''A Man Will Rise'' (originally known as ''Local Hero'') is an uncompleted

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

western film The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

directed by

Tony Jaa Tatchakorn Yeerum ( th, ทัชชกร ยีรัมย์, , ; formerly Phanom Yeerum ( th, พนม ยีรัมย์, ); born 5 February 1976), better known internationally as Tony Jaa and in Thailand as Jaa Phanom ( th, จา � ...

and Vitidnan Rojanapanich, and starring Jaa, Dolph Lundgren, Conan Stevens, and Byron Gibson. Set in 1950s Thailand, the film follows a local gangster who terrorizes a town. When a young man opposes him, the gangster hires a group of foreign hit men to kill the rebel and silence the town. In January 2013, Jean-Claude Van Damme was rumored to be co-starring alongside Jaa; in reality, he was never available due to scheduling issues, and as a result, Lundgren was cast as an alternative. The film entered production in April 2013, but came to an abrupt halt after three months of filming.

Sahamongkol Film International Sahamongkol Film International Co. Ltd. ( th, บริษัท สหมงคลฟิล์ม จำกัด, also Sahamongkolfilm, Mongkol Film or SM) is a Thai motion picture production and distribution company. It is the leading movie co ...

filed a $49–50 million lawsuit against Jaa,

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, and

United International Pictures United International Pictures (UIP) is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures that distributes their films outside the United States and Canada. UIP also had international distribution rights to certain Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer an ...

, claiming Jaa was in breach of his contract by accepting a role in ''

Fast and Furious 7 ''Furious 7'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 7'') is a 2015 American action film directed by James Wan and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''Fast & Furious 6'' (2013) and '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006), and ser ...

''. After two years of legal proceedings, Sahamongkol dropped the lawsuit in July 2015. Despite this, production of ''A Man Will Rise'' has not continued, and the film remains uncompleted.

Plot

A local gangster terrorizes a town. When a young local man stands up to the gangster the villain brings in a group of foreign hit men who like to dress as cowboys to pacify the town. ...

Cast

as Unknown * Dolph Lundgren as Unknown * Conan Stevens as "Cowboy Hitman" * David Islamone as "Cowboy Hitman" * Byron Gibson as Diego * Damian Mavis as Cowboy Gangster * Russell Geoffrey Banks as Cowboy Gangster * Manel Soler as Cowboy Gangster * Jakkrit Kanokpodjananon as Unknown * Leigh Barwell as Mexican Prostitute * Alexandra Merle as Mexican Prostitute

Production

Development

News of the film first emerged under the working title of ''Local Hero'' in January 2013. Jean-Claude Van Damme was rumored to be co-starring alongside Jaa, but he could not commit due to scheduling issues; he was filming '' Swelter'' at the time. Dolph Lundgren was cast as an alternative.

Filming

Filming began in April 2013; Jaa was announced as co-director the same month. After three months of filming, production came to an abrupt halt with only 20% of the film complete."Thai actor Tony Jaa talks about making movies in Hollywood and Kong"
''www.news.asiaone.com'', published 03-31-2015. Retrieved 09-05-2015. Sahamongkol Film International filed a $49–50 million lawsuit against Jaa, Universal Pictures, and United International Pictures in September 2013, claiming that Jaa was in breach of his contract by accepting the role of Kiet in ''Fast and Furious 7''.Zahra, Nageen
"Fast and Furious 7: Tony Jaa's Contract Delays Premiere in Thailand"
''www.segmentnext.com'', published April, 2015. Retrieved 09-05-2015. Sahamongkol based their sum on the cost of launching Jaa's career and loss of future earnings, plus an additional 7.5% interest. They attempted to halt the release of ''Fast and Furious 7'' in Thailand,Brown, Todd

, ''www.twitchfilm.com'', published 07-08-2015. Retrieved 09-04-2015. and on March 27, 2015, a civil court approved, blocking release the film until a settlement had been reached by both parties.Bangkok Post Reporter
"'Fast and Furious 7' screening stopped in Thailand"
''www.bangkokpost.com'', published 03-27-2015. Retrieved 09-05-2015. The court came to its decision after interviewing two employees of Sahamongkol: Akarapol Karasaranee, the son of the company's president, Somsak Techaratanaprasert; and Suwat Apaipak, a member of Sahamongkol's legal team. In response to the allegations, Jaa stated that his contract with Sahamongkol had ended. He claimed that it was terminated through his lawyer in 2013,Schmid, Thomas
"Tycoon 'furious' over thai star Tony Jaa's defection"
, ''www.filmjournal.com'', published 10-14-2013. Retrieved 09-06-2015. describing it as "business slavery" due to its allegedly overrestrictive terms and conditions. Sahamongkol claimed that the contract had been renewed for another ten years, through 2023.Frater, Patrick
"Thailand Release of 'Furious 7' Halted by Tony Jaa Contract Dispute"
''www.variety.com'', published 03-27-2015. Retrieved 09-05-2015. In the suit, Sahamangkol also requested that Jaa pay back his salary for ''A Man Will Rise'', reportedly ฿26 million ($722,000). The legal matters surrounding the lawsuit have prevented the completion of the film,Friel, Eoin
"Will We Ever See 'Re-Kill' Or 'A Man Will Rise'?"
''www.theactionelite.com'', published 05-28-2014. Retrieved 09-04-2015. and although the lawsuit was dropped in July 2015,Bangkok, Coconuts
"Sahamongkol withdraws lawsuit against Tony Jaa"
''www.bangkok.coconuts.co'', published 07-07-2015. Retrieved 09-04-2015. the film remains unfinished. There are currently no plans to complete the film.The Night Rider

''www.manlymovie.net'', published 03-16-2015. Retrieved 09-05-2015.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Man Will Rise Thai comedy films 2010s unfinished films Cancelled films Unreleased films 2010s English-language films