Caffeinated Clint
The action superstars team up on screen
The closest Wesley Snipes and Jean Claude Van Damme have ever got to each other is adorning the shelves of Blockbuster video. Now, the two forgotten men of action cinema are teaming up – in a united effort, no doubt, to return to the multiplex.
“The Hard Cops”, written and directed by Sheldon Lettich, will star Van Damme as a combat vet who’s just returned from fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. Short up for a job, he agrees to the bodyguard to a former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, who needs protection from a dangerous rap music mogul. Van Damme’s character must assemble a team, the hard cops, to help protect the boxer. Problems arise when the boxer suspects that his protector has fallen in love with his sister.
Production begins early next month in British Columbia, before moving onto Romania, says Production Weekly.
Sheldon Lettitch, the film’s helmer, dropped by the forums at VanDammefan.com to chat up the film. He says, “We’ve been told by Sony that we have an excellent chance of getting a theatrical release in “Urban Markets”; in other words, cities in the USA that have substantial numbers of Blacks & Hispanics. They did this recently with “The Gospel,” a low budget movie with no major stars, which opened on approximately 600 screens nationwide and generated a very high per screen average (over $8,000 per screen) on its opening weekend. It all depends on whether or not we can get a few other recognizable names in the cast (besides JCVD) and whether or not the movie turns out good (that’s MY job!). We’re in negotiations with a few very well known African-American stars right now. Hopefully, if all goes well, I’ll be able to announce their names next week.”
Van Damme is also involved in a sequel to “Bloodsport”, as well as the new films “Going between the lines” and “Freedom”. He also has a role as Cornerdurus in the comedy, “Asterix at the Olympic Games”.
