The Kickboxer series is getting a reboot, only this time some of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time will be involved, in addition to Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Plans to reboot the series have been going on since 2012, but a series of setbacks delayed it from moving forward. Finally in 2014, Radar Films announced plans to make the film and announced that MMA legend Georges St. Pierre and pro-wrestler/1-time MMA fighter Dave Bautista would both have roles in the first film. Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum and Gina Carano would later be added to the cast as well.
In December of 2014 it was announced that Jean-Claude Van Damme was signed on as well, having starred in the original version of the film in 1989. In the original version Van Damme played the role of Kurt Sloane, whose brother Eric Sloane was killed at a Muay Thai event in Thailand. Van Damme as Kurt Sloane would seek out his brother’s mentor for training and then travel to Thailand for vengeance.
in the remake of the film Van Damme’s role has switched from Kurt Sloane to the mentor who must train Kurt in Muay Thai before he leaves for Thailand.
Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum, who fought each other for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 188, are also cast in the film. Each plays a fighter in the film, and will probably take on Alain Moussi, who plays the role of Kurt Sloane, at some point in the movie. No word on whether or not Cain gassed out easier than Werdum in his scenes. You can bet that when producers cast the two of them in the film back in 2014 they assumed one of them would be the heavyweight champion at the time the movie came out, but they were wrong.
