteCrane · 04-01-2012, 02:43 PM

Tom Yum Goong was pretty weak. I was dissapointed at first viewing. I really liked that he switched up styles in Ong Bak 2, it had some great action, but the movie as a whole was really dire, and the less said about part 3, the better. Im not looking for shakesperian plots in these flicks either. But it has to be competent filmmaking at some level, it has to make sense, and the action has to compliment the story and vice versa. Ong Bak did that, however flimsy the plot was.

Honestly, I think Thai action has had its moment in the sun. They may continue to make some good action flicks (although evidence of this is not overwhelming) but as far as becoming the new Hong Kong or whatever, that's not gonna happen, nor does it have to.

andy338 · 04-01-2012, 04:33 PM

I've pretty much given up on thai cinema, I commented on another thread that I find thai movies unwatchable. Over the last few months i've watched Raging Phoenix, Bangkok Knockout, Bangkok Adrenaline and a couple of Michael B films and they've all been terrible. Don't get me wrong I can fully appreciate the talent of the performers involved and each movie has snippets of great action and impressive stunts but again I just feel like i'm watching a showreel and not a film. As well as the often weird storylines eg Raging Phoenix there is mostly no character development at all which just leaves endless goons attacking the good guys for no reason and in Bangkok Knockout for example they're all masked so the fight scenes have no emotion and leave me not caring who wins in the end anyway.

TibetanWhiteCrane · 04-02-2012, 12:22 PM

I Couldn't even finish Raging Phoenix! Haven't bothered with the other ones. I liked Born To Fight, even though that's a couple of years ago now. And yes, that was a bit showreely, but it still had a plot of sorts, and some nice character moments. It's all about the balance.

stuntpeople · 04-14-2012, 06:56 PM

Thai action cinema has also made the critical mistake of importing the standard B-film method. Since their action films have automatic clout now, they ditched the quality and banked on star power with crummy action.

blue_skies · 04-14-2012, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TibetanWhiteCrane

If he kicks ass with this one, then I'll give him another chance. But if it's another wafer plot, set to bad techno music, and the same five muay thai moves in slo mo, over and over again, then I won't bother with him anymore.

The UK premiere Asia DVD of Ong Bak isn't set to bad techno music and you could probably import a copy very cheaply second-hand. It's a pretty classy score for the movie in my honest opinion and might help you enjoy the film?

I'm still excited about the possibility of a new Tony Jaa movie even though as many people have stated Thai cinema has had quite a few disappointments in recent times. Regardless it's still in a better position than Hong Kong in my opinion with the exception of Ip Man , there's been very little to shout about in many years

03-31-2012, 04:11 PM	#3
thedirtytiger Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 460	Now! They are shooting TYG2 right now, but everything is being kept really secret for now. No pictures, no photos, no press releases, no visitors allowed to set - nothing ! A certain actor who shall remain nameless who has worked with the Pinkaew / Panna crew before more than once went to the set for a meeting and asked to bring a friend who had also worked with the crew before and they said no, so absolutely no info seems to be available other than the cast and crew right now.....

03-31-2012, 04:42 PM	#4
TibetanWhiteCrane Master Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,029	I can't get excited over Tony Jaa news anymore. Out of all his films I only like Ong Bak..... I was so hyped when he first came on the scene, but by the time Ong Bak 3 rolled along, I had just stopped caring. He had some incredible momentum, but I think he choked, dropped the ball, blew it, missed his shot...... pick your platitude. And yes, I know that being labelled the new big action hero of the world or whatever, has to put a certain amount of pressure on you (as we all saw), but I don't think that's an excuse for making poor movies. If he kicks ass with this one, then I'll give him another chance. But if it's another wafer plot, set to bad techno music, and the same five muay thai moves in slo mo, over and over again, then I won't bother with him anymore. P.S. this is just my opinion.... it's not like Tony Jaa HAS to live up to MY expectations.... I just don't think he delivered in has last three films. __________________

04-01-2012, 02:43 PM	#6
TibetanWhiteCrane Master Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,029	Tom Yum Goong was pretty weak. I was dissapointed at first viewing. I really liked that he switched up styles in Ong Bak 2, it had some great action, but the movie as a whole was really dire, and the less said about part 3, the better. Im not looking for shakesperian plots in these flicks either. But it has to be competent filmmaking at some level, it has to make sense, and the action has to compliment the story and vice versa. Ong Bak did that, however flimsy the plot was. Honestly, I think Thai action has had its moment in the sun. They may continue to make some good action flicks (although evidence of this is not overwhelming) but as far as becoming the new Hong Kong or whatever, that's not gonna happen, nor does it have to. __________________

04-02-2012, 12:22 PM	#8
TibetanWhiteCrane Master Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,029	I Couldn't even finish Raging Phoenix! Haven't bothered with the other ones. I liked Born To Fight, even though that's a couple of years ago now. And yes, that was a bit showreely, but it still had a plot of sorts, and some nice character moments. It's all about the balance. __________________

04-14-2012, 06:56 PM	#9
stuntpeople Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Emeryville, CA Posts: 63	Thai action cinema has also made the critical mistake of importing the standard B-film method. Since their action films have automatic clout now, they ditched the quality and banked on star power with crummy action. __________________ Eric Jacobus Director, Death Grip - Contour Founder, The Stunt People (YouTube Channel) @ericjacobus - fb.com/stuntpeople

04-01-2012, 02:12 PM	#5
andy338 Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 293	I think you're right, after Ong Bak and the world tours and live demos Tony built up incredible momentum and was getting a lot of press coverage but unfortunately he never really capitalised on it. I was blown away like many others when he came on the scene but recently I rewatched Tom Yum Goong (Warrior King) and found it to be a complete mess, after the initial excitement of seeing his impressive acrobatic hard hitting style wore off then I just felt like I was watching demo reels on youtube rather than a film. I know that plot is never strong in these movies but I can watch 80s HK flicks dozens of times without feeling bored but Jaas films I can only watch once/twice cos the choreography feels so predictable. I think we all hoped he'd progress but sadly I don't see him improving on the original Ong Bak, as I mentioned his amazing acrobatic moves were a big part of his fights but at 36 these moves will be much harder for him to perform and as it seems to take him years to make a movie I don't see him getting the attention that he had back in 2003.

04-01-2012, 04:33 PM	#7
andy338 Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 293	I've pretty much given up on thai cinema, I commented on another thread that I find thai movies unwatchable. Over the last few months i've watched Raging Phoenix, Bangkok Knockout, Bangkok Adrenaline and a couple of Michael B films and they've all been terrible. Don't get me wrong I can fully appreciate the talent of the performers involved and each movie has snippets of great action and impressive stunts but again I just feel like i'm watching a showreel and not a film. As well as the often weird storylines eg Raging Phoenix there is mostly no character development at all which just leaves endless goons attacking the good guys for no reason and in Bangkok Knockout for example they're all masked so the fight scenes have no emotion and leave me not caring who wins in the end anyway.

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