Jean Claude Van-Damme Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterTiny yellow creatures are taking over the international box office.“Minions: The Rise of Gru” ignited to $93.7 million from 61 overseas markets and notched one of the biggest pandemic-era opening weekends for an animated film in many of those territories.Those returns take the fifth installment in Universal and Illumination’s popular “Despicable Me” franchise past $200 million at the global box office. In North America, “The Rise of Gru” debuted to $108 million over the weekend and looks to reach $127.9 million through Independence Day on Monday.Outside of the U.S. and Canada, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” enjoyed the strongest showing in the United Kingdom and Ireland with $12.9 million, followed by Mexico with $12.4 million and Germany with $4.8 million.

EXCLUSIVE: Vault Entertainment has added industry veteran Craig Baumgarten as a manager/producer.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “Enter the Dragon,” starring Bruce Lee, is one of the four or five greatest action films ever made. Yet it has a thin, awkward, lurching story.

Callum McLennan Continuing their alliance into 2024, EO Media, led by Ezequiel Olzanski and SPI International, a Canal+ company, have secured all rights for Latin America, including Brazil, to a star-stacked slate of movies from topline talent such as Keanu Reeves, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Michael Shannon and fanbase stalwart Jean Claude Van Damme. As star talent continues to mark apart titles in a crowded marketplace, the new nine-pic distribution lineup also features Alec Baldwin, Diane Keaton.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Jean-Claude Van Damme, the global martial artist turned action hero whose 2021 movie “The Last Mercenary” was a hit on Netflix, has another film on the horizon. He will star opposite Michaël Youn (“BDE”) in “Le jardinier,” another high-voltage action-comedy reuniting him with “The Last Mercenary” director David Charhon.

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran action icon Jean-Claude Van Damme is set to star in sequel Kill ‘Em All 2, which will shoot in the Caribbean island of Antigua from January.

Jean-Claude Van Damme has been talking about the awkwardness he experienced during his one-episode appearance on Friends in 1996.The Belgian action star played himself on the Season Two episode of the sitcom ‘The One After the Super Bowl: Part 2’. The plot finds Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Monica (Courteney Cox) competing for Van Damme’s affections while he is on set shooting a film in New York City.Speaking to the New York Post, though, the actor has revealed that he is embarrassed to look back at the episode.“My acting is so bad. I look so like a ham… I’m ashamed of myself,” he said.

looked back on his one-episode stint on “Friends” — calling the experience a bit “strange.”“My acting is so bad. I look so like a ham. Like, ‘Hey, girls.’ … It’s like, I’m ashamed of myself,” the actor, 63, told The Post while promoting his new Irish Whiskey brand, Old Oak.

Good Morning Britain stars Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard appeared to squirm as they tried to avoid the show getting into trouble because of a Hollywood star. The pair were back at the helm of the ITV news programme on Thursday (October 19) with Kate stepping in for Susanna Reid, who announced her two-week break at the end of Wednesday's show.

Sequels, and sequels of sequels, have trouble differentiating themselves from their brethren from time to time. But Expendables 4 (or Expend4bles, as this fourth and final entry in the mercenary-based action series has been marketed), indisputably takes the cake for recycling previously used material in a not exactly fresh context. At least the final third — and maybe more — of this jokey, fight-filled and increasingly effects-driven last hurrah is nearly a twin brother to the climactic stretch of last year’s waterlogged Jason Statham extravaganza Meg 2: The Trench, wherein the rugged Brit takes on — and once again prevails over — a sea monster that makes Moby Dick look like a backyard swimming pool pet. It really is a shameless “borrowing” that’s impossible to ignore if you’ve seen Meg 2, as the tireless former male model with perfectly maintained facial stubble once again earns his status as master of the seven seas.

Ed Boon is opening up about the latest installment of Mortal Kombat.

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Although Mortal Kombat 1 isn’t officially available until September 19, fans of the video game can get their hands on the premium edition of the fighting game early. Developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros.

EXCLUSIVE: VMI Worldwide has acquired world rights to the action pic The Ballad of Davy Crockett from producer-director Derek Estlin Purvis, starring William Moseley (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Colm Meaney (Con Air)

EXCLUSIVE: VMI Worldwide has acquired world rights to the WWII title Liberation, formally known as Avenue of the Giants, starring Stephen Lang (Avatar), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), Robin Weigert (Deadwood) and Luke Blumm (Where The Crawdads Sing).

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran action director Dimitri Logothetis (Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxer: Retaliation) is gearing up to shoot his latest set of features, Kickboxer: Armageddon and Flying Shadow, in Mississippi and Malta.

EXCLUSIVE: VMI Worldwide has hired Scott Freije, former Vice President of Global Sales at XYZ Films, as President of Global Sales. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger is hilarious! On Wednesday, the actor shared a video showing the importance of stretching while smoking a huge cigar. He appeared to be doing the splits on his kitchen counter as he explained, “Flexibility is just as important as weight training itself.”Set to triumphant music from The Terminator soundtrack, he stretched side to side while keeping the cigar stable in his mouth.

Charna Flam Saban Films has acquired the rights to Art Camacho’s action thriller “Ruthless” starring Dermot Mulroney and Javier Reyna’s “Palido” starring Kellan Lutz. Saban will distribute the titles throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Benelux and Australia. Jonathan Saba, CCO of Saban Films, negotiated the deal with Devin Carter, SVP of sales at Premiere Entertainment. “Ruthless” follows a high school coach (Mulroney) who takes matters into his own hands by going after the men who kidnap his female student for their human trafficking operation, according to a snyopsis.

