Sony nabs ‘Black Dynamite’ for franchise op

President Barack Obama may now hold the top office in the U.S. but “The Man” is still putting brothers down in BLACK DYNAMITE, a retro Blaxploitation actioner that has been picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures at the Sundance Film Festival. The $2 million deal was struck during a reportedly tense late-night bidding war that left Sony the victor.

Sony is hoping to build the estimated $2.9 million budgeted flick into a cult movie franchise through a theatrical release with an as yet unnamed partner.

In BLACK DYNAMITE, Michael Jai White portrays an urban vigilante modeled after ’70s-era Blaxploitation icons like Rudy Ray Moore (DOLEMITE), Jim Kelly (ENTER THE DRAGON) and Richard Roundtree, star of the cult classic SHAFT. The plot is likewise inspired by ’70s-era grindhouse classics and has White taking on “The Man” with kung fu-fighting skills and guns after they murder his brother, pump heroin into local orphanages and flood the ghetto with poisonous malt liquor.

Also starring in no particular order is Arsenio Hall, Brian McKnight, James McManus, Phil Morris, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Mykelti Williamson, Bokeem Woodbine, and Roger Yuan as the “Fiendish Dr. Wu.”

In its newly published review, Variety calls director Scott Sanders’ film “vastly entertaining” and suggests it has the potential to “grow from word-of-mouth cult item to mainstream bank-breaker.”

What struck me as most intriguing was their description of the film’s finale which pits White against a nunchaku-wielding Richard Nixon. That’s something I have to see.

To watch several killer trailers for BLACK DYNAMITE check out the film’s official site.

This news is a big win for Michael Jai White who has been lurking on the edges of mainstream stardom for years. The extensively trained karate practitioner made his debut in a throwaway role in THE TOXIC AVENGER PART 2 of all movies but gradually worked his way up to a starring role in SPAWN (1997), a movie that should have been his ticket to mainstream success but because he spent most of his time hidden behind an ugly mask and because the movie was critically panned, he went back to being a supporting player in a series of forgettable movies that included UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: THE RETURN, SILVER HAWK and Steven Seagal’s EXIT WOUNDS.

White’s best role before replacing Ving Rhames in Isaac Florentine’s martial arts prison film UNDISPUTED 2 was probably his gig on the animated JUSTICE LEAGUE HEROES where he voiced “Doomsday.” The Warner Bros. connection may have had something to do with his small but notable role in the monster hit of 2008, THE DARK KNIGHT. I would not be surprised at all if the incredible success of that film had something to do with BLACK DYNAMITE getting picked up by a major studio and considered for a theatrical franchise. That’s huge for a low-budget indie movie and not only a credit to White but also Scott Sanders, Bryon Minns who co-wrote the script with White and the rest of the cast and crew.

On the topic of the crew, the film’s action and fight sequences were choreographed by Ron Yuan (Roger Yuan’s brother) with assistance from Mike Wilson and Kerry Wong. Both assistants provided stunt work for the DEVIL MAY CRY 3 video game and the two most recent action movies from PIT FIGHTER helmer Jesse Johnson. Yuan is a longtime Hollywood actor, choreographer, voice actor and now director. He has been quite busy of late with several upcoming films. He is choreographer for ANGEL OF DEATH, choreographer and a lead actor for THE GIRL WITH THE NAKED EYE, and director and choreographer for a short film called THREE BULLETS starring Michael Jai White and James Lew.

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