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FAST AND FURIOUS 7 (2014): Tony Jaa cast in James Wan Action Film

Tony Jaa Ong Bak 2

Tony Jaa cast in Fast and Furious 7. The casting of Tony Jaa in Fast & Furious 7 (2014) answers the question of what new star will be the first to sign on to the James Wan directed film. Tony Jaa will play an unspecified role in the upcoming action franchise film.

Tony Jaa had this to say via e-mail from Thailand about his involvement in Fast and Furious 7:

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I have been a big fan of the Fast and Furious franchise. The films are fast paced, fun and keep the audience involved. There is a great mix of humor and action, something I really appreciate. There is no better film to be involved in for a first U.S. studio production.

On Tony Jaa:

Tatchakok Yeerum, formerly Panom Yeerum, Phanom Yiram; born February 5, 1976 in Surin province, Isaan, Thailand. Better known in the West as Tony Jaa, in Thailand as Jaa Panom, is a Thai martial artist, physical educator, actor, choreographer, stuntman, director, and spent time as a Buddhist monk. His films include Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Tom-Yum-Goong (also called Warrior King or The Protector), Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning, and Ong Bak 3.

More on Tony Jaa’s acting career:

Panna Rittikrai and Jaa developed an interest in Muay Boran, the predecessor of Muay Thai and worked and trained for four years at the art with the intention of developing a film around it. Eventually they were able to put together a short film showing what Jaa could do with the help of instructor Grandmaster Mark Harris. One of the people they showed it to was producer-director Prachya Pinkaew, who was duly impressed.

This led to Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior in 2003, Jaa’s break-out role as a leading man. Jaa did all the stunts without mechanical assistance or computer-generated effects and it showcased his style of extreme acrobatics and speedy, dance-like moves. Injuries suffered in the filming included a ligament injury and a sprained ankle. One scene in the film involved fighting with another actor while his own trousers were on fire. “I actually got burned,” he said in a 2005 interview. “I really had to concentrate because once my pants were on fire the flames spread upwards very fast and burnt my eyebrows, my eyelashes and my nose. Then we had to do a couple more takes to get it right.”.

His second major movie was Tom-Yum-Goong (The Protector in the US), named after a type of Thai soup and including a style of Muay Thai that imitates elephants.

In August 2006, he was in New York to promote the US release of The Protector, including an appearance at the Museum of the Moving Image.

Fast and Furious 7 also stars star Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and Tyrese Gibson.

Fast and Furious 7‘s plot synopsis: “After Dominic Toretto and his crew helped take down Owen Shaw, his brother Ian Shaw now wants revenge.”

Leave your thoughts on Tony Jaa’s casting in Fast and Furious 7 below in the comments section below. For more Fast and Furious 7 photos, videos, and information, visit our The Fast and the Furious Page, subscribe to us by Email, follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like” us on Facebook. Fast and Furious 7 will be released in US theaters through Universal Pictures on July 11, 2014.

Source: Wikipedia, Slashfilm, Imdb, Thehollywoodreporter

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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