In the last few weeks much has been made of the big-screen release of Hercules, starring Dwayne Johnson - but it's hardly the only version of the legendary hero currently adapted for the screen. This week sees the DVD release of The Legend of Hercules and actually offers some of the pieces of the ancient Greek legend from which the Ratner version seeks to strangely distance itself. Indeed it's clear that while the 'Rock' version of Hercules has the bigger budget and resources,the DVD variation of the epic story has ambition and effects that are more impressive than you might expect - think a '300' for the home entertainment market, a post-Spartacus romp full of vast vistas, horizon-reaching armies and the kind of slo-mo battle sequences that have become vogue over the last decade.
While it's Kellan Lutz (also seen later this week in The Expendables 3) playing the titular warrior, the other familiar face in the mix is the man actively opposing him at every turn, King Amphitryon - otherwise known as Scott Adkins - whom most people consider to be one the UK's best on-screen martial-arts ambassadors. Though his characters often end up bruised, battered and bloodied, Scott remains one of the few British performers who can give as good as he gets and who has found genuine international success - combining his acting and martial-arts skills to good effect...
Did Scott know when he took the role that this would be a film, one of a wave taking advantage of the fledgling but growing film industry in East European areas, that defied its budget?
"It was ten week shoot for the whole thing and I was there for nine weeks. I think the first and foremost reason that people shoot in Bulgaria is because it's cheap... there's tax incentives or labour is cheap. That's a strong reason to go there. But the more film productions go to such places, the better the crews are getting and it keeps getting better. I've done a lot of films in Bulgaria now and the people are great and hard-working. The ability and professionalism gets better and better," he continues. " It's the same in South Africa (where I'm shooting 'Grimsby') I think...but a film-set is a film-set, it doesn't matter if it's low budget or a big budget or what country it's in - it all boils down to the same stuff, you're all just trying to problem solve at the end of the day."
The Legend of Hercules makes good use of every penny of its production budget but Scott agrees that it's not how much money you have, it's what you ultimately do with it...
"Yeah, it's just HOW the tool is used. If you're going to use CGI and you're prepared for it ahead of time and you can mix practical effects and then BOOST it with the aid of CGI then that's the best way to do it," he notes. "But sometimes on a film there's a problem that they don't know how to solve and they will say 'We'll figure it out in post (-production)...' - whether it's blood gushing or something like that. If it's not properly approached that's, for me, when the CGI CAN look dodgy. But if you go into it with a clear plan, you can get great results. I knew when we were filming it, they had some very nice set-builds and everything. Great sets, the costumes were great and obviously Renny Harlin is no stranger to making a movie that is stylish and looks good. he's done many of those in the past. So we all expected it to look good, absolutely..."
Scott says that it's often the director that will make any project work, regardless of budget - the person at the helm needing the ability to work well with actors and have a clear vision of what he wants from them and the finished piece. He speaks highly of Harlin and says he's looking forward to re-teaming with regular collaborator Isaac Florentine in the near future. The two have worked together on the likes of Ninja, Ninja 2: Shadow of a Tear, Undisputed 2, Undisputed 3. Close Range will hit screens next year and a much rumoured fourth entry in the Undisputed series (where he plays the infamous Yuri Boyka) remains - he says - a certainty, just dependent on scheduling.
"Isaac and I are really good friends outside of work, anyway and he gave me my break... I wouldn't be where I am today without him. I like to work with Isaac because he's a director who understands action. Not just that, but he understands the need to schedule a movie in terms of giving us enough time to make sure the action is good. He understands story," Scott explains. "As an actor I've worked with him so many times now that I know he doesn't need to bullshit me... he can say exactly what the problems are and we can work towards a good result. He likes to work with me, I think, because I'm ready to put my body on the line to make a good action film. I've ended up injured and in pieces (laughs) but he knows I work hard. I'll be there for him - and likewise."
"We're still working on the script for Undisputed 4," he adds. I should have news on that soon because I know people are really looking forward to it and it's my top priority to get it done. But the film-business can be complicated sometimes... we're working towards it. There are too many elements that have to come together to get a film made... but we're working on it."
He remains a prolific actor who says he seeks out the careful balance between searching out the best roles he can and pragmatically 'paying the bills'. He's happy with at least a majority of his choices to date and has worked with many people he's truly admired as he methodically built a respected career. Later this year we'll see his role in Wolf War, working with one of the other industry figures he most admires...
"Wolf War should be coming out this year, with Wu Jing for whom I've got a tremendous amount of respect. He directed that and he wanted me to play a part, so I was happy to come on and do that for him. The trailer looks great, so I hope the (whole) film lives up to it."
For the moment there's a slight change of pace with an appearance in Sacha Baron Cohen's latest comedy, Grimsby, which he'll finish shooting in South Africa this month - though, of course, he still gets to show off his fighting prowess.
From facing Hercules in Ancient Greece to a hard-man in an anarchic Grimsby..? Scott Adkins CV continues to fill up nicely...perhaps even with a Kickboxer in his future...
Lionsgate UK releases THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (12) on 3D Blu-ray and DVD on the 4th August 2014
