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Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.

For those unfamiliar with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.

The Filmmakers Podcast #218: Promising Young Woman’s Oscar & BAFTA nominated Frédéric Thoraval...

With his role as the main villain in Richard Donner’s fourth installment in the popular “Lethal Weapon”-series, Jet Li entered a new era in his career as he would star in many international productions in the years to come. Apart from the new level of fame he received with mainstream audiences who would get to see him in such features like “Cradle 2 the Grave”, “Romeo Must Die” and “Unleashed”, it also gave Li the opportunity to work with actors and directors outside of Hong Kong, the most notable of which would be French filmmaker and producer Luc Besson, whose projects like “Leon: The Professional” and “La Femme Nikita” had gained him a reputation among cinephiles and especially fans of the action genre. Their first collaboration called “Kiss of the Dragon”, produced by Besson and directed by Chris Nahon, was a blend of martial arts and action, which,...

From time to time, I like to do features about my favorite top 10 movies for certain actors, and this time, it’s kung fu legend Jet Li. I hope you enjoy my top 10 list and remember, these are only my choices, everyone will have a different top 10.

10: Fong Sai Yuk (1993)

Director:Corey Yuen

Cast:Michelle Reis, Vincent Chiu, Josephine Siao, Peer Chan, Adam Cheng, Sibelle Hu

9: The Warlords (2007)

Director:Peter Chan

Cast:Andy Lau, Kaneshiro Takeshi

8: Kiss Of The Dragon (2001)

Director:Chris Nahon

Cast:Bridget Fonda, Sam Wong Shum

7: Once Upon A Time In China II (1993)

Director:Tsui Hark

Cast:Donnie Yen, Rosamund Kwan, David Chiang, Hung Yan Yan, Max Mok

6: Last Hero In China (1993)

Director:Wong Jing

Cast:Gordon Liu, Leung Kar Yan, Nat Chan, Chung Fat

The article continues in the next...

Chris Nahon’s action film effectively lives up to its title. It features sexy ladies fighting in bloody fashion, and on its own limited terms provides the sort of violent entertainment geared to fans who enjoy watching movies like, well, Lady Bloodfight. Fans of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1988 cult classic Bloodsport, which this film closely resembles, will best appreciate this distaff version starring ace stuntwoman Amy Johnston, who possesses the gorgeous looks and superb physicality to carry the vehicle.

Johnston’s character, June, establishes her badass bona fides early in the film when she efficiently dispatches a rude male customer at the...

Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 Kicks Off the Summer With a Sci-Fi Action-Comedy

After three weeks of dominating the box office, Universal’s The Fate of the Furious is going to have to give way to a new movie, and that’s because the first weekend of May means that it’s officially...The Summer Movie Season!!!!

Just like the last couple years, the summer movie season is kicking off with a new movie from Marvel Studios, and their sequel Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2 (Marvel Studios/Disney), reunites Chris Pratt as Starlord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista’s Drax, Michael Rooker’s Yondu with the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper as Groot and Rocket Racoon, for the next...

Stars: Amy Johnston, Muriel Hofmann, Jenny Wu, Kathy Wu, Jet Tranter, Mayling Ng, Sunny Coelst, Rosemary Vandebrouck, Lisa Cheng, Chalinene Bassinah, Lauren Rhoden, Lisa Henderson, Isa Sofa Chan Kwan Nga, Nathalie Ng, Kirt Kishita, Happy Ma | Written by Bey Logan | Directed by Chris Nahon

Question: Are you a fan of Bloodsport, Kickboxer, King of the Kickboxers, or any of the many similar “fighting championship” movies that were released around the time Van Damme’s film hit it big? You are? Then stop reading any firther and go out and buy Lady Bloodfight. Right now. Go on. You can come back here later to read what I think…. Shop’s are shut? Go buy it digitally. Now.

Why? Because Lady Bloodfight is The female equivalent of Bloodsport. It may have taken 28 years but we’ve finally got one. It’s just as badass, just as packed with top-notch martial arts and...

