Summary
In the wake ofMortal Kombat’s continued popularity, Tiger Style Media is keeping the martial arts films flowing. Their first venture,Art of Eight Limbs, follows a young CIA data analyst who has some boxing skills and is tasked with a highly sensitive mission. When a warlord in Myanmar is selling deadly VX gas to the highest bidder the CIA steps in to halt his plans, their best option is not a seasoned agent, but a data analyst. As he is embroiled in this criminal underworld he will have to face off against skilled fighters in a deadly martial arts tournament with not just his life on the line, but the fate of the world.
Art of Eight LimbsstarsLudi Lin (Mortal Kombat)who not only leads the cast with a performance full of heart and comedy he also performed all of his own stunts in this action-heavy martial arts movie. Tiger Style Media is launching a new era of martial arts movies andArt of Eight Limbsis just the start paired as a double feature withThe Lockdown.
The fight sequences are an impressive show of not only fight choreography and direction but truly engaging performances from the performers.
Screen Rantinterviewed Ludi Lin and Nicholas Hammond about their roles inArt of Eight Limbs. They shared insight into their characters and what it meant to have Lin train for and perform all of his own stunts. Lin also discussed Karl Urban as Johnny Cage inMortal Kombat 2and what his hopes were for asequel toPower Rangers 2017.
Ludi Lin Reveals What First Attracted Him To The Movie
“The Art Of Eight Limbs [Is] Another Name For Muay Thai”
Screen Rant: Tiger Style Media launches a new era of martial arts films, and it’s going to be delivering some contemporary and dynamic twists. Ludi, what can you tell me about theArt of Eight Limbsand your character?
Ludi Lin: First of all, the Art of Eight Limbs, the title is what really initially attracted me to the film. It sounds great. The art of eight limbs it’s another name for Muay Thai, the martial art, because you use your fists, you use your legs, you use your knees, you use your elbows.
In the film, my character practices kickboxing, e also works for the CIA, and then he’s dragged into this international espionage case where he has to go into Myanmar and stop basically a warlord from selling VX gas to all kinds of terrorist organizations around the world where millions of lives could be at stakes. So that’s his thing.
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Nicholas, what drew you to the project and what can you share about your character in the film?
Nicholas Hammond: Well, two things drew me to it. I’d worked with Shannon Macintosh, the producer, before, and I had great respect for her. I knew anything she did was going to be a quality piece of work. I hadn’t done a martial arts movie before. I hadn’t shot in Bangkok before. I hadn’t been in that world of fighters. And all of that sounded incredibly interesting to me.
Also playing a CIA station chief, I’ve played CIA characters before, but I’d never played one in that situation where he’s deeply embedded and then has this father-son kind of relationship with the young agent who’s brought over undercover. His cover being that he’s simply a fighter, and of course he’s really there as a CIA operative and all of that just fit together to me. It just sounded very cool. So I thought, yeah, I would love to do this, and I’m very happy I did it.
The Art Of Eight Limbs Stars Break Down The Movie’s Stressful Stunts
I think something that’s really cool about this and Tiger Style Media is that you guys are doing your own stunts. Ludi, I know that you’re very familiar with stunt fighting and choreography, but in this film, you are doing all of your own stunts. Can you share how much input you had into your choreography and your fight scenes and getting prepared to actually do all your own stunts in this film?
Ludi Lin: Yeah, a lot. First of all, I was freaked out. I mean, going into the situation, it all happened very fast. I think the scene I was most scared about actually is a scene where I had to swim myself because I’m not a great swimmer. I can scuba dive like nobody’s business because you can breathe underwater when you have a tank on your back. But swimming, I’m too heavy. I don’t know. I’ve tried, but I sink like a rock.
So when I found out I had to swim, that really freaked me out. Also the other things, it’s just putting in as much time as I can to get the choreography to a level where it is going to come across on screen and not look foolish. Obviously when I’m looking at the film, I still wish I had more time, but I was really proud that I got to do everything myself I and live to tell the story.
Nicholas, first of all, isArt of Eight Limbsconnected in the same world asThe Lockdown? Are they in the same shared universe? Can you talk about working with Luie on this project, especially those high-tension action scenes?
