Action movie icon Jean-Claude Van Damme has started shooting his new Netflix action-comedy film The Last Mercenary. The Belgian actor and former martial artist starred in dozens of action films in the 1980s and 1990s. He rose to the top of the action film genre with his starring roles in the cult-classic films Bloodsport and Kickboxer.
Throughout the '80s and '90s, Van Damme established himself as a martial arts movie legend with his lead roles in successful films such as Street Fighter, Time Cop, and Universal Soldier. He soon stopped making big-budget films with universal releases, claiming he was 'blacklisted' for turning down a major movie deal because he was not getting paid as much as other stars. His most notable projects over the last few years were voice-over roles in the Kung Fu Panda movies and starred as himself in the Amazon series Jean-Claude Van Johnson, which was canceled soon after one season. Now, the Muscles from Brussels is taking on a new project that is a slight departure from his usual roles.
Per THR, Van Damme is currently in France shooting the action-comedy film The Last Mercenary for Netflix. Directed by David Charhon, the French-language film sees Van Damme as a mysterious former secret service agent who must return to France to help his estranged son after he is falsely accused of arms and drug trafficking by the French government. Van Damme says he is eager to take on a film genre that is new for him. "The Last Mercenary is an incredibly exciting project and allows me to take on a new genre," said Van Damme. "I've always been a fan of Jean-Paul Belmondo, and I hope to take up the torch of action comedy in my own way. David Charhon's script brings all these elements together in a very successful way - a beautiful story with emotion, a lot of action, and a lot of humor."
The Last Mercenary also stars Alban Ivanov, Assa Sylla, Samir Decazza, Patrick Timsit, Eric Judos, and Miou-Miou. The film was written by Charhon and Ismael Sy Savane and produced by Jean-Charles Levy, Nicolas Manuel (Forecast Pictures), Olivier Albou, Laurence Schonberg (Other Angle Pictures), Eponine Maillet (Mony Films), David Charhon, Jakema Charhon, Olias Barco and Vlad Riashyn (Apple Tree). Charhon expressed excitement over Van Damme's return to his action film roots. "I want to return to the great tradition of action films in the '80s and '90s - those cult films we all love where the heroes were out of the ordinary, the stunts were all more impressive and truer than life, and all punctuated with humor. Only Jean-Claude could embody this unparalleled golden age of cinema," said Charhon. The Netflix film is Van Damme's first comedic film role and first time collaborating with the streaming service. There is no release date yet on the film since it only recently started shooting.
While Van Damme has had plenty of acting roles over the past twenty years, most of them have been limited releases and not received as much attention as his earlier movies. Fans will likely be excited to see The Last Mercenary when it comes to Netflix, especially since this is a different genre for him. Though he hasn't had much comedy experience, his new film sounds like it will still have the classic elements and energy that made Van Damme such an action movie legend.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter