Hard Target 2 (2016) - Scott Adkins in the Lead Role!

[One Armed Boxer]

While it's been rumored for a while that a sequel was in the works to John Woo's 1993 Hollywood debut 'Hard Target', it now seems that it's not only going ahead, but Scott Adkins will replace Van Damme as the lead.

 

The followup will be directed by Roel Reine ('Man with the Iron Fists 2: Sting of the Scorpion', '12 Rounds 2: Reloaded'), with John Woo himself acting as producer.  

 

Adkins is currently in Thailand preparing for the movie, and a photo recently emerged of the star with Master Seng of the famous Seng Stunt Team.  Check it out below - 

 

.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

Is that Ben Affleck?

[AlbertV]

That would be a whopping five movies with Scott that's coming out next year!!!

 

• Jarhead 3: The Siege
• Boyka: Undisputed 4
• Eliminators
• Criminal
• and now Hard Target 2

Definitely will be seeing this because I like both Scott and Master Seng's work

Edited October 29, 2015 by AlbertV

[DragonClaws]

While it's been rumored for a while that a sequel was in the works to John Woo's 1993 Hollywood debut 'Hard Target', it now seems that it's not only going ahead, but Scott Adkins will replace Van Damme as the lead.

 

The followup will be directed by Roel Reine ('Man with the Iron Fists 2: Sting of the Scorpion', '12 Rounds 2: Reloaded'), with John Woo himself acting as producer.  

 

Adkins is currently in Thailand preparing for the movie, and a photo recently emerged of the star with Master Seng of the famous Seng Stunt Team.  Check it out below - 

 

.

This made me think of the City On Fire article about Van Damme being the most remade action star.

 

Great to see Scott Adkins getting plenty of work and I'm looking forward to the sequel. The first film is one of my favorite action films.

[mpm74]

Scott Adkins (Wolf Warrior) will be the star for Hard Target 2. Adkins is in Thailand right now preparing for the movie. A photo has emerged of Scott (in Thailand) rehearsing for the project with Master Seng of the famous Seng Stunt Team, the group (that specializes in vehicular stunts) is responsible for stunts in Tomorrow Never Dies and Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior.  

 

More details:

http://www.cityonfire.com/van-damme-less-hard-target-sequel-in-the-works/

 

Photo (sorry mullet fans!)
 

 

Edited November 2, 2015 by mpm74

[SeventhVenom]

I'm so stoked for this. Love the first Hard Target and the crew (and cast) that they have put together for this definitely perks my interest. Scott Adkins is going to be the action star to beat next year. Bang bang.

[KUNG FU BOB]

Wait, no mullet?!!! And... directed by the guy that did MAN WITH THE IRON FIST 2?  Oh. Please don't tell me RZA will be the bad guy.

 

Despite the above, is Scott Adkins is in it, I'll definitely check it out.

[DragonClaws]

Wait, no mullet?!!! And... directed by the guy that did MAN WITH THE IRON FIST 2?  Oh. Please don't tell me RZA will be the bad guy.

 

Despite the above, is Scott Adkins is in it, I'll definitely check it out.

He may have a mullet extension that he only wears when in character  Issac Florentine in the directors chair would have been nice to see for this Hard Target sequel. Looking forward to watching his recent collaboration with Adkins, Close Range.

[One Armed Boxer]

Adkins recently spoke with the guys over at Impact about working on the movie, check out what he had to say at the link below - 

 

http://www.impactonline.co/news/2360-scott-adkins-on-target-for-strange-role

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

super stoked for this. 2016, bring it to me baby!

[One Armed Boxer]

Jija Yanin recently posted a picture of her & Scott Adkins together on her Facebook page, along with training for an action scene, taken on the set of 'Hard Target 2'.  While it doesn't give any hint as to how big her role is, it appears she's definitely going to be in it, which is good enough for me! -

 

[gorhama]

Man 2016 is shaping up be the year of Adkins!! 

 

I love the first Hard Target and this sounds very promising!! 

 

Dare I say it.......Scott Adkins in Double Impact 2!! Haha sorry I couldn't help myself. 

[Karlos]

I just hope that Adkins' character is trained by the ghost of Uncle Douvee. 

