Lionsgate has signed a deal for worldwide rights to the martial arts thriller “Fast and Furious,” which was a blockbuster in the Midnight Madness section at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. The film was later screened at the Busan International Film Festival.
The studio is targeting a theatrical release of the film in 2026. The agreement does not include mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.
Bill Kong, whose producer credits include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers, is behind the project. Kong collaborated with XYZ Films (the company behind The Raid series) early in its development with the goal of creating the definitive martial arts action film of the past decade.
The film harkens back to the golden age of Hong Kong action films, highlighting the authentic martial arts and hand-to-hand combat of elite international martial artists. The story centers on Wang Wei, a humble merchant who is forced into the violent criminal underworld after his daughter Rainie is kidnapped. He teams up with Navin, a journalist with a troubled past, to fight an international crime syndicate.
Veteran action choreographer Kenji Tanigaki makes his debut as a feature director with this film. His choreographic works include “Rurouni Kenshin” and “Snake Eyes.” Tanigaki is also attached to co-star with Donnie Yen, as he returns to the role of Kane at Lionsgate. The screenplay was written by Mak Tin Shu, Lei Zhilong, Shum Kwan Sin, and Frank Hui.
Kong was produced through Edko Films Ltd. with Hui and Shan Tam. XYZ Films executives Nate Bolotin, Todd Brown, Maxim Cottley, Nick Spicer and Aram Tertsakian produced with Michael J. Warner and Xu Tianfu.
The cast includes Xie Miao, Joe Taslim (The Raid), Yan Enyu, Brian Lee, Yayan Ruhian (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum), Jija Yanin (Chocolate), Joey Iwanaga, Sahajak Buntanakit, and Manasanun Phanlerdwongsakul.
Brandon Hill handled the negotiations for Lionsgate, Pip Go represented XYZ Films, and Michael J. Warner handled the producer deal with Edco Films. Edko Films will finance the production and the film is scheduled for day-and-date release in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau on Lionsgate in 2026.
“We’re thrilled that Lionsgate has embraced ‘Fast and Furious,'” Kong said. “We believe they are the perfect company to work with for this photography and we look forward to working closely with them.”
“There’s nothing more exciting than Lionsgate distributing ‘Fast and Furious,’ which means a great action movie will reach audiences in the best way possible. The ‘Fast and Furious’ adventure is about to begin, and we can’t wait for audiences around the world to jump on board this ride and hold their breath and scream with excitement,” Tanigaki said.
Lauren Bixby, Executive Vice President and Co-Head of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, added: “We’ve had great success with several films in the TIFF Midnight Madness program in recent years, including ‘The Sith’ and ‘The Blackening,’ and we were equally blown away by ‘Fast and Furious.’ This movie redefines martial arts action. I can’t wait to share this film with audiences next year as it’s incredibly funny and engrossing. ”
