Cult Japanese action star Tak Sakaguchi has signed on to play arch-nemesis Iko Uwais in the upcoming martial arts film Pendecal: Warrior, which marks Sakaguchi’s first major screen appearance outside his home country.
Principal photography is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Sakaguchi, known to action enthusiasts for his frenetic roles in Versus and Re:Born, has built a reputation for his relentlessly physical approach to screen fights. He is widely known for one of the most extraordinary scenes in any action movie, a 77-minute one-shot in “Crazy Samurai Musashi” in which he faces off against nearly 400 opponents. The pairing with Uwais, known worldwide for his roles in The Raid, The Raid 2, Headshot, The Night Comes For Us, Mile 22, and Expend 4 Bulls, brings together two performers from rival martial arts traditions who have never shared the screen before.
“Iko and Taku share something incredibly rare: when they fight on screen, the audience feels that every move has a purpose and an outcome,” said director, filmmaker and cinematographer John Ruddell ACS. “They have different martial arts traditions, but the same uncompromising commitment to truth in their performance. Watching these two finally face off will be visceral, emotional, and unlike anything audiences have seen before.”
Set on the streets of Jakarta, Pendekar: Warrior follows a former silat master who is released from prison to eliminate violence, only to find that a crime syndicate has taken over his former neighborhood. The character is forced to fight again to protect those closest to him, and the film becomes the vehicle through which he aims to bring Indonesian silat to a global audience. Both Uwais and Sakaguchi have been actively preparing physically and are working with the production’s action team to develop sequences that blend Silat’s speed with Sakaguchi’s close combat style.
“This is more than a showdown between two great action performers,” added Ruddell. “We’re creating action that comes from character and emotion. When Iko and Taku finally collide, it has to feel like two unstoppable forces meeting, and it has to feel like the moment action fans have been waiting for years.”
The film was produced by Asia Media Alliance Group, along with leading Indonesian producers Delon Tio of Nation Pictures, Erika North and Nick North of Yeti Entertainment, and veteran action producer Mike Reader of Hong Kong-based Red Packet Media. Uwais and Ryan Santoso will serve as executive producers through Uwais Pictures, with K-Movie Entertainment serving as co-producer and international sales agent.
“Co-starring Iko Uwais and Taku Sakaguchi is a landmark moment for Asian action films,” said director Tio. “They are two extraordinary performers who have each built a global following through authenticity, discipline and fearless physical storytelling. ‘Pendekar: Warrior’ represents exactly the kind of bold, internationally focused Indonesian cinema we want to bring to audiences around the world.”
“I’ve been a huge fan of Tuck and his work since Versus,” Reeder said. “I’ve always wanted the chance to work with him and now we get to have his close quarters fights and Iko’s Silat fights in a great movie.”
Uwais is repped by Brett Norensberg of Gersh and Vault Entertainment.