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Vertical Entertainment has released the first trailer for an indie called Lady Bloodfight, about a woman who trains to fight in an underground martial arts tournament in Asia. This kinda, sorta seems like an all-women version of Jcvd's Bloodsport, but with its own modern cinematic quirks. Amy Johnston plays a woman named Jane who is recruited by Shu, a Wudang champion played by Muriel Hofmann, to participate in the tournament. The full cast includes Jenny Wu, Kathy Wu, Mayling Ng, Jet Tranter, Sunny Coelst, Rosemary Vandebrouck, Lisa Cheng, Chalinene Bassinah, and Lauren Rhoden. This looks both extremely cheesy and extremely badass, I'm definitely intrigued, but also worried it's going to be straight-to-dvd quality. We'll have to see ourselves. Take a look. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Chris Nahon's Lady Bloodfight, direct from YouTube: A blonde woman named Jane (Amy Johnston) arrives in Asia,...

This week annoyed by a loudmouth blogger of some repute, who declared anime for paedophiles and insulted more or less the whole of Japanese culture, I decided to watch Netflix original anime Knights of Sidonia. His comments have widely been circulated and condemned by many people and he’s just made himself look a fool, and all this just because Gus Van Sant might be directing a Death Note movie. I recognise that anime is not for everyone but still, by dismissing all of it you are missing out on an awful lot of classic work and influential stuff.

Knights of Sidonia has been billed as a Netflix original but it’s quite hard to imagine that they would have been involved in the production of something like this, it’s pretty far out there even for anime and its more likely that Netflix have done what they did with...

Exclusive: Amy Johnston, who starred in Dracula: Reborn and served as Scarlett Johansson’s stunt double in the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, will star in a potential career-making role in the $10m action film.

Lady Bloodfight is set to go before the cameras this autumn in China, Hong Kong and Macao with Chris Nahon in the director’s chair.

The film follows Jane, a troubled backpacker in Japan whose raw fighting skills attract the attention of a karate champion who trains her to compete in an all-female underground tournament.

When Jane faces off against the fearsome Ling, the pair end up uniting on a mission to battle darker forces lurking in the shadows.

Bey Logan, producer of the upcoming Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2 and writer of The Medallion, will produce.

“We’re very excited to be working with a talent like Bey Logan and to be filming in China, a burgeoning...

In a manner similar to what happens with the television schedules, the streaming services suddenly go quiet in the summer. For true cinema fans this is pretty good news because the art house stuff comes along as well as some of the better catalogue titles that might have appeared elsewhere before.

It will probably be September before any subscription winning blockbusters are added again but the smart money is on one of the big ones adding The Avengers and (fingers crossed) the last season of Breaking Bad.

By the time you read this, the new Netflix exclusive series Orange is the New Black from the creator of Weeds, will be available on Netflix. Early word is that it’s actually the best Netflix exclusive title so far, which is good news after the horrendous Hemlock Grove. I will weigh in with an opinion next month.

Films

Holy Motors (2012)

Starring: Denis Lavant,...

Many film websites published “decade’s best horror films” lists in late 2009/early 2010. While these lists collectively provided a rough snapshot of the genre’s ups and downs during that time, with more time to reflect, it becomes increasingly clear what an important period the 2000’s were for the horror genre on a global scale.

Not only did this decade easily and obviously eclipse the comparatively arid 1990’s in both volume of production and overall quality, the 2000’s can also be looked at as a crucial one for horror cinema despite the justified outrage about the American film industry’s widespread strip-mining of classics and foreign films for remakes/re-boots and its saturation of the market with teen-friendly PG-13 rated horror films.

While by no means as groundbreaking as the 1970’s or as sentimentally regarded as the 1980’s, the 2000’s will be recalled as the decade that, despite well-founded criticisms...

Blood: The Last Vampire is the story of Saya, a half-human half-demon, who to the outside world looks 16, but is in reality centuries old. Descended from a line of vampire hunters, Saya is the last of her kind. Armed only with supernatural strength and her father’s powerful sword, she works for a mysterious organisation known as “The Council,” hunting down demons in 1970?s Tokyo. All the while searching for her father’s killer: the demon they call Onigen. When reports come in of mysterious deaths on an American military base in Tokyo, the council send Saya in to investigate and despatch any demon prescence. It’s at the military base that Saya save,s and and later teams up with, American teenager Alice McKee, daughter of the base’s commanding officer. Together they take on Tokyo’s demon underworld, leading them to a showdown with the demon matriach Onigen.

Gary Oldman as Jackie Flannery in State Of Grace (Phil Joanou, 1990, USA):

Long considered one of the most talented actors in cinema, it’s very strange that his outstanding acting as the younger brother of Ed Harris’ local crime boss in this underrated film doesn’t get talked about nearly enough when discussing Oldman’s body of work. This is a must-see performance for all Oldman fans. For the record, State Of Grace is a far better Irish mob film than The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006, USA), primarily because it contains much better acting across the board. Oldman was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011, UK/France).

Other notable Gary Oldman performances: Prick Up Your Ears (Stephen Frears, 1987, USA), Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992, USA), True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993, USA), Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994, France), Air Force One (Wolfgang Petersen, 1997, USA), The Contender (Rod Lurie,...

Not to be confused with Chris Nahon's Blood: The Last Vampire, as this writer may have done at some point [ahem], Ten Shimoyama's Blood is a different animal altogether and to celebrate its release on DVD we have 4 rather tasty clips for you below. The plot goes something like this...

"Recently demoted within the ranks of the police force for exposing several highly respected officials involved in a political scandal, Detective Hoshino (Kanji Tsuda) is reduced to investigating long-shelved, unsolved cases just before their respective statutes of limitations expire. His latest assignment leads him to the mansion of a voluptuous, reclusive heiress, Miyako Rozmberk (Aya Sugimoto), to investigate the 14-year-old murder of one of her former maids. After claiming she has already told the police everything she knows concerning the case, Miyako announces to Hoshino that she knows the identity of the man responsible for the killing, identifying him...

No relation to Chris Nahon’s ‘Blood the Last Vampire,’ Ten Shimoyama’s (Shinobi: heart under Blade) Blood is a very different blood sucking beast, and it’s heading for the UK on DVD. Take ‘The Hunger’ add some ‘Countess Dracula,’ throw in a liberal sprinkling of eroticism, lashings of swordplay and martial arts action and Shimoyama’s contemporary horror offering (that owes more than a nod to the Hammer films of the 60’s and 70’s) has plenty to keep a genre fan very happy. Blood hits the UK, on May 3rd. Review coming soon. Synopsis: Recently demoted within the ranks of the police for exposing several officials involved in a political scandal, Detective Hoshino is reduced to investigating long-shelved, unsolved cases. His latest assignment leads him to the mansion of a reclusive heiress, Miyako Rozmberk, to investigate the 14-year-old murder of one of her former maids. After claiming she...

No relation to Chris Nahon’s ‘Blood the Last Vampire,’ Ten Shimoyama’s (Shinobi: heart under Blade) Blood is a very different blood sucking beast, and it’s heading for the UK on DVD. Take ‘The Hunger’ add some ‘Countess Dracula,’ throw in a liberal sprinkling of eroticism, lashings of swordplay and martial arts action and Shimoyama’s contemporary horror offering (that owes more than a nod to the Hammer films of the 60’s and 70’s) has plenty to keep a genre fan very happy. Blood hits the UK, on May 3rd. Review coming soon. Synopsis: Recently demoted within the ranks of the police for exposing several officials involved in a political scandal, Detective Hoshino is reduced to investigating long-shelved, unsolved cases. His latest assignment leads him to the mansion of a reclusive heiress, Miyako Rozmberk, to investigate the 14-year-old murder of one of her former maids. After claiming she...

I’ve seen quite a few different reviews of this movie before I watched it and it’s difficult when you’re in that situation as you go into it with pre-coceived ideas. My expectations were very low because I hadn’t heard an awful lot of good things about the movie but, I think because of that, it turned out to be a little better than I expected.

Blood: The Last Vampire is directed by Chris Nahon and stars Gianna Jun, Allison Miller, Liam Cunningham, Jj Feild, Koyuki and, believe it or not, Larry Lamb who you’ll recognise from Eastenders and Gavin and Stacey. It’s a story about a young half-vampire, half-human (Jun), left to fight the demons that have invaded the earth. On the surface, Saya is a beautiful 16-year-old, but underneath that youthful exterior hides a tormented soul. When her human father was brutally murdered by Onigen,...

We first reported on this in September, and now word is that Gunslinger will be shooting early next year. Directed by Chris Nahon (Blood: The Last Vampire), the film has a $16 million budget and has already been pre-sold to a few countries. Josh Hartnett will star, and while we have yet to see his more recent fare, I'm looking forward to this. Question is, who wrote the script? And who allowed the horrendous poster to the right?

Synopsis:

In 2012 the world economy collapses.

In 2014 all first world governments crumble.

In 2015 the power and lights go out.

