Jean-Claude Van Damme is returning to the genre that made him an international action star.
The Belgian martial arts icon is set to headline Katana, a new Japan-set action thriller that will bring him back to the kind of high-impact combat that defined his career in Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Double Impact.
According to Deadline, the project is being introduced to international buyers ahead of the American Film Market, with Jeremy Zag attached to write and direct.
Van Damme Takes on Japan's Yakuza
In Katana, Van Damme plays a former world champion fighter who has left his violent past behind to focus on raising his daughter.
But when she is kidnapped by the Yakuza in Japan, he must return to the world he thought he had escaped.
The premise combines old-school martial arts action with a familiar rescue thriller, placing Van Damme in the role of an aging fighter whose greatest motivation is protecting his family.
Joining him are professional fighters Melsik Baghdasaryan, an Armenian mixed martial artist, and Cyril Benzaquen, a French Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion.
Their involvement suggests the filmmakers intend to emphasize authentic martial arts alongside the film's action sequences.
'Bloodsport' Meets 'John Wick'
Zag, best known for creating the animated franchise Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, brings his own martial arts background to the project.
A longtime practitioner of Kyokushin karate, Zag has described directing Van Damme as a personal ambition.
His vision combines the tournament-fighting intensity of Bloodsport, the father-daughter rescue stakes of Taken and the stylized action associated with John Wick.
It's an ambitious combination, particularly for a star whose career helped establish the modern martial arts action film.
A Return to the Genre That Made Him Famous
Van Damme became an international star with 1988's Bloodsport, followed by Kickboxer in 1989 and Double Impact in 1991.
His signature flexibility, athleticism and fighting style helped distinguish him during an era dominated by action stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.
Now, Katana offers an opportunity to revisit that legacy while acknowledging the experience and age of its leading man.
Production is scheduled between April and June 2027, with filming planned in Japan, France and Los Angeles.
Division Z and Japan-based Wowow Bridge are producing. The Veterans will handle international sales, while CAA Media Finance represents U.S. rights.
No theatrical release date or U.S. distributor has been announced.
