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Shout!Studios is readying an October theatrical release for their sword and sorcery acquisition of Deathstalker starring 90’s martial arts action staple Daniel Bernhardt. First imagined by schlock producer Roger Corman back in the 80’s, Psycho Gorman helmer Steven Kostanski looks to reestablish the lost subgenre of swords, blood and magic with Bernhardt front and center and ready for dark ages combat. With its world premiere set for this Friday in Switzerland at the Locarno Film Festival, fans here in the states won’t have long to wait as the movie is set to debut this fall.
A new poster featuring star Daniel Bernhardt in all his retro action glory has been unveiled online to pump up the film’s upcoming release and it resonates the classic vibe and era that made the sword and sandal slate of pics ever so popular. Check out Bernhardt in full on battle glory below!
The Kingdom of Abraxeon is under siege from The Dreadites, a mysterious horde of warriors, whose sudden appearance is rumored to foretell the return of Nekromemnon, an ancient sorcerer long thought dead. Such times of chaos are times of fortune for men like Deathstalker who, having broken ties with all guilds and banners, now ekes an existence from the spoils recovered in the wake of Dreadite attacks. Our story begins when Deathstalker unknowingly recovers an enchanted amulet from a corpse-ridden battlefield and finds himself cursed by an arcane magic. Now pursued by a monstrous clan of assassins at the behest of the Dreadite scourge, Deathstalker is forced into a perilous quest to reverse the curse and rid the realm of evil. Death is just the beginning… of great adventure!
Nina Bergman, who co-starred with Bernhardt in director Jesse V. Johnson’s Hell Hath No Fury, stars as well and she plays the character of Grendul, who is described as “a confident, tough leader of the Abraxeon Thieves Guild who has a history with Deathstalker.” Other cast members include Christina Orjalo, Paul Lazenby, Nicholas Rice, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire star Patton Oswalt who is featured as the benevolent wizard Doodad.
Along with the movie, there is also going to be a comic book tie in which elates me even more. Vault Comics will be the distributor with Kostanski being a part of the comic’s creative team along with writer Tim Seeley, artist Jim Terry and Slash himself. No worries as I will be putting that comic title on my pull list as soon as I am able to.
Bernhardt, who still looks and moves amazing, has been keeping busy in the industry over the decades and has appeared in some of the best action films of recent memory like John Wick and Atomic Blonde. Bernhardt also returned to the Baba Yaga universe last month when he took on Ana de Armas in Ballerina. His fight sequence with Armas is a showstopper and proof that age is just a number as Bernhardt brings the hyper-kinetic action flair once again in that single scene.
Hangar 18 Media (www.hangar18.media) serves as the production company for Deathstalker with Pasha Patriki, Michael Paszt, James Fler, Peter Kuplowsky, Andrew Hunt serving as producers. Guns N Roses guitar legend Slash was an executive producer which I think is very cool. Slash also Slash has also worked alongside composer Bear McCreary and Deathstalker II composer Chuck Cirino to create a brand-new theme. Along with directing, Kostanski also wrote the script.
With the world premiere this week and the U.S. launch set for October, expect a sword slashing new trailer to drop at any time. I am beyond pumped for this one and hopefully will chat with Bernhardt once again as I have twice in the past for his films Hell Hath No Fury and Netflix’s Extraction 2 with Chris Hemsworth. The first interview was audio as the second hit my YouTube channel and you can check out both below!
It’s time to shake of the sand and dust of those old VHS tapes of the original Deathstalker series and get ready for the ultimate homage to a time when the sword was the mightiest in the land! Bernhardt is battle ready and so are the hardcore fans of action cinema!
Deathstalker is set to Hit Theaters on October 10th 2025!