2018, Wisconsin, USA. Communities live in fear, protected by paid gunmen. We cut to Jake (former engineer) now hunting for food to feed his family. He sees smoke in the distance and realises that it is

his home. A gang, led by the psychopath Brody, has attacked and murdered his family.

Seeking revenge, he enlists...

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Shia Labeouf and Megan Fox run for their lives as Michael Bay's giant robots trample onto the home video scene on DVD (single-disc or two-disc special edition) and Blu-ray (two-disc special edition). The special editions includes audio commentary by Bay and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, deleted / alternate scenes, a music video, and additional features, such as "A Day With Bay: Tokyo," "Giant Effing Movie," and "The Matrix of Marketing." To approximate the theatrical experience, play really, really loud, and sit as far back from the screen as you possibly can. Resistance is futile. Rent it.

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon

Blood: The Last Vampire

Chris Nahon's live-action adaptation of an anime series features a half-human, half-vampire samurai battling an infestation of demons. "the result is so laughably awful that it easily qualifies for so-bad-it's-good status," wrote Jeffrey M. Anderson.

Some decent DVD news today gang. Echo Bridge Home Entertainment is finally giving Logan McMillan's New Zealand made slacker zomedy, Last of the Living, (review) a release here in the Americas so check that out.

One film I've really been waiting to see on the ol' flat screen is Chris Nahon's live action Blood the Last Vampire (review). I can't explain it. It's just one of those films that, despite middling reviews, still beckons me with outrageousness.

Probably the film I'm most looking forward to having kill two of my prescious life hours though is British assassin actioner, The Tournament (review) which comes at us like a bullet from Weinstein Co.

And of course how can we forget Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead, the lastest in the decreasingly decent Wrong Turn legacy. Actually scratch that, "Dead End" wasn't bad at all. In fact, Henry Rollins totally made the film awesome.

Welcome to HorrorFest 2009. If you want wire work that always feels like wire work, CG gore that never once feels wet, and action that just lays there onscreen, totally inert, then I have great news for you.  "Blood The Last Vampire" is about to hit BluRay. I love "Kiss Of The Dragon," the Jet Li action film that Chris Nahon directed for producer/writer Luc Besson. I love "My Sassy Girl," which features an amazing performance from Gianna Jun as the title character. Seeing the two of them work together to adapt a popular anime series should have been an easy home run, a...

“Blood: the last Vampire” is an interesting proposition, not only because it sees Jeon Ji Hyun (“My Sassy Girl”), one of Korea’s most popular actresses, making her English language debut, but also since it represents one of the few Hollywood Japanese anime adaptations to make a real effort to build upon its source material. The film is based upon the 2000 anime from Production I.G of “Ghost in the Shell” fame, which was directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo (one of the key animators who worked on the classic “Akira”), and was helmed by Chris Nahon, who previously had cross-cultural cinematic experiences with the French-English outings “Empire of the Wolves”, and “Kiss of the Dragon”, arguably one of Jet Li’s better Western efforts. Adding to its pedigree is the presence of Corey Yuen, one of Hong Kong’s most prolific and best known action directors, who recently worked on the...

My Sassy Girl's Jeon Ji Hyun makes her English-language debut in the fantasy action horror Blood: The Last Vampire, directed by Chris Nahon. Based on the same-titled 2000 animated feature, Blood revolves around a mysterious female slayer Saya who battles hordes of vampires in postwar Japan. Under her English name Gianna, Jeon Ji Hyun dons the trademark school uniform for a tough-as-nails turn as the katakana-wielding death dealer…Saya. Yes purists might be right when they say they’ve mucked around with the storyline, and perhaps the CG blood was a slight disappointment, but on the action front Blood delivers the goods in spades. Btlv goes on sale in the U.S and U.K, mid October.

Would humanity revert to the days of the wild west if the world was suddenly thrust into a post-apocalyptic future? It's certainly an intriguing possibility, and one that could make for a great movie. Post-apocalyptic films have often borrowed elements of westerns in the past, and now director Chris Nahon (Blood: The Last Vampire) will again be fusing the two genres with a film called Gunslinger (no relation to the 1956 Roger Corman film of the same name, as far as I know). Described as a "revenge-driven tale set in the near future in the snowy wasteland of a post-apocalyptic America", the story centers on two brothers who try to track down the gang responsible for the death of their parents. Josh Hartnett has signed on to star, while Mark Williams (Running Scared, The Cooler) will produce. There's no word on who is writing the script or where the story came from,...

