Iko Uwais returns to his home ground. The martial arts star, who rose to worldwide fame with the series “The Raid,” will lead the new Indonesian action thriller “Warrior,” which returns to the silat-based fighting style that launched his career.
The film follows a former elite silat practitioner who is released from prison determined to forget his violent past, but his resolve is quickly undone when a Malaysian criminal gang moves into his neighborhood, takes control of the local roads, and goes after those he cares about. Drawn back to the world he was trying to escape, he realizes that the only obstacle between the Syndicate and the community it seeks to control is himself. The conflict spiraled from street threats to full-scale war, unfolding in Jakarta’s markets, back alleys and rooftops.
The film will be the first solo directorial effort for cinematographer and producer John Ruddell, who has worked on major Asian and Hollywood productions such as Dev Patel’s Monkey Man and Michael Mann’s Blackhat. Ruddell has worked extensively with Uwais as director and producer on four previous films, and is also attached to the upcoming action film Warpath, which pairs Uwais with Scott Adkins.
On the production side, the project brings together Indonesian industry veteran Deron Tio (whose name is Nation Pictures and has helped produce many important Indonesian films, including the Mo Brothers’ debut film Makaburu) and Erika North and Nick North of Yeti Entertainment, who have deep roots in international film development and finance in Asia and the United States. Rounding out the team is action producer Mike Reeder of Red Packet Media.
Uwais will take on the role of executive producer alongside Ryan Susanto through the newly established Uwais Pictures label. Overseas sales are outsourced to K-Movie Entertainment.
The project is the first to emerge from a new joint venture between Asia Media Alliance Group and Nation Pictures, which focuses on genre film production across Southeast Asia for international markets. A wider range of action and horror titles will be announced in the coming months.
Production is expected to begin this summer, with all filming to be based in Indonesia and featuring local locations, crew, and up-and-coming martial arts performers.
Uwais is represented by Brett Norensburg of Gersh and Mike Strout of Vault.
