Now since the second instalment of the ''Kickboxer'' franchise ''Kickboxer: Vengeance'' opened in cinemas on Sep. 2, 2016, the cast for the third instalment ''Kickboxer: Retaliation'' is shaping up. Christopher Lambert has joined the ensemble cast to play the role of Thomas Moore.
Moore's character was not present in the prequels and little is known about his character as of yet. He plays the role of a wealthy ex pat, who is the ''Godfather of underground fighting in Thailand.'' He was a martial artist in his youth and now has donned the hat of a powerful don in the sleazy and dark alleys of underground fighting in Southeast Asia. The original movie ''Kickboxer'' which premiered on Sep. 8, 1989 was a huge success and it has inspired the producer Dimitri Logothetis to come up with a trilogy. He owns the rights to the ''Kickboxer'' franchise now and the first film of the trilogy ''Kickboxer: Vengeance'' is already doing well in cinemas now.
According to slashfilm, ''Kickboxer: Vengeance'' is doing well in cinemas now. The fight scenes between Kurt Sloane (played by Alain Moussi in both the movies) and Tong Po (Dave Bautista) are appreciated by the fans a lot. The flavour of the original movie was kept intact by showing Kurt going to Eric's trainer Master Durand (played by Jean-Claude Van Damme). Van Damme had played the role of protagonist Sloane in the 1989 original movie ''Kickboxer.''
According to comingsoon.net, the storyline of ''Kickboxer: Retaliation'' will continue where ''Kickboxer: Vengeance'' ended. Sloane was badly hurt after the untimely death of his brother Eric Sloane (played by Darren Shahlavi in ''Kickboxer: Vengeance''). He was killed in an illegal underground match by Muay Thai fighter Tong Po. Now in this movie Moore gets Sloane imprisoned and forces him to fight for him.
Moore is a ''master-manipulator'' and runs a lab where with the help of a state of the art scientist, creates a drug using HGH, steroids and other concoctions. This drug will help the martial art artists to become stronger and use their power in a more destructive fashion.
"We're thrilled to be adding Christopher Lambert to the cast. Joining the fan bases of both 'Highlander' and 'Kickboxer' is a box-office dream come true," clarified producer Rob Hickman. "Martial arts aficionados and fantasy fans alike will be pleased in the pairing of Lambert with Van Damme."
Watch the official trailer of ''Kickboxer: Vengeance'' which will give you an idea of what to expect from the upcoming ''Kickboxer: Retaliation.''