A recent report says that Josh Hartnett has signed on to star in Gunslinger, a revenge story about a man (Hartnett) and his brother who seek retribution against the gang that killed their parents in a post-apocalyptic America. Gunslinger is being produced by Mark Williams and Albert Martinez Martin, with Chris Nahon directing. Williams commented on the production: This story takes a unique and startling look at what might happen when the lawlessness of the Old West returns ... but with better weapons. If the title and plot sound familiar to you, perhaps you're thinking of author Stephen King's novel The Gunslinger, which is part of his incredibly popular Dark Tower series. Considered by King to be his masterpiece, The Gunslinger was first published in 1982 and revolves around the quest of a gunslinger to catch "the man in black" in a post-apocalyptic, alternate timeline world. So far, though, Variety has...

It appeared for a couple years there that Josh Hartnett would be a really, really big star, but he developed this penchant for taking - gasp! - leading roles in smaller, more peculiar movies instead of enormous blockbusters. Whether or not the blockbuster door remained open to him I can't say for sure, but he's a good enough actor that it should be.

Variety says Hartnett will tackle the starring role in Gunslinger with Blood: The Last Vampire director Chris Nahon. Again, this is going to be one of those off-center projects set in the post-apocalyptic world. Boy, am I getting tired of the post-apocalypse. Perhaps it's time to ramp up the first post-post-apocalypse movie where everybody starts rebuilding.

Despite all the attempts at a comeback, the western genre will never be as popular as it was half a century ago. But could the genre appeal more to 21st century moviegoers by being set in some post-apocalyptic future rather than the dusty, tumbleweed-ridden past? It's an idea that's been thought of before, and now it's being thought of again by many in Hollywood.

In a way, the upcoming adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" is like a western, and January's "The Book of Eli" is even moreso. Now Variety reports of another near-future western called "Gunslinger." Josh Hartnett will star as one of two brothers seeking revenge on a gang that killed their parents. French filmmaker Chris Nahon ("Blood: The Last Vampire") will be at the helm when "Gunslinger" shoots in Canada next year.

Let's just forget the fact they need to re-title the film, as it falls...

Josh Hartnett will star in "Gunslinger," a tale of revenge set in the not-so-distant future in the snowy wasteland of a post-apocalyptic America. According to Variety, Hartnett will play a man who, along with his brother, sets out to kill the men who murdered their parents. Chris Nahon ("Blood: The Last Vampire") is directing, with Mark Williams and 2B Pictures' Albert Martinez Martin producing.Shooting is set to begin in Canada early next year.

Josh Hartnett will star in Gunslinger, a post-apocalyptic western that will roll next year in Canada. The Black Hawk Down/30 Days of Night actor is playing the lead in the film with the role of his brother yet to be cast. The two men live in a ruined, snowy future where, after their parents are killed by a roving gang, set out after their killers to ferret out some justice.

The movie will be directed by Chris Nahon (Blood: The Last Vampire, Kiss of the Dragon). "This story takes a unique and startling look at what might happen when the lawlessness of the Old West returns ... but with better weapons," said Mark Williams, one of the film's producers. The money to make the film is coming from Future Film Group, a British based company that makes smaller budgeted independent films outside of the mainstream development process.

Josh Hartnett has signed on to star in "Gunslinger," a revenge-driven tale set in the near future in the snowy wasteland of a post-apocalyptic America. Hartnett will play a man who, along with his brother, sets out to kill the gang who killed their parents. "This story takes a unique and startling look at what might happen when the lawlessness of the Old West returns ... but with better weapons," said producer Mark Williams. "Gunslinger" is to be directed by Chris Nahon (Blood: The Last Vampire) and is set to begin filming in Canada early next year.

Josh Hartnett is many things-- a 90s icon of dreaminess, for example, or the guy who everyone forgot was in 30 Days of Night because Ben Foster is the only person anyone talked about. But tell me, in what version of the world is Josh Hartnett believable as a gritty fighter after the apocalypse? Blood: The Last Vampire director Chris Nahon is the one taking this particular gamble, casting Hartnett in Gunslinger, a story set in a post-apocaplyptic future with the rules of the Old West. Producer Mark Williams told Variety ""This story takes a unique and startling look at what might happen when the lawlessness of the Old West returns ... but with better weapons." No, the movie appears to have nothing to do with the Stephen King book or the Dark Tower series that followed it, which, depending who you are, is either a good or a bad thing.