Megan Fox is the newest merc joining Sylvester Stallone to stop nuclear armed terrorists aboard a cargo ship in the first trailer to “The Expendables 4” trailer aka “EXPEND4BLES.” Check out the embed below.The ensemble action film opens in theaters on Sept. 22.Along with Fox, a new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in “EXPEND4BLES.” Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia.

The first time Jim Jarmusch came to Cannes was with his sophomore film Stranger Than Paradise, which played the Quinzaine in 1984. “We all shared one apartment that had no hot water, that was up the hill,” he recalls. “One day I had to be on TV and there was no water, so I had to shave with leftover tea.” Those days are long gone; Jarmusch is a fixture on the Croisette these days, and even had the dubious pleasure of opening it in 2019 with his Bill Murray-starring zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die.

earlier this month.The first “Street Fighter” game was released in arcades in 1987 and has sold over 49 million units worldwide, becoming one of the most well-known and highest-grossing video game franchises of all time. It featured two playable characters, Ryu and Ken, who traveled the world fighting other martial artists in a tournament.

EXCLUSIVE: V Channels and Sandaled Kid Productions have formed a partnership to finance, produce and distribute a slate of ten micro-budget feature-length genre films.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Legendary Entertainment has acquired film and television rights to the video game franchise “Street Fighter.” Any upcoming projects — including one feature film that’s already in the works — will be co-developed and produced in conjunction with video game distributor Capcom. Since the franchise launched in 1987, Street Fighter has sold over 49 million units worldwide, becoming one of the most well-known and highest-grossing video game franchises of all time. It also spawned other games, various spin-offs and crossovers featuring characters like Ryu, Ken, Chung-Li, Guile and M. Bison. Capcom is behind other popular games, such as “Resident Evil” and “Monster Hunter.”

The “John Wick” franchise has a reputation for razzle-dazzle filmmaking and serving as demo reels for some of the world’s finest – or at least most promising – action movie stars. “John Wick: Chapter 4” is no exception, with Donnie Yen taking center stage alongside franchise star Keanu Reeves, as Hiroyuki Sanada and Marko Zaror lend prestige and support.

EXCLUSIVE: Saban Films has taken worldwide rights to action-thriller Hellfire, starring Stephen Lang, Harvey Keitel and Dolph Lundgren here at the European Film Market. 

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Saban Films has acquired the U.S., U.K. and other international rights to Jean-Claude Van Damme action-spy thriller “Darkness of Man.” Directed by James Cullen Bressack, the film sees Van Damme playing Interpol operative Russell Hatch, who witnesses the death of his last informant in a routine raid gone wrong. Years later, he takes on a father figure role to the son of the informant, and finds himself protecting the boy from a group of merciless gangs in an all-out turf war. Alongside the U.S. and U.K., Saban Films has picked up Australian/New Zealand, African, Spanish and Scandinavian territory rights to the film, which also stars Kristanna Loken (“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”), Peter Jae (“Blackhat”), Spencer Breslin (“The Kid”), Emerson Min (“Black-ish”) and rapper Sticky Fingaz.

Albert Pyun, whose science fiction and action films included such cult favorites as Cyborg, Nemesis and The Sword and the Sorcerer, died Saturday at age 69.

EXCLUSIVE: Action icon Jean-Claude Van Damme (Kickboxer) is set to star in action feature Silent Kill, which Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment will be introducing to buyers at this week’s AFM.

EXCLUSIVE: Operation: Kickboxer — a new series based on the Kickboxer action films — is in the works from executive producers Todd Garner (Mortal  Kombat) and Dimitri Logothetis (Jiu Jitsu). 

Gene Lebell, who had an acting and stunt career that stretched from The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet to 24 and who the WWE called today “a towering figure in the world of martial arts,” has died. He was 89.

Minions: The Rise of Gru is huge!

The new movie Minions: The Rise of Gru is now in theaters and it features a star-studded voice cast!

J. Kim Murphy It’s official —the Minions are back.Universal’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is setting off fireworks at the Fourth of July box office, projecting a $129.2 million opening over the four-day holiday weekend.

Lightyear,” a film that sometimes falls into that old Pixar trap of being too smart for its own good.The Minions, on the flip side, are not Mensa candidates. They’re stooges.The story exists, for the most part, to put them into a bunch of silly situations.Kevin and Bob go full-on “Catch Me if You Can,” dress up as pilots and fly a commercial jet to California … with plenty of turbulence.They meet Master Chow (Michelle Yeoh), a San Fran acupuncturist who moonlights as a kung fu expert and teaches them her martial art — in “Rocky” training montage style. Dumb, dumb Otto, meanwhile, takes to the open road on a motorcycle and visits the World’s Biggest Banana.He’s also a hopeless romantic, and briefly falls in love with a rock with googly eyes glued on it.“Rise of Gru” is better than the previous Gru-less flick because the Minions make the most sense when serving a lame-o villain.

Let’s start with what’s most important about “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which is that my children loved it. One is going on nine years old, so she’s mostly come out on the other side of her affection for these characters, but she had a good time; her five-year-old sister, in the midst of full-on Minion Fever (she brought a stuffed Bob along with her to the screening), proclaimed it the best one yet, though she may have been suffering from recency bias.

EXCLUSIVE: French sales agent and producer Other Angle is leading a showcase of French comedies at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills.