SUBSCRIBE
F O R T R E S S
No Result
View All Result
  • MOVIES
  • TV
  • GAMING
  • TECH
  • COMICS
  • SNEAKERS
  • TOYS
  • VIDEO
  • WIN
Fortress of Solitude
No Result
View All Result

American Ninja Reboot

Home > Movies > American Ninja: Where’s the Reboot?

American Ninja: Where’s the Reboot?

Will Private Joe Armstrong strike again?

Sergio PereirabySergio Pereira
September 30, 2020
in Movies
Tags: Movies

There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and Hollywood reboots. No film is too sacred or too precious, because once a high-powered exec gets a sniff of a franchise opportunity, you’ll have a film enter production quicker than Noah Centineo’s agent can get him an audition. Surprisingly, though, not one single studio has attempted to reboot American Ninja.

Released by Cannon Films in 1985, this martial arts cult classic was directed by Sam Firstenberg and featured Michael Dudikoff as Joe Armstrong. It was pure ’80s action with a plot so thin that you’d need seconds for a Greek salad. In a nutshell, Joe is an amnesiac who somehow possesses incredible ninjutsu skills and beats the snot out of his fellow soldiers in the U.S. Army. Of course, it’s revealed that Joe was adopted by a martial arts master who taught him all he knows.

American Ninja was typical fodder from Cannon Films. Made on a micro-budget of $1 million, but with enough action and charisma to turn a significant profit. And boy, did it do so. In its primary U.S. market, it made over $10 million—never mind all the money it made overseas and in rentals as it became a popular VHS classic.

The film also received four sequels, including American Ninja 2: The Confrontation, which was filmed in South Africa and featured Isidingo‘s Michelle Botes. The further sequels, though, didn’t include Dudikoff (except for American Ninja 4: The Annihilation), as David Bradley took over. (Interestingly enough, Dudikoff declined to appear because he was burnt out from martial arts films and also didn’t want to return to apartheid South Africa for the next production.)

American Ninja Movie



While the sequels weren’t as popular as the original film, they still found an audience as the franchise became popular among action fans. Yet, after American Ninja V (which wasn’t even supposed to be an American Ninja film but that’s another story altogether) in 1993, it disappeared into the sunset, never to be heard from again. No American Ninja reboot. Nothing.

In a 2016 interview with Den of Geek, Dudikoff revealed that he’d like to see his character kick butt one more time. “Everybody’s asking me, even on Facebook, when are you gonna do another American Ninja?” he said. “Let’s reboot it, you know? I think the American Ninja, Joe Armstrong, has legs. I think it would be really a great thing to bring that forward again. I’ve written a script and it’s being looked at now.”

American Ninja 2



Sounds promising, doesn’t it? Except no further developments have happened in four years. On paper, a modern American Ninja reboot film would be perfect for a VOD service like Netflix. It’s the type of film you’d watch on a Friday night with an infinite amount of pizza and popcorn.

Mind you, Scott Adkins has pretty much been doing American Ninja-style movies for the longest stretch of his career, so why not just give him the keys to this franchise now? It’s been way too long, and it’s high time that fans get a healthy slice of that ’80s action again. Bring it on!

American Ninja Michael Dudikoff



Tell us, would you like to see American Ninja rebooted? And if so, who should star in it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!

ShareTweetSend
ADVERTISEMENT

POPULAR

  • The 15 Most Powerful Anime Characters Of All Time

    The 15 Most Powerful & Strongest Anime Characters Of All Time

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Top 10 Best Anime Series Of All-Time

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The 15 Most Powerful Characters In The Marvel Universe

    26 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Wyatt Russell Receiving Death Threats For John Walker Captain America

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mortal Kombat (2021) Review: Not a Flawless Victory But Certainly Victorious

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Related Posts

doctor strange 1978 Movie
Movies

Marvel, We Haven’t Forgotten That 1978 Doctor Strange Movie

by Rick Austin
April 5, 2021
Adam Wingard Is Working On A ThunderCats Movie
Movies

Adam Wingard Is Working On A ThunderCats Movie

by Caryn Ganess
March 30, 2021
movies at home
Movies

How To Watch The Best & Latest Movies At Home

by Caryn Ganess
March 18, 2021
Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Sequel No One Wanted
Movies

Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Sequel No One Wanted

by Staff Writer
February 27, 2021
The Wizard of Oz - 1939
Movies

The Wizard of Oz Remake to be Directed by Nicole Kassell

by Staff Writer
February 22, 2021

POPULAR

  • The 15 Most Powerful Anime Characters Of All Time

    The 15 Most Powerful & Strongest Anime Characters Of All Time

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Top 10 Best Anime Series Of All-Time

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The 15 Most Powerful Characters In The Marvel Universe

    26 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Why Johnny Cage Isn’t In The Mortal Kombat 2021 Movie

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Wyatt Russell Receiving Death Threats For John Walker Captain America

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
ADVERTISEMENT

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fortress of Solitude

Fortress of Solitude

Fortress of Solitude has become one of the most popular geek entertainment interest websites in South Africa and covers news and reviews on movies, games, comic books, gadgets, TV series, toys, sneakers and more.

The articles on Fortress of Solitude are written by a group of talented, professional and experienced freelance writers, all experts and leaders in their various fields.

Categories

  • Board Games
  • Books
  • Comic Books
  • Competitions
  • Gaming
  • Internet
  • Movies
  • Podcast
  • Sneakers
  • Tech
  • Toys
  • TV Series

Newsletter

Sign up for news in your inbox.

  • For more information on COVID-19
  • About Us
  • Authors
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy & Site Disclaimer
  • Contact Fortress of Solitude

© 2021 Fortress of Solitude, a division of Fortress Entertainment. Registered in South Africa. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movies
  • TV
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Comics
  • Sneakers
  • Toys
  • Video
  • Win
  • Contact

© 2021 Fortress of Solitude, a division of Fortress Entertainment. Registered in South Africa. All Rights Reserved.