No, that is not the face of Roland Deschain you see above, and, no, J.J Abrams has not finally decided to put his ‘Dark Tower’ rights to good use. According to Variety, Josh Hartnett will, however, be starring in a film called ‘Gunslinger,’ billed as a Western in a post-apocalyptic world. Well, that sure sounds like the ‘Gunslinger’ we’ve all been waiting for. It’s not.

Hartnett will play a man in the near future, a snowy wasteland of a world, who, along with his brother, sets out to seek revenge against the gang who killed their parents. Chris Nahon (’Kiss of the Dragon’ and ‘Blood: The Last Vampire’) will be directing with Mark Williams (’Running Scared’) and Albert Martinez Martin (’Shuttle’) producing.

Here is what Williams had to say on the project:

This story takes a unique and startling look at what might happen when the lawlessness...

Taciturn actor Josh Hartnett will stoically ride in the footsteps of Denzel Washington (Book of Eli) as he wades into the snowy desolation and cruel heartbreak of a dank and cold post apocalyptic America in Chris Nahon’s (Blood The Last Vampire) “Gunslinger”. No, this is not Stephen King’s Gunslinger. The drama in Stevie’s world is not really Post Apocalyptic, it’s more of a crisis in management. Reality management of the beam. Or perhaps it’s just about teaching a guy a little humility. We’ll figure it all out when that particular tale is told sometime in the future by none other than J.J. Abrams. Thanks Coming Soon for the scoop.

Josh Hartnett has signed on to play the titular Gunslinger in a post-apocalyptic western directed by Chris Nahon, according to Variety.Nahon directed the live-action anime action horror Blood: The Last Vampire, which does not, in itself, necessarily make this a juicy prospect. The plot synopsis isn't particularly enticing either: it's pretty standard revenge fare about two brothers out to get the gang that killed their parents.But we love a Western, and we're always pleased to see Hartnett, so there might be something here. Producer Mark Williams would certainly like us to think there is. We're told that the film will take place in a "snowy wasteland", which is promising, since westerns in the snow generally rock: see Pale Rider and The Great Silence for evidence. He also describes it as "a unique and startling look at what might happen when the lawlessness of the old west returns... but with better weapons.

Josh Hartnett has joined Chris Nahon's ("Blood: The Last Vampire") "Gunslinger" which Mark Williams and 2B Pictures' Albert Martinez Martin are producing. Hartnett will play a man who, with his brother, make it their goal to slay the gang who murdered their parents. Film takes place in a snowy wasteland in a post-apocalyptic America. This marks the fifth collaboration between Williams and 2B Pictures.

No, not Stephen King, but the man behind Blood: The Last Vampire, Chris Nahon, who will be directing this "unique and startling look at what might happen when the lawlessness of the Old West returns ... but with better weapons". Josh Hartnett has signed on to star (which actually sounds decent). One of the co-producers are the same folks behind Malice in Wonderland which will be premiering at Sitges. Shooting starts in Canada early next year.

Set in the near future in the snowy wasteland of a post-apocalyptic America, Hartnett will play a man who, along with his brother, sets out to kill the gang who killed their parents.

More as it comes! via Variety...

Josh Harnett will pick up a weapon again for Gunslinger. Chris Nahon, director of Blood: The Last Vampire (below) is the man behind the camera for the tale of a man who goes on a mission to track down and kill the gang who murdered his parents. And he's not going along - his brother tags along for the fight. The whole thing is set in the near future, with America largely reduced to a snowy wasteland. Personally, we blame Roland Emmerich. "This story takes a unique and startling look at what might happen when the lawlessness...

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I always did think ol Josh Harnett would make a pretty decent gunfighter, what with those beady eyes of his. You know, they’re good for showdowns in dusty frontier towns and what not. Alas, there won’t be any dusty towns in Harnett’s new movie “Gunslinger”, which is described as a post-apocalyptic Western set in the snowy wastelands of America. Basically, it’s a cowboy movie set in a post-apocalyptic world, where the gunfighters have better weapons than those pea shooters from the Old West. Variety reports that Harnett has signed on to star as a man who, along with his brother, sets out to kill the gang who killed their parents. Chris Nahon, who recently brought “Blood: The Last Vampire” to life, will direct the film for 2B Pictures. Says producer Mark Williams about the movie: “This story takes a unique and startling look at what might...

