Stateside fans of authentic, cuts-and-bruises kickboxing will be rejoicing, with news that Ong-Bak 2 has picked up a US distribution deal, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
The sequel to Ong-Bak, in which Tony Jaa defends a village's Buddhist icon, beating up half of Thailand in the process, was an underground hit in the US back in 2003. Jaa hasn't made as big an impact in Hollywood as expected since then, but gets another chance to impress with his no-holds-barred Muay Thai stylings
Magnolia Pictures, who also released the original, have high hopes for Jaa. Eamonn Bowles, president of the distributor, said: "We're beyond thrilled to be able to carry the franchise forward and continue our relationship with Tony."
Magnolia is shortly to release Chocolate, more martial arts mentalism from Ong-Bak director Prachya Pinkaew. Ong-Bak 3 is currently in production and slated for release at the end of the year.