Best known for his roles in martial arts classics like Death Warrant, Bloodsport, and Kickboxer, Jean-Claude Van Damme is returning to the genre. The action icon will be starring in a new film about a former fighter who prepares for the biggest fight of his life in order to rescue his daughter.
Per Deadline, Van Damme is set to star in Katana, a martial arts movie set in Japan. The project is being shopped by The Veterans ahead of the American Film Market. Jeremy Zag (Miraculous franchise) is developing the film, while Van Damme is being joined by real-life martial arts champions like Armenian fighter Melsik Baghdasaryan and French kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter Cyril Benzaquen.
Katana, according to the official logline, follows a “former world champion fighter, now a father, who has left behind a dark past. He is forced to make one more journey into combat when his daughter is taken by the yakuza in Japan.”
“Jean-Claude Van Damme made me want to walk into a dojo,” Zag said about casting Van Damme. “After 30 years of practicing Kyokushin karate at an elite level, directing him in Katana is a lifelong dream come true. I want to bring together the power of Bloodsport, the urgency of Taken and the energy of John Wick in a deeply human story: a father entering Japan’s criminal underworld to save his daughter. His experience is his strength. I want audiences to feel every impact, every breath and the love that keeps him fighting.”
Zag is known for his work on the hit Miraculous franchise, including the animated film and TV series. He said how his passion for Japanese anime helped inspire Miraculous. Now, he’s using that same mindset to develop a martial arts movie with a familiar icon who rose to fame in the genre leading the cast.
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“With Katana, I’m bringing that passion into a different universe, drawing on Japan’s extraordinary beauty, darkness and martial traditions to create a spectacular adventure for a worldwide audience. The samurai’s code of honor and the beauty and intensity of katana combat are central to that vision,” he said. “Alongside Jean-Claude, we’re bringing together real fighters and champions from around the world, men and women from different generations.”
He continued, “For years, Jean-Claude hadn’t wanted to return to this kind of cinema. He has placed his trust in me because we speak the same language as martial artists and share a deep understanding of combat. Together, we want to make one last great martial arts film: a celebration of everything we love about this cinema, and a tribute to an icon who inspired us all.”
Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Katana does not yet have a release date, but filming is scheduled to take place between April and June 2027 in Japan, France, and Los Angeles.
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