Reassurance right off the bat for Stephen King fans: Hartnett is Not going to play the author's iconic Dark Tower character; nothing against Josh at all, but I really don't see him in that part. The film called Gunslinger is instead a "revenge-driven tale set in the near future in the snowy wasteland of a post-apocalyptic America" to be directed by Blood:the Last Vampire helmer Chris Nahon. Can't say I've seen it yet so feel free to tell me if that's a good thing. Hartnett will...

Josh Hartnett will star in Gunslinger , a revenge-driven story set in the near future in the snowy wasteland of a post-apocalyptic America. Hartnett will play a man who, along with his brother, sets out to kill the gang who killed their parents. Blood: The Last Vampire helmer Chris Nahon is directing, with Mark Williams and 2B Pictures' Albert Martinez Martin producing. "This story takes a unique and startling look at what might happen when the lawlessness of the Old West returns... but with better weapons," Williams told Variety . Filming will begin in Canada early next year.

This year's coolest, bloodiest vampire movie, "Blood The Last Vampire" comes to Blu-ray DVD on Monday 19 October 2009. The film was directed and produced by the impressive combined talents of Chris Nahon ("Chasing The Dragon", "Kiss Of The Dragon") and William Kong ("Crouching Tiger", "Hero"), and is based on the hugely popular cult hit anime series of the same name. Starring Gianna Jun as Saya and Allison Miller ("Kings", "Desperate Housewives") as Alice McKee this samurai wielding fight-fest is not to be missed. Slick and highly stylised, this martial arts creation tells the story of Saya a young half-vampire, half-human, left to fight the demons that have invaded the earth. On the surface, Saya is a beautiful 16-year-old, but underneath that youthful exterior hides a...

The DVD and the Blu-ray specs are finally in for Chris Nahon's Blood: The Last Vampire (review here) and we've got the lowdown on what you can expect when the film drops on October 20th.

Synopsis

The deadliest assassin to stand the test of time. From a Producer of Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon comes Blood: The Last Vampire, based on the cult hit anime series. Demons have infested Earth. And only one warrior stands between the dark and the light: Saya, a half-human, half-vampire samurai who preys on those who feast on human blood. Joining forces with the shadowy society known as the Council, Saya is dispatched to an American military base, where an intense series of swordfights leads her to the deadliest vampire of all. And now after 400 years, Saya's greatest hunt is about to begin.

DVD and Blu-ray High-Def Bonus Material

• The Making of Blood: The Last Vampire...

Not since the arrival of Bruce Lee during the '70s has a generation of Americans been so widely exposed to Chinese culture through film, and Billy Kong has been behind much of it. The CEO of Hong Kong's Edko Films, Kong is the producer responsible for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," as well as "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero." For all his influence, Kong's a modest man, and exceptionally nostalgic, even while on the cutting edge of Hong Kong cinema. Right now, he has a film in post-production called "True Legend" by director Yuen Wo-ping (the legendary martial arts choreographer behind everything from "The Matrix" to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") that stars Michelle Yeoh and the late David Carradine, and another in theaters -- French helmer Chris Nahon's "Blood: The Last Vampire," a genre-melding action/vampire flick based on an anime feature of the same name. I spoke...

Based on the 2000 Japanese anime of the same name, Chris Nahon’s “Blood: The Last Vampire” marks the English-language debut of actress Jeon Ji-hyun, who first rose to International fame in the 2001 South Korean romantic comedy “My Sassy Girl”. Here, Jeon has chosen to use the more International-friendly Gianna Jun in the credits, though I suspect this will be irrelevant to most of the film’s audience. The movie saw limited release in the States, but should have a more robust box office take (or at least DVD sales) in Asian countries based on Jun’s celebrity status. Fans of wild action movies should also take a look at “Blood”, as although it is lacking in most areas, martial arts action is something it has in abundance. “Blood” has Gianna Jun playing Saya, a half-human, half-vampire half-breed that stalks the dark alleyways and subway cars of Japan looking for demons to slay.

There are certain films that can ultimately be forgiven of their faults provided they supply something else in lieu. The Crank films are a perfect example of that as is pretty much every slasher film ever made. Be it gratuitous action, some gross out comedy, or special effects one can easily forgive terrible writing and directing if there’s something that entertains (just look at the success of a certain toy movie.) Many will try to make the argument that Blood: The Last Vampire functions well with this mindset. Many people will be very mistaken as Blood is nothing more than a cheaply made exercise that wants to cash-in on the vampire craze plaguing humanity right now.

