By: John M Jerva

Apparently, Jean-Claude Van Damme is retiring from making action movies. He’s serious this time too. This is the first I’m hearing of it but apparently, the action icon is calling it quits but not without going down fighting and taking on some of his most memorable opponents he ever centered the ring with in his filmography arsenal.

Deadline is reporting that JCVD is set to make a new film titled What’s My Name? and that it will be in fact his last flick in the genre that made him a star. Van Damme also wants to buy a boat and live the quiet life after filming. “I’ve bought a small boat,” Van Damme stated. “Not a big boat, that’s not for me. But I want to go around the world, and relax. “I work all my life, I live all my life in hotels for 30 years. That all will be explained in the movie, how I became far away from my family. After this, I want to relax and enjoy my life and family, because life goes by fast.” Sounds like a plan to me.

The Muscles from Brussels went on to elaborate:

“I wanted to leave the stage but with a revisit of my career, starting with Bloodsport, the one where I started to become famous. I want this to be a new Bloodsport, but on a higher level. In the film, I am on my way down in terms of career, and as I come out of a premiere of another action movie, I am not happy because I’ve been living in hotels the past 30 years, which is actually true. We’re going to bring real elements from my real life, and what happened to me. I came from Belgium, all the way to Hollywood. I succeeded, I failed, I came back. So, I’m walking out on the street after the premiere, and boom, a car hits me because I’m drunk. When I wake up from the impact, I don’t know what’s my name, and no one recognizes me,” Van Damme said in a statement.

JCVD is said to be getting into fighting shape for the role which will see him playing himself in the movie. After suffering amnesia from a car accident he wakes up unrecognizable to himself and “through a series of fights against iconic fighters from across his legendary career, Van Damme begins a quest for his own identity and life meaning. This leads him to one final match,”

Jeremy Zag will helm the film that will shoot in Paris and describes it as “a real action mainstream movie where we treat JC as a real human super hero.”

There is no official confirmation on who Van Damme will face in the epic final action film but Deadline is saying that Universal Soldier‘s Dolph Lundgren, Kickboxer‘s Michel Qissi, and Double Impact‘s Bolo Yeung will all be involved but that remains to be seen if they do show up or who else might be on the card.

Personally, as much as I would love to see a Bloodsport rematch, Bolo is going to be 76 this year so I don’t see that happening. Lundgren is still active and Michel too so it’ll be interesting to see how this one develops.

If this is indeed true and Van Damme is really hanging it up, here’s hoping from a fan that’s been there from the beginning that this final movie is truly epic and a fitting send off for the martial arts and action icon. It’s important to note that JC has teased making an epic action movie before so we’ll see what happens. If it does move forward, the man better break out all his signature moves including the dropping into splits with a punch to the groin as he yells in slo-mo.

This is truly a developing situation and a very interesting one for action aficionados so keep it locked and loaded right here for more 411 to come as we are your destination for everything action in 2022 and beyond!

Source: Deadline