RZA on ‘Last Dragon’ remake and ‘Iron Fist’

Rapper, soundtrack composer, philosopher, kung fu movie fanatic, and now filmmaker, RZA sat down with Gene Ching of KUNG FU MAGAZINE to discuss a variety of topics, most notably his involvement in the upcoming LAST DRAGON remake and his own kung fu movie, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST.

There has long been talk of a remake or sequel to THE LAST DRAGON, Motown founder and producer Berry Gordy’s classic, urban martial arts/comedy/musical from the ’80s. Taimak, who originally starred in the film, has been trying to get something jumpstarted for years but now the project is gaining momentum with the involvement of Gordy’s son, RZA, Samuel Jackson, and John Davis (presumably the producer of I, ROBOT and PREDATOR).

While revealing that the film’s conception took place at Quentin Tarantino’s home, RZA confirmed that it will be an update, as opposed to a sequel and that Dallas Jackson (UNCLE P) is penning the script. “He knows a lot about hip hop, martial arts films and black culture,” said RZA. “He’s writing the script over.”

RZA went on to discuss his upcoming passion project, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST, a martial arts movie he is attempting to put together with the support of his friend, horror moviemaker Eli Roth (HOSTEL). At this point RZA put on his philosopher’s hat with some introspective thoughts on what martial arts movies and martial arts mean to him. The only potentially concrete detail to drop was a targeted late 2009 or early 2010 theatrical release date. Based on subsequent comments, I get the impression that RZA is shooting for a serious-minded kung fu movie that gets to the heart of Chinese martial arts, although he was careful not to reveal anything specific.

When asked about what we might expect from his future movies in terms of how the martial arts are portrayed, particularly in light of his previous admission that he didn’t care for comedy served with martial arts, RZA declared a newfound acceptance of less reverent depictions of martial arts as famously seen in the films of Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan. He seemed more interested in talking about spiritual teachings he had absorbed over the years from studying Chinese martial arts.

“At one point, I was against the comedy in martial arts because I felt that it has such a great spiritual meaning – such a unique, underlying philosophy – that when they made fun of that, I got offended, know what I mean? But going to China helped me grow, I think, because you have a laughing Buddha, a sleeping Buddha, a fat Buddha, a skinny Buddha, a drunk Buddha. And that to me means that these are all different ways that different men have found enlightenment, or found that serenity within themselves.”

Other topics that RZA opined on include the current state of kung fu cinema, his latest tour with Wu-Tang Clan and U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama’s historic election win. The entire interview can be found at Kung Fu Magazine.

Tags: Interviews, RZA, Taimak, upcoming