Did you think the RZA directing a chop-sockey kung-fu epic like The Man With the Iron Fists was out of the ordinary? Then wait until you hear what rapper-musician-actor-director has up his sleeve next.
As Iron Fists prepares to hit theaters on Friday, Nov. 2, THR reports that the Wu-Tang leader just signed his name to direct a Genghis Khan biopic, titled after the name of the ruler, that will be penned by John Milius (Apocalypse Now, Clear and Present Danger). The project has been in and out of turnaround over the years, and is thought to be epic in scope as it captures the many conquests of the Mongolian leader. According to the trade, RZA’s story will be told from the perspective of Genghis Khan’s son and grandson. Producers plan to shoot in China – where RZA filmed Iron Fists -- in 2013.
After that, THR suggests that RZA could direct No Man’s Land, an action-thriller from screenwriters Trey Ellis and David Klass that follows an antihero who boosts an extremely valuable diamond from a career criminal, then relies on the assistance of a dancer to avoid the crooks and stay alive over the course of one evening. The trade suggests that the script harkens back to The Warriors, so the action might take place in a desolate city or a run-down area of a popular metropolis.
All of this would be far more exciting it we’d actually seen Iron Fists, which we haven’t yet. (At least, I haven’t.) Perhaps when the movie opens, we’ll all be singing the praises of RZA as the next great directorial voice. The movie marks his directorial debut, so let’s wait and see what he’s capable of delivering.