[AlbertV]

Principal photography wrapped up on Tuesday, according to an official statement from Universal Pictures. Here's the statement from PR Newswire

 

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Dec. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Forced into a deadly cat-and-mouse game, a disgraced mixed martial arts fighter is hunted through the jungles of Southeast Asia in Hard Target 2, wrapped production in Thailand. A no-holds-barred battle for survival through treacherous terrain inspired by John Woo's hard-driving 1993 action-thriller, Hard Target 2 Unrated Edition premieres exclusively on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD Fall 2016 from Universal 1440 Entertainment, the original content production arm of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

 

"We're extremely excited to have the opportunity to reboot this much-loved action film for a new generation," says Glenn Ross, General Manager and Executive Vice President, Universal 1440 Entertainment. "With exciting hand-to-hand combat, mind-blowing stunts and a plot that raises the stakes even higher, Hard Target 2 will thrill fans of the original as well as and anybody who enjoys a top-notch, adrenaline-fueled action-adventure."

 

Filming through November 21, 2015, Hard Target 2 boasts an impressive international ensemble including Scott Adkins (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Expendables 2), Robert Knepper ("Prison Break," Hitman), Rhona Mitra (Shooter, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans), Ann Truong ("Sonnigsburg," "Neighbours"), Temuera Morrison (Star Wars Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith, Green Lantern), Adam Saunders ("Blue Water High,"A Heartbeat Away), Jamie Timony (The Hunter, The Eye of the Storm), Peter Hardy (Chopper, Sweat), Sean Keenan ("Lockie Leonard," "Puberty Blues"), Sahajak Boonthanakit (Man with the Iron Fists 2, Zero Tolerance) and Anteo Quintavalle (D is for Detroit, Bang Bang).

 

Hard Target 2 is directed by Roel Reine (Death Race 2, Dead in Tombstone) who also serves as director of photography. It is written by Matthew Harvey & Dominic Morgan (Futureshock: Comet) and George Huang(S.W.A.T., Swimming with Sharks). The film is produced by Chris Lowenstein (The Hangover Parts II and III). Editor is Radu Ion (Death Race 2, The Man with the Iron Fists 2). Unit production manager is Oliver Ackermann (The Hangover Parts II and III).

Edited December 3, 2015 by AlbertV

[Drunken Monk]

Jeeja Yanin with lead villain (?), Robert Knepper...

 

 

[One Armed Boxer]

I posted a full review for this one here - 

http://cityonfire.com/hard-target-2-2016-review/

[KUNG FU BOB]

12 minutes ago, One Armed Boxer said:

I posted a full review for this one here - 

http://cityonfire.com/hard-target-2-2016-review/

And it's a great review too.

My son and I watched this together and found it disappointing. Of course Scott Adkins still delivers as always, providing some exciting action. But the film overall? Not so good.

But soon my opinion changed considerably. It turns out that the most shocking thing about the film isn't its lazy script and haphazard direction, it's what I discovered when I watched the special features afterward. It appeared that the cast and crew worked incredibly hard under ultra-strenuous conditions- woefully limited time and money. Despite these constrictions, and the brutal Thailand heat, they were clearly giving it their all. In the making of footage Scott Adkins looked like he was practically ready to die to deliver his very best, committing to his role and action as though this was his first and only shot at making a movie. This kind of dedication and hard work has gained him the respect and admiration of not only fans, but also industry people that have worked with him. Due to rampant bootlegging and illegal downloading of action films (and Adkins' titles in particular) the budgets and shooting schedules for our favorite genre have been decimated. Producers aren't willing to put out enough money for the filmmakers to properly execute their visions because they are well aware of the extremely compromised profits they can expect in return.

So here's yet another wake-up call to those refusing to purchase legit copies of films... All these people that claim "It's not going to make a difference if me and a few others DL this instead of buying it" are 100% wrong. Instead of it being a handful of so-called "fans" with a false sense of entitlement, it seems it's become the majority of action fans that are illegally obtaining movies, and they ARE ruining the industry and directly affecting the quality of the fewer and fewer genre films still being produced.

