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It’s the last Sunday in April and I’m back for another round of The Weekly Intel recap where I briefly touch base on certain action news items for the week. Unfortunately, we have delay news once again for Kraven the Hunter as well as the new Karate Kid movie and we also have Hiroyuki Sanada talking a little Mortal Kombat 2. Jensen Ackles fans will get excited as the popular character actor is joining a new and favorite show so let’s Jock Up and roll!
Sony Continues Musical Chairs for the Release of Kraven the Hunter and the Latest Karate Kid Entry
At this point, I’m nowhere near as excited for the Sony/marvel cinema adaptation of Kraven the Hunter which sees Aaron Taylor-Johnson suiting up to play the villainous anti-hero who kills with extreme prejudice and wants to show everyone that he’s the greatest hunter ever. The move sowed some real potential when its red band trailer was launched showcasing some gnarly and extreme blood-soaked action with Johnson rocking the role but since then, the film’s been delayed multiple times. Kraven the Hunter has been shelved several times already with the original release set for this past January 13 of last year. Sony then said the movie would hit on October 6, 2023, but lied again thus moving it to this year on August 2024. If anyone of you care anymore, the movie will now see a December 13th of this year. If you’re adding at home, that’s almost 2 years’ worth of delays so enough is enough already. I’m now expecting the film to just hit streaming at some point which is a shame because it looks like the best Marvel film Sony has done in a long while. Perhaps the delay is because of the Madame Web debacle but don’t penalize Kraven because that film was a trainwreck. Yawn…
Johnson stars along with Fred Hechinger (Fear Street Trilogy, The White Lotus) as Chameleon who just happens to be Kraven’s half-brother; Oscar nominee Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) stars as Calypso who is the on/off lover of Kraven as well as his sometimes partner. Russell Crowe is featured as Kraven’s father and Levi Miller also stars. Christopher Abbott and Alessandro Nivola will be playing the main villains who takes on Johnson’s even more villainous Kraven.
Kraven the Hunter’s December 13th date was the one for the latest Karate Kid flick which Sony has delayed until May 30th, 2025. This newest entry of the franchise looks to combine the universes of the original Karate Kid with the reboot a few years back as Ralph Maachio is back as Daniel LaRusso along with Jackie Chan who played in the newer version. With all these delays, I’m starting to care a lot less about the projects but maybe I’ll go watch the red band trailer of Kraven again to get me excited.
Sony made us all happy last year when they announced a brand-new Karate Kid film that would combine both universes of the original films and Cobra Kai series along with the remake that starred Jackie Chan. Further making this project juicy to all fans is that both Maachio and Chan have signed up to star in the film and you just know that there will be more surprise announcements in the future. This movie will bridge both Karate Kid worlds together in one epic story that will definitely do the franchise justice. American born Chinese actor Ben Wang who starred in the Disney+ series American Born Chinese and he beat out 10,000 other applicants so that was a feat in itself. Now, his name isn’t exactly household right now but that will certainly change after this role.
The plot details are top secret as of this moment, but we do know, per the report, that “the story to the East Coast and focus on a teen from China who finds strength and direction via martial arts and a tough but wise mentor.” Something tells me that with both Chan and Maachio involved, this newest Karate Kid will have the benefit of not one but two masters. Jonathan Entwistle (I’m Not Okay With This and The End of the F***ing World) is set to helm the movie from a script penned by Rob Lieber.
Hiroyuki Sanada Talks Mortal Kombat 2!
Hiroyuki Sanada, who can now be seen in FX’s Shogun, gave fans some intel about his return as Scorpion in the new Mortal Kombat sequel. Sanada, in an interview with Screen Rant talked about his brief appearance in the first movie and stated, “Yeah, exactly, he was a bookend. 10 minutes and 10 minutes. [Laughs] It all depends on the editing, but yeah, I was there,” Sanada shared. “It was a great reunion on set, most of the cast from the first movie, maybe four or five big new characters in it. The same director, and the same costume designer, it was fun. In the Australia Gold Coast, right after the strike, we started shooting, and we’re all done now.”
It doesn’t sound like Scorpion is in the 2nd movie anymore but hey, Sanada had fun making it. The sequel wrapped production earlier this year but does not have a release date yet as of yet. Mortal Kombat 2 will see most of the original cast returning including Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, and Max Huang as Kung Lao. New additions feature, of course, Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Martyn Ford as emperor Shao Kahn, Damon Herriman as Netherrealm demon Quan Chi, Desmond Chiam as Edenian King Jerrod, and Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel.
Jensen Ackles Joins Justin Hartley on CBS’ Tracker!
I’m a fan of Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, The Boys) and I’m a fan of the new CBS series Tracker with Justin Hartley which saw itself become a hit for the station after premiering after the Super Bowl in February. Ackles has been announced as a new addition to the cast and will be playing Hartley’s estranged brother Russel who has been teased in episodes of season 1. Ackles’ character will debut on the May 12th episode which is titled “Off the Books.”
The official synopsis for the new episode reads:
Colter is forced to team up with his estranged brother, Russell, who enlists his help to track down a former army buddy who’s gone missing after several weeks of paranoid behavior. The investigation takes the brothers into the world of Special Forces missions, shady off-the-books programs and conspiracy theories, all while they contend with their family’s past.
Casting Ackles is a home run for a show that is already stellar and here’s hoping that Jensen becomes a regular. Hartley jokingly announced the addition of Ackles to the Tracker team in the video below!
