‘The Furious,’ Asian Action Showstopper From Tanigaki Kenji and Bill Kong, Sets Toronto Market Launch (EXCLUSIVE)

Patrick Frater
·3-min read

Japanese director Tanigaki Kenji has completed production in Bangkok, Thailand, on his upcoming film “The Furious,” intended as an elite-level Asian martial arts actioner.

Written by Mak Tin Shu, the film follows a simple tradesman (portrayed by mainland Chinese star Xie Miao) who fights his way through a complex web of criminals and evil agents in a frantic attempt to win back his kidnapped daughter by any means necessary.

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(For full Bangkok set report see here.)

Produced by the region’s top producer Bill Kong (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Hero”), Frank Hui and Shan Tam, the film features a pan-Asian cast that also includes Indonesian’s Joe Taslim (“The Raid,” “Mortal Kombat”), Thai star Jeeja Yanin (“Chocolate”), Yang Enyu, Brian Le, Joey Iwanaga and Yayan Ruhian.

Michael J. Werner, former principal at Fortissimo Films, joins Todd Brown and Aram Tertzakian of XYZ Films as an executive producer.

Kong’s Edko Films is financing the movie and will distribute in Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China. XYZ Films is handling sales in all other territories and will introduce the film to buyers at the upcoming Toronto International Film festival (TIFF).

Tanigaki has spent much of his 20-year career in Hong Kong building a reputation as gold standard for fight coordinators in Asia, frequently working alongside Donnie Yen and Soi Cheang. He was the stunt coordinator on Cheang’s “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” which this year became the highest-grossing local film of all time at the Hong Kong box office. Tanigaki was also the action director on the “Rurouni Kenshin” hit manga and anime film adaptations.

“The action is very different from ‘Walled In’,” Tanigaki told Variety. “We are very focused on realism, and I’m satisfied that we are pushing the boundaries of martial arts movies.”

XYZ has a long history in the martial arts and action space, having worked on “The Raid” franchise from director Gareth Evans, as well “The Night Comes for Us” and “Headshot.”

Other new sales and production titles on XYZ’s Toronto slate include: TIFF Platform title “Daniela Forever,” directed by Nacho Vigalondo and starring Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannó; “Full Throttle Mindset,” starring Josh Duhamel and Lukas Gage; “Flesh of the Gods,” directed by Panos Cosmatos and starring Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac; “He Bled Neon,” with Joe Cole and Rita Ora; “Kill Me,” with Allison Williams and Charlie Day; and “Free Fall,” starring Zachary Levi and directed by Zoë Bell. XYZ also recently announced the global acquisition of “The Ritual,” starring Al Pacino and Dan Stevens.

Kong’s Edko is a producer-exhibitor-distributor that has one of the strongest track records in Asia. Credits include Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution,” Zhang Yimou’s “House of Flying Daggers” and 2023 hit “Full River Red.” Other recent successes include the “Table for Six” series, record breaker “A Guilty Conscience” and “Anita.” As a distributor, it has handled “Monster,” “Drive My Car,” “Parasite,” “The Lives of Others” and “3 Idiots.”

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