Nicholas Hammond: Yeah. Well, I’m not sure if it’s connected with The Lockdown or not. I mean, I think it probably got delayed in being filmed because of that, but it would’ve just given the director and Shannon and Bob Gross, the writer, more time to develop the characters, which they did. I think particularly, well in my case, once I said Yes, I’d do it, then I think they slightly then shaped that role knowing I was the guy that was going to be doing it.
Watching Ludi, I’m just going to say this will embarrass him, but I have never seen anybody train harder, work harder. I mean every single moment of every day that guy, he was either exercising, he was practicing his fights, he was drinking his protein steaks, he was incredibly disciplined about his diet. Well, which you were all day long. That was the first time I’d ever been around what I would call an Olympic level athlete and the amount of training and the amount of discipline that requires.
I think the only time I’ve ever seen it close to that, Ludi mentioned this earlier about the comparison to dancers. I did a film once with some ballet dancers in it, and to watch the way those people train and the discipline and the number of hours they put in every day, it was similar to what he does. So that was fascinating for me and it exposed me to a world I didn’t know, but that I have huge respect for.
Because way back in the day in Spider-Man, when I did a few little fights with some kung fu guys, but frankly it was a movie. So I would do the basic stuff and then once it got difficult, the stunt guy would come in and do it. But in Ludi’s case, there was never a stuntman. He did absolutely every single thing himself. In fact, I think they all did. They, I mean, I think the guy who played the French fighter, he did all of his own fight. Yeah, they were all real
Ludi Lin Teases Karl Urban’s Performance In Mortal Kombat 2
Karl Urban Is Guaranteed “To Blow Your Socks Off”
Ludi, I got a couple of questions for you because I’m a huge fan of your work. I’m really looking forward tothis nextMortal Kombatmovieand I’m a big Liu Kang fan. What can we expect from that character in the sequel?
Ludi Lin: I hope you guys are ready for the next one. I mean, we’ve been shooting this movie forever. I’m back in Australia still shooting MK 2. I was here for almost a year last time. It’s going to be pretty immense. Everything’s going to be bigger. The story’s going to be great. Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. I hope you guys are ready because he’s going to blow your socks off.
But just from the experience that actors like Karl, actors like Nicholas bring on set. I mean, he mentioned that in the Art of Eight Limbs, they really changed the script, started tweaking in after they found out that they’ve nailed an actor like him to play the role. You can tell as soon as he comes on, it really, it fills out the entire movie.
He fills out the role, just like Karl does with Johnny Cage, there’s just a level of expertise or some toolbox that the essence that they bring to the role that just adds another dimension to it. So yeah, in both cases, I really look up to actors like this that can really bring a movie to the next level.
Ludi Lin Shares His Thoughts On Power Rangers: “I Was Really Pitching Tommy”
I met you onPower Rangersin 2017. That was my jam. Big Power Ranger fan Look, I think thatPower Rangersfilm in 2017 was excellent. Tommy was teased at the end of that movie. Do you know what the direction of the sequel was supposed to be?
Ludi Lin: Man, I really feel like, I know that I was really pitching Tommy. I feel like that movie was kind of, I know people say this a lot. I don’t know if I’m just saying it as a cop out right now, but it was ahead of its time. It was before this hero craze. It was before the darker films that came along. And also when I thought of Tommy, I said, Tommy could be a girl in the next movie.
I think nowadays that we would’ve considered it. But again, I’m lucky enough to have really never had a bad experience on a movie set. Every single movie set, Nicholas and I was discussing before, people come together, gel together like a family, and then the family grows and bring in people like yourself that we meet through the years. It just adds more dimensions to the movie.
Movies don’t really ever die because people keep watching them and reliving them. And I think that sequel is maybe in a multidimensional thing. It exists out there, but I’m excited to see what they do with it. I feel like there’s so much creativity and people really digging into how to make the superhero genre, the action genres, the big tentpole genres interesting, exciting, new, fresh creative. So I’m really excited to see what they do with it. Just like MK 2, it’s going to a totally different ball game.
Watch Art of Eight Limbs On August 16
A CIA data analyst and part-time kickboxer is sent on a mission to Myanmar, he must infiltrate a martial arts tournament that serves as a cover for an arms dealer auctioning VX Nerve Gas. His objective: deliver a critical detection device to allies. However, as the mission spirals out of control, he is forced to confront the world’s most ruthless fighters, standing as the last line of defense against a time-ticking global threat.
Art of Eight Limbshits select theaters on August 16 as a double feature withThe Lockdownand will be available on digital on August 20.