There’s a couple of forces at work saving this picture from being a total disaster. Liam Cunningham is the only member of the cast who seems to be having any sort of fun.

Sufficiently entertaining, but just so, Blood: the Last Vampire relies heavily on its production pedigree and its existing anime franchise to promote its vampire adventure. Renowned producer Bill Kong—responsible for such sumptuously mounted vehicles as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Hero; House of Flying Daggers; Curse of the Golden Flower; and Lust, Caution—teams up with director Chris Nahon (Kiss of the Dragon) for this English language adaptation of the popular award-winning anime film of the same title by Production I.G., released worldwide in 2000, and directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo (the key animator for Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira). The story is set in Japan during the fall of 1966, when the United States involvement in Vietnam has turned into a full-scale conflict. A stunning 16-year-old girl named Saya, wearing seifuku and armed with her katana, is sent by a mysterious “organization” to hunt down vampires that are hiding amongst the inhabitants of the Yokota U.

Gianna Jun and Allison Miller on the Tokyo demon beat.

Gianna Jun in "Blood: The Last Vampire"

Photo: Sony Pictures

"Blood: The Last Vampire" is a Hong Kong-style action movie of the leap-kicking, sky-sailing, blood-spurting variety. It was made in English by a French TV-commercials director, with Korean, American and Irish stars, and lots and lots of demons of a rubberish sort that recall the Toho monster movies of 50 years ago. It's a picture with the unbridled high spirits of its low intentions, and it's a reasonable amount of fun.

This "Blood" is a live-action remake of the well-regarded 2000 Japanese anime film of the same title, with much new backstory shoveled in to clarify the sparse plot of the original (which was distinguished chiefly by its innovative digital environments). Once again we meet 16-year-old demon hunter Saya (Gianna Jun) on the Tokyo subway. Black-clad and broody, she's stalking a nervous...

Gianna Jun in Blood: The Last Vampire

Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films Adapted from a short 43-minute Japanese anime of the same name, Blood: The Last Vampire is a direct-to-dvd quality theatrical release filled with digital blood droplets and enough quick editing to give you an eye-sore as director Chris Nahon does his best to hide the fact it was made on a limited budget. But I don't think the film could have been any better with the choppy script filled with bad dialogue and the "what kind of trouble can they get in next?" approach to the action. Topping it off, the supporting cast on display doesn't help matters. Strangely enough, I have a bit of a soft spot for direct-to-dvd quality films and sometimes wish I had more time to spend with the myriads of them that show up on my doorstep almost daily (such as that Vinnie Jones...

Chicago – Bill Kong can rightly be considered the producer King of the Modern Samarai Film. After cutting his teeth on the seminal “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” his latest release is a new spin on the genre with “Blood, The Last Vampire.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0 Saya (Gianna Jun) is a mysterious vampire slayer in 1970 Japan who works as part of a covert government agency that hunts and kills the bloodsucking demons. Her samarai and fighting skills were carefully taught, and she has a secret that motivates her insatiable drive to pursue and destroy the concealed monsters.

Enter Alice Mckee (Allison Miller), the daughter of a general who is directing bombing missions in Vietnam out of a Toyko air base. She encounters Saya when the warrior goes undercover in her high school. After Alice witnesses Saya’s slaughter of two demons who were in the school, she joins forces with the slayer to go after the ultimate vampire,...

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Opening. Three indie flicks open on Friday: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte's terrific music doc Soul Power, Chris Nahon's live-action adaptation of anime horror thriller Blood: The Last Vampire, and a reissue of Francois Truffaut's 1969 crime romance Mississippi Mermaid, with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve. After a good start in New York and Los Angeles (see below), action thriller The Hurt Locker expands into 50 selected markets.

Deals / Articles of Interest. Our friends at indieWIRE reported on three recent acquisitions with upcoming theatrical releases planned: Chris Fuller's critically-acclaimed teen drama Loren Cass (Kino; July 24); Rebecca Miller's The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, with Robin Wright Penn and Alan Arkin (Screen Media, October); and Dror Zahavi's thriller For My Father (Film Movement, Winter 2010). Eugene Hernandez considers Chris Anderson's...