Scott Adkins is currently the most popular bad guy in China, his villainous turn as the commander of a foreign mercenary team opposite wushu maestro Wu Jing in Wolf Warrior, has raked in just under US$50 million at the Chinese box office in its first week of release, with more than US$30 million for the opening weekend. The movie, which was also directed by Wu Jing, follows an elite Chinese Speical Forces officer (Wu Jing) who is reassigned following a mission that went wrong, but a foreign mercenary team lead by Scott Adkins has 'termination with extreme prejudice' on their mind when they find out he is the man responsible for their leader's death.
"I'm very grateful to Wu Jing for putting me in his amazing movie and I'm very happy that it's made so much at the Chinese box office. I know how hard Jing worked and he deserves every success. He impressed me so much not just as a director and martial artist but as a human being..."
- Scott Adkins.
As well as Wu Jing and Scott Adkins, the film also features Yu Nan (Expendables 2), and Kyle Shapiro, Chris Collins and Kevin Lee Plume. Wolf Warrior has already been picked up for a North American release by our old friends at WellGoUSA and hopefully will be hitting the UK shortly. Wolf Warrior crushed its expected rival at the box office, the troubled Nicholas Cage-Hayden Christensen swordplay potboiler Outcast, which after a troubled production and a fumbled initial release schedule barely took him US$2 million in the same period.
Adkins is currently shooting the military actioner Jarhead: The Siege and will be re-teaming with director James Nunn (with whom he shot Green Street 3) for a new collaboration between WWE Studios and UK based Richwater Films (Vendetta), for Dead Man Down, alongside pro-wrestler Wade Barrett in a film that pits a US Federal agent against Europe's most deadly assassin.
"Eliminators will be directed by James Nunn and star me and bad news Barrett it's a full on fight action movie so looking forward to filming that in London in May..."
- Scott Adkins
And it seems that this year will also see Adkins transforming himself once more into the flipping-kicking bad boy persona of Yuri Boyka, the most complete fighter in the world for Undisputed 4, but about which Adkins remains, for now, tight-lipped. While we've loved the prison fight club setting for the three chapters in the Undisputed series, we'd love to see Boyka's world get expanded - perhaps a Walking Tall meets First Blood feel, as the last film ended with the newly redeemed Boyka returning home... but with his previous reputation, we doubt he'll be able to fit back into the quiet life too easily.
Adkins also completed a costarring role in Criminal alongside Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman and Ryan Reynolds (who, ironically, Adkins doubled in X-Men Origins: Wolverine) which tells what happens when the memories and skills of a deceased CIA agent are implanted into an unpredictable and dangerous convict.
"Gary Oldman is my all time favourite actor so it was a real thrill to work so closely with him on what I think will be a really good exciting thriller..."
- Scott Adkins
If that's not enough, Adkins will also be seen in the comedy Grimsby (alongside Sasha Baron Cohe) about a secret agent forced to team up with his footaball hooligan brother and a memorable role in Zero Tolerence (formerly Angels) opposite Dustin Nguyen. We have the release of Close Range to look forward to... which saw Adkins and director Isaac Florentine coming back together at the start of 2015. The story: After rescuing his kidnapped niece from a powerful drug cartel, Colton MacReady (Adkins) begins a relentless fight to save his family. The cartel has descended upon his secluded ranch with a thirst for revenge. In tow is a corrupt local sheriff and his crew of deputies, ensuring that help won’t be coming any time soon .. This film had us excited already, but the release of the first teaser for the movie, a solid single take fight sequence really has us excited.
