# Jean-Claude Van Damme Officially Returns to Martial Arts With New Yakuza Movie

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/jean-claude-van-damme-officially-returns-to-martial-arts-with-new-yakuza-movie/
- Published: 2026-11-04T14:47:48+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T09:12:12+00:00
- Original publisher: Collider
- Original article: https://collider.com/jean-claude-van-damme-katana-martial-arts-yakuza-movie/
- Topics: Art, Asia, Culture, Entertainment, Film, World

## Key points

- Van Damme returns to martial arts cinema in *Katana*.
- The plot centres on a retired fighter and his kidnapped daughter.
- Filming is planned across three locations from spring 2027.

## Summary

Jean-Claude Van Damme will star in *Katana*, a martial arts action film that marks a return to the fighting roles that helped establish his career. The story follows a retired fighter drawn back into competition after the Yakuza kidnap his daughter.

The cast will also include MMA fighter Melsik Baghdasaryan and Muay Thai and kickboxing champion Cyril Benzaquen. Jeremy Zag is writing and directing; filming is planned in Japan, France and Los Angeles from spring 2027, with the project to be presented at the American Film Market. No release date has been announced.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.