are you ready for some exciting news? It looks like the success of the John Wick movies has sparked a renewed interest in martial arts films. This means that the Kickboxer franchise might just be getting a reboot! The new wave of martial arts movies might have a tough time finding young stars with the right skills, but a big-budget Kickboxer reboot has better chances than ever before.
You see, Kickboxer is the perfect candidate for a reboot. It’s already well-known, and audiences would be open to a fresh take on the franchise without being too attached to the original. A well-executed reinvention could be the perfect successor to John Wick.
With John Wick reigniting interest in the martial arts genre, one 80s action franchise is primed for a reboot. The John Wick franchise has proven itself to be a force of nature, starting with a modest budget in 2013 and growing into one of the most exciting and popular franchises in modern action movies. It has set a high standard for action films, inspiring other titles to match its disciplined martial arts fight scenes.
As John Wick imitators pop up left and right, it’s worth looking to cinema’s last martial arts boom for ideas for the franchise’s successor. While John Wick’s saga may not be ending as quickly as initially suggested, the franchise can’t sustain a burgeoning martial arts resurgence on its own. There are plenty of pre-existing properties from the last boom that could be rebooted into vehicles for a fresh crop of action stars, but one IP boasts the perfect conditions.
The face of mainstream action cinema has transformed in the wake of John Wick. The meticulously choreographed martial arts action has reignited audience interest in skillfully arranged action choreography. With plans for an entire John Wick cinematic universe and films like Bullet Train and Everything Everywhere All at Once following the martial arts example, cinema seems headed for a martial arts boom similar to that which launched the careers of stars like Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris, and Jean-Claude van Damme in the 1980s and 90s. That said, there’s plenty of evidence that a Kickboxer reboot has the potential to be the next John Wick-like franchise.
It’s still too soon to say if the early rumblings of a martial arts resurgence will materialize into anything substantial. A lack of young movie stars with the necessary martial arts training meant that John Wick and Everything Everywhere required the participation of Keanu Reeves and Michelle Yeoh, two stars who first rose to prominence in the 90s. The lack of a major pipeline of low-budget martial arts movies similar to that which fed the 80s and 90s boom means that the new wave may not have the new stars necessary to support it. However, the chances of a big-budget Kickboxer reboot are better than they’ve been in decades.
It’s worth noting that Kickboxer already received a reboot in 2016 with Kickboxer: Vengeance; however, the film was a low-budget affair and received poor reviews. With a higher budget and the right director, another Kickboxer remake could capture the charms of the original while skipping over the cheesier elements that hold the film back from being an all-out classic. Indeed, it’s Kickboxer’s non-classic status that makes it prime fodder for a reboot; the film is a recognizable IP, but audiences are not so precious about the original that they would mind a dramatic overhaul. A sharp reinvention of Kickboxer could be the perfect follow-up to John Wick.