Why is there lot of young martial arts actors but they not in fighting movies like the martial arts actors of the 80s and 90s?

[moonhill99]

Why is there lot of young martial arts actors but they not in fighting movies like the Martial Arts actors of the 80s and 90s

Actors With Real Martial Arts Skills in Real Life

Lot of actors that know Martial Arts but they are not in Martial Arts movies.

Like Jean Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris movies made around actor in action fighting movies but that not case with young martial arts actors today.

 

[Buka]

The production and casting of films is driven by an audience willing to pay to watch them.

The pandemic had a significant negative impact on the film industry, as did the writers strike that followed shortly after.

The cost of unionized film is enormous and continually on the rise. A studio will ask itself “who will be attracted to this?”

The actors listed cover a wide range of abilities, from a lot to having a cup of coffee in a dojo.

While a small, independent film might recoup its costs and break even, that’s not what the film maker is looking for. They’re hesitant to pour big money into something that might only attract Martial junkies like us.

Movies are a tough racket.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Question about the video. How much did each train and why, some I am sure are serious, like Robert John Downey Jr. with Wing Chun. Others may have only trained for parts in a movie. And there is at least one mistake there, Forest Whitaker also studied JKD with Dan Inosanto. And I believe Gal Gadot, not only trained Krav Maga but was at one point a Krav Maga trainer for the IDF

 

[moonhill99]

The production and casting of films is driven by an audience willing to pay to watch them.

The pandemic had a significant negative impact on the film industry, as did the writers strike that followed shortly after.

The cost of unionized film is enormous and continually on the rise. A studio will ask itself “who will be attracted to this?”

The actors listed cover a wide range of abilities, from a lot to having a cup of coffee in a dojo.

While a small, independent film might recoup its costs and break even, that’s not what the film maker is looking for. They’re hesitant to pour big money into something that might only attract Martial junkies like us.

Movies are a tough racket.

I think Hollywood was in very different place in the 80s and 90s as Hollywood created lot of martial arts and masculinity actors help build them up.

It not just martial arts but even masculinity like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis.

Hollywood created those actors and made them known and help jump start there career as many movies was centred around Jean Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris or masculinity actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis.

Hollywood of the 80s and 90s wanted the tough and strong fighting actor. Now Hollywood seems to be too afraid to invest much money into actor to not prompt up their career.

It could be because well Hollywood help jump start their career in Hollywood actors like Jean Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris or masculinity actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis started asking more money and even more money and more and more money to point Hollywood was being chocked.

It lot cheaper to have throw way actor than movie with Jean Claude Van Damme in it or Arnold Schwarzenegger that going ask lot money for even short role in movie.

So Hollywood toady martial arts or masculinity is not the driving factor like the 80s and 90s. Hollywood is not going to say wow yes wow you know martial arts or your body is really ripe that us invest billions of dollars into your and prompt up your acting career by making lots movies around your body image.

Hollywood today seems to be more about movie than the actor today.

Also action cop fighting movies seems to be really tone down today where comic fighting abilities is rage today and movies centred around comics.

 

[ap Oweyn]

Which young martial arts actors are you talking about? It feels like a pretty good time for martial arts movies to me. While they're not precisely young, Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, and others have turned out some absolute bangers in the past few years. Just to name a few. And Bren Foster's "Life After Fighting" was a complete blast to watch. I can only hope he's already hard at work on his next feature film.

And, as a guy who grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s and has recently gone back to rewatch some of those films, quite a lot of them are absolutely dreadful. Fun from a nostalgia standpoint, but I'd rewatch Undisputed 3 a half dozen times before I rewatched some of the dreck I rented in the 90s.

 

[marvin8]

Why is there lot of young martial arts actors but they not in fighting movies like the Martial Arts actors of the 80s and 90s

Actors With Real Martial Arts Skills in Real Life

Lot of actors that know Martial Arts but they are not in Martial Arts movies.

Like Jean Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris movies made around actor in action fighting movies but that not case with young martial arts actors today.

Today, there is more real fighting available to watch with MMA, Muay Thai, BKB, etc. So, there may be less demand for choreographed, unrealistic or CGI fight scenes in movies.

 

[skribs]

I think it's a lot of things.

1. Hollywood doesn't really make low-budget or mid-budget movies anymore. It's all big-budget blockbusters with safe intellectual properties. Someone with martial arts training can become Spiderman or Captain America, but can't be some previously-unknown character who's good with martial arts.
2. With modern cinematography and postproduction, you can make anyone look like a martial artist. Give one of these Hollywood directors a camera and have them film some drunk guy dancing, and they could probably make it look like he's fighting his twin. It's far easier to make an actor look good in a fight scene than to teach a martial artist how to act.
3. Martial arts in the 70s, 80s, and 90s was mostly about Kung Fu, Karate, Taekwondo. Nowadays it's more about MMA and BJJ. The TMAs put a lot more effort into the performative aspects of the martial art. They tend to look better on camera, especially to the untrained.
4. Martial arts movies tend to push the narrative that if you work hard, you'll become the best. Today's movies tend more towards if you realize how good you are, you'll realize you're the best. I think audiences are strongly rebelling against the new narrative, but it's going to take time for the turnover in Hollywood to fix that.

