Though he did appear In The Expendables 2 and lent his distinctive voice to animated features Kung Fu Panda 3 and Minions: Rise of Gru, it's been quite a while since we've seen Jean-Claude Van Damme do his thing on the big screen. But the '80s action icon has now lined up a new project that'll see him spin-kick his way back into theatres next year.
Darkness of Man comes from director James Cullen Bressack (Fortress, Hot Seat), and has been compared to the "grittier" titles in Van Damme’s filmography, such as JCVD and The Bouncer.
Bressack co-wrote the script with Alethea Cho from an original story he devised with Van Damme, and will also produce alongside Jarrett Furst.
According to THR's synopsis, Darkness of Man will see Van Damme will play Russell Hatch, "an Interpol operative who takes on the role of father figure to Jayden, the son of an informant killed in a routine raid gone wrong. Years later, Hatch finds himself protecting Jayden and his uncle from a group of merciless gangs in an all-out turf war, stopping at nothing to protect Jayden and fight anyone getting in his way — including supposed allies with hidden agendas and nefarious intents."
“James and I have been working together closely for a while now on Darkness of Man,” said Van Damme. “It’s our passion project. I’m very excited to start filming in Los Angeles. Hopefully you all will enjoy what we create.” Added Bressack: “I’m very excited to dive into the world of Darkness of Man. JC has been amazing to collaborate with on this project and I appreciate the immense and immediate support from the team at VMI. I truly believe this will be something very special that will show a side of Van Damme audiences have yet to see.”
Though he's never been considered the best dramatic actor in the world, Van Damme was a very popular staple of the '80s/early '90s action movie boom, starring in the likes of Kickboxer, Bloodsport, Cyborg, Sudden Impact, and many more. He also played Guile in the disastrous 1994 Street Fighter adaptation.
Van Damme has kept himself in great shape, but at 62-years-old, he might want to start relying on his stuntman for some of the more demanding action sequences!