Former world champion boxer Mike Tyson has joined “Kickboxer: Retaliation,” the sequel to “Kickboxer: Vengeance.”
“Kickboxer: Retaliation” is currently filming in California and Nevada and will head back to Thailand in June for final principal photography.
“This is a monumental moment for us,: said producer Robert Hickman of Our House Films. “We have already signed on 14 champions from the sporting world, mostly decorated fighters from the UFC, being able to add Mike Tyson as a cast member adds a whole new element and excitement to the film.”
“Kickboxer: Vengeance” was directed by John Stockwell, and starred Alain Moussi, Jean-Claude Van Damme (who played Kurt Sloane in the original “Kickboxer”), Dave Bautista, Gina Carano, Georges St-Pierre and Darren Shahlavi. RLJ Entertainment bought the rights to “Kickboxer: Vengeance,” a remake of the original 1989 “Kickboxer,” and is planning a release in September in theaters and VOD.
Dimitri Logothetis (“Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers”), who holds two black belts, is the writer/producer of “Kickboxer: Vengeance” and is directing the sequel.
“Words cannot express my excitement for this second installment,” he said. “The passion I have for this genre just keeps getting bigger and the cast we have assembled is phenomenal. Expect to see spectacular, non-stop, action-packed martial arts from real fighters.”
In “Kickboxer: Retaliation,” Moussi’s character Kurt Sloane is brought back forcibly to Thailand to fend for his life against a new formidable foe, portrayed by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who plays The Mountain on “Game of Thrones.”
Tyson will portray a tough convict forced into a world of fighting behind bars. He joins the previously announced Paige VanZant in the film.
Our House Films and Acme Rocket Fuel will produce, while Larry Nealy and Steven Michael Swadling of Our House Films will serve as executive producers.
Tyson has made cameos in movies and TV, inclduing the shows “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” and “How I Met Your Mother.” He memorably appeared in 2009’s “The Hangover,” demanding the return of his tiger, stolen by the film’s protagonists.
In recent years, Tyson has also appeared in “Scary Movie 5,” “Grudge Match” and “Ip Man 3.”