I'm really enjoying Cobra Kai, because it is really the first martial arts cinema we've seen hit center stage in quite some time. I'm hoping it brings back the trend.

 

[J. Pickard]

The popularity of martial arts movies isn't what it used to be. The need for martial arts in movies isn't even as common, the whole villain/hero dynamic is practically nonexistent now adays and on the rare occasion it does come up, it's easier to use camera tricks to make an actor look like a fighter to the average person than it is to get a martial arts actor that fits the role. To the trained eye, it's very noticeable when they do this, but to most it's not.

 

[moonhill99]

Was Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris mostly in low budget or mid-budget movies in the past.

Most them seem to be action movies or cop movies.I don’t think Steven Seagal was in any blockbuster movie.

 

[Buka]

I think Hollywood was in very different place in the 80s and 90s as Hollywood created lot of martial arts and masculinity actors help build them up.

It not just martial arts but even masculinity like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis.

Hollywood created those actors and made them known and help jump start there career as many movies was centred around Jean Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris or masculinity actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis.

Hollywood of the 80s and 90s wanted the tough and strong fighting actor. Now Hollywood seems to be too afraid to invest much money into actor to not prompt up their career.

It could be because well Hollywood help jump start their career in Hollywood actors like Jean Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris or masculinity actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis started asking more money and even more money and more and more money to point Hollywood was being chocked.

It lot cheaper to have throw way actor than movie with Jean Claude Van Damme in it or Arnold Schwarzenegger that going ask lot money for even short role in movie.

So Hollywood toady martial arts or masculinity is not the driving factor like the 80s and 90s. Hollywood is not going to say wow yes wow you know martial arts or your body is really ripe that us invest billions of dollars into your and prompt up your acting career by making lots movies around your body image.

Hollywood today seems to be more about movie than the actor today.

Also action cop fighting movies seems to be really tone down today where comic fighting abilities is rage today and movies centred around comics.

Die Hard was one of my favorite movies back in the day. A buddy of mine was a graphic artist in Hollywood back then and drew the movie posters for Die Hard. (With and without Bruce Willis’s name and image on them.)

He recently retired and moved to Thailand. Asked me if I wanted the framed movie poster for Die Hard. I said “Heck yes!”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t take it. It was nine feet high and four feet wide, wouldn’t even fit in my car. Or my small house, for that matter. Sure did make me laugh when I saw it, though.

I still love that movie.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

Well, judging by the movies I've seen recently, nobody in Hollywood has had an original idea at any time during the past 30 years. That or studios have become so risk averse that it's more financially viable to just keep turning out sequels, prequels and comic book movies

 

[moonhill99]

Well, judging by the movies I've seen recently, nobody in Hollywood has had an original idea at any time during the past 30 years. That or studios have become so risk averse that it's more financially viable to just keep turning out sequels, prequels and comic book movies

Not sure what this has to do with low budget movies? Is it most Claude Van Damme or all Steven Seagal movies low budget?

 

[ap Oweyn]

Was Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris mostly in low budget or mid-budget movies in the past.

Most them seem to be action movies or cop movies.I don’t think Steven Seagal was in any blockbuster movie.

Everyone you just mentioned had big hit movies in the late 80s and early 90s. Earlier for Norris. Seagal's Above the Law, Hard to Kill, Out for Justice, and Under Siege were all big in the cinema when I was a young man.

 

[moonhill99]

Everyone you just mentioned had big hit movies in the late 80s and early 90s. Earlier for Norris. Seagal's Above the Law, Hard to Kill, Out for Justice, and Under Siege were all big in the cinema when I was a young man.

That what I mean Hollywood invested billions of dollars to prompt up those actors be it martial arts or bodybuilders to make them well known.

The younger actors today in martial arts movies not many movies so the actors not that well known like the older actors.

 

[ap Oweyn]

That what I mean Hollywood invested billions of dollars to prompt up those actors be it martial arts or bodybuilders to make them well known.

The younger actors today in martial arts movies not many movies so the actors not that well known like the older actors.

I think you might need to expand your horizons. I think the best martial arts movies in recent years aren't coming out of the U.S. Australia (Bren Foster), Indonesia (Iko Uwais), Thailand (Tony Jaa), Vietnam (Johnny Tri Nguyen), etc. I think it's actually been a pretty great time for martial arts movies.

 

[moonhill99]

I think you might need to expand your horizons. I think the best martial arts movies in recent years aren't coming out of the U.S. Australia (Bren Foster), Indonesia (Iko Uwais), Thailand (Tony Jaa), Vietnam (Johnny Tri Nguyen), etc. I think it's actually been a pretty great time for martial arts movies.

I think it may be harder to watch movie coming out China or Japan with language thing.

 

[ap Oweyn]

I think it may be harder to watch movie coming out China or Japan with language thing.

What's your first language?