I don't want this to turn into a "pros and cons of bootlegging" thread, but this film was without a doubt hindered by the millions of illegal DL's of similar genre titles. These facts will fall on deaf ears to most of the people that acquire everything via DL, but no matter what their arguments and adamant justifications, here are the facts:

- Many people interested in the action genre, especially kung fu titles (myself included), have acquired otherwise unreleased or rare titles via trading and illegal downloads. No matter how much we want these, no matter how unlikely it is that they will ever see licensed releases, it is still illegal. That's a fact, whether we like to admit it or not. Due to the circumstances though, many fans will resort to obtaining these films through these means.

- The big problem is that fans are using the same means to obtain films that ARE readily available in licensed releases. There is NO EXCUSE for bootlegging something like NINJA 2 or STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. If you don't have the money, you don't get to own it. It's that simple. We are supposed to work for and earn what we want. Not just steal it. Another excuse I often hear is "I don''t want to buy it, then find out I don't like it." Too bad. That's how it works. You take the risk. You don't get to eat at a restaurant for free because you weren't sure if you'd like the food.

So I'm asking everyone, please stop procuring easily, legally obtainable films via DL and boots. The fact is, you ARE ruining it for everyone- the fans, the filmmakers, and yourselves. (drops mic, awkwardly stumbles and nearly falls getting off of his soapbox)

[kami]

Good God, can't someone please start a thread exclusively dedicated to piracy and bootlegs so "normal" movie threads won't evolve into piracy discussions? I'm getting a little bit tired of those, especially since so much has be said already about the topic. Thanks!

[KUNG FU BOB]

9 hours ago, kami said:

Good God, can't someone please start a thread exclusively dedicated to piracy and bootlegs so "normal" movie threads won't evolve into piracy discussions? I'm getting a little bit tired of those, especially since so much has be said already about the topic. Thanks!

Hey @kami I understand your frustration. However, as I stated above, that problem is something that had a direct effect on HARD TARGET 2 and therefore is pertinent within this thread.

[kingofkungfu2002]

Exactly. People will complain about the quality of a film, but these same people are usually the cause of it.

[DrNgor]

I watched the film last night. It was okay; Scott Adkins is his usual dependable self. But the film on the whole...

How does it connect itself to the original?

- Random shots of white doves;
- Slow motion, bullet-time shots with arrows;
- The main villain uses the same single-shot pistol that Lance Henriksen uses in the first one.

Other observations:

- The first 15 minutes gave me a Lionheart vibe;
- The hunt itself comes across more as a remake of 1994's Surviving the Game than Hard Target, from the forest locales to the participants;
- The professional relationship between Lance Henriksen and Arnold Vosloo that made their characters so compelling is absent from Robert Knepper and Temuera Morrison's interaction;
- Rhona Mitra's character blabs about fine-tuning her combat skills, but isn't very convincing in her fights;
- Jeeja Yanin is wasted in her fight;
- Esparto was the one hunter who really looked like he could've given Scott Adkin's a good one on one. It never happens;
- The climax is underwhelming.

[Drunken Monk]

I feel that Hard Target 2 is wrongfully maligned. I watched it for the first time today and it's not nearly as bad as some people have said it is (not necessarily on these forums. I'm talking across the whole internet). It's a solid DTV actioner that despite its low budget and B movie elements (script for example) delivers a pretty fun time.

We're once again "treated" to Adkins doing his best American accent which I'm fully against but that being my main gripe is a pretty good sign.
The plot is simple. A disgraced MMA fighter is hunted through the jungle. That's all you need to know. We get some fun set pieces, including a pretty decent motorcycle chase (complete with practical explosions), some nice stunts and a little gore thrown in for good measure. Of course, Rhona Mitra in leather (not exactly the best outfit for a sweltering jungle) is a highlight for those that like that kind of thing (which I do). Rhona Mitra? Boner Mitra, more like. Am I right??

I do feel like the film should feel a litle more intense. It really doesn't feel like a "cat and mouse" chase which is something the original really had going for it. It needs a little more "oomph" to it.

The action beats are all pretty solid though (minus some of Mitra's hand to hand stuff) and when all is said and done, I had a good time. It won't blow anyone's socks off but it'll more than likely entertain.

[ShaOW!linDude]

I've been thinking about revisiting this one. Haven't watched it since it came out. I remember thinking it had a better start than finish.