*Earlier this year in March, the EUR spoke with Taimak about his autobiography (buy here), “Taimak: The Last Dragon.”
He talked about the fun and legacy of the cult classic, martial arts 1985 film, “The Last Dragon,” his strained relationship with the film’s producer, Motown mogul Berry Gordy, and co-star Vanity. (See article here).
Now Taimak is back with his latest project – the launch of the official Indiegogo campaign (see it here) in support of his own big screen, martial arts film, “Master,” co-written by him.
The crowdfunding campaign is running from now until December 8, 2017 and hopes to raise $75,000 in its first phase.
“This is one of those things where I really felt in my soul that something’s missing with martial arts films,” Taimak told the EUR in a recent interview. “Not necessarily that there aren’t talented people out there but it just seems as though Hollywood has dropped the ball on making it a genre. I grew up in the heyday of martial arts filmmaking and I got a gem of a project we can wrap our arms around and dig our teeth into.”
Inspired by the Shaw Brothers films of the 1970s and the works of Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone, “Master,” Taimak is cast as a Persian-African soldier.
“It’s a story I’ve been trying to tell for years,” Taimak said. “This movie is set in the 12th century in Ancient China, Mongolian period. I’m a child, I’m kidnapped, and I grow up in a Chinese military family. My Chinese father is murdered and it’s extremely traumatic for me and I decide to find my biological parents. (My Chinese father’s) best friend was behind everything, nobody knows it, and now he’s after me. That’s what they did back then. They grabbed people, took wives, killed husbands, grabbed children, and put them in different areas. It was tribal warfare but it will be entertaining on another level as well.”
Taimak continued, “It’s also like ‘Game of Thrones’ meets ‘Kung Fu Theater.’ It’s an interesting story that people will gravitate to because we’re dealing with things these days that are really serious and the Chinese wisdom that will come with film will be powerful.”
RELATED NEWS: ‘THE LAST DRAGON’S’ TAIMAK GLOWS WITH NEW BOOK AND TORCHES BERRY GORDY (EUR EXCLUSIVE!)
Master will not be like “The Last Dragon” – a fun, lighthearted film with a message. Instead, Taimak said, “It will be R-rated because ‘The Last Dragon’ fans are growing in number. They’re parents, uncles, brothers, and so on. When I do autograph signings at Comic-Con, kids come up to me. However, the masses that really know me are adults. They’re grownups. ‘The Last Dragon’ is kind of a century’s old (laughs).”
As for the martial arts in the film, Taimak wants fans to get ready for no fight doubles, limited CGI, no shaky cam, and lots of mastery of the art moves.
“There will be weaponry because back in those days they didn’t have guns,” Taimak said. “You’ll see a ‘Matrix’ and mix of martial arts styles. Obviously it’s going to be barbaric because of the time and I just want to balance it between being too barbaric and entertaining as well.”
Taimak continued, “As we develop the project and get all of the money from the first stage of it, we will look at the casting and real martial artists that can act. It’s really like how can we attempt to make a martial arts film that gets an Oscar and not just awards for the martial arts but for the drama as well.”
With “Master’s” cross-racial references, Taimak wants to show the importance of how different races and cultures influenced world history and the legacy it leaves for now and the future.
“I’m biracial, black and Italian,” Taimak said. “I grew up in America and Europe and I was enamored by Bruce Lee, Sunny Chiba and many actors who were Chinese. Let’s wake up guys, come on! This is the world we’re living in and faced with every day. It’s a new time and a new world. It’s a celebration to tell you the truth.”
Those who contribute to the Indiegogo campaign can celebrate with these perks:
$20 – “The Last Dragon” 8×10 photo signed by Taimak
$25 – T-shirt or cap featuring the “Master” logo
$35 – Special edition Blu-Ray of “The Last Dragon” signed by Taimak
$40 – Signed copy of Taimak’s autobiography, “The Last Dragon”
$300 – FaceTime with Taimak
$400 – Dim sum in Chinatown with Taimak
$500 – Personal training session with Taimak
$1,500 – Private screening of “The Last Dragon” for 25 guests; hosted by Taimak
Additionally, to bring awareness to his new project, Taimak will host a U.S. screening tour of “The Last Dragon” from November 9 – November 30, 2017 that will also feature an audience Q&A. To find out more about the screening tour and “Master” in general, again go to the official Indiegogo campaign now.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
