Tony Jaa or Phanom "Jaa" Yeerum, Thailand's action superstar returns to the big screen with his directorial debut, amidst controversy. Ong Bak 2 is a 300 million Baht project by Sahamongkol Film International.
A new poster for Ong Bak 2 has also been released, with a new face appearing on it, that of Dan Chupong, the leading man of Born to Fight, Dynamite Warrior and Queens of Langkasuka. The film also stars Sorapong Chatree, sporting a bushy black beard. Sorapong is one of the men who rescues Tony Jaa's character as a child.
Ong-Bak 2 is the first Thai movie starring two top male martial artists in major roles according to Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal.
Appearing at this week's press conference, Tony Jaa looked relaxed and was all ready to have a nice chat.
Jaa admits that he was at times obsessed with meditation, but says the depth of his focus enabled him to do better work.
Appearing on Channel 3's variety show "Tee Sib" or "Night At Ten" last Tuesday, Jaa claimed he helped a man recover from illness, a by-product of the strength he gains through meditation. He also claimed that the power he released through his fist, burned a stuntman's ear while shooting a scene.
"I don't know what really happened, but that's my personal belief," he says.
Four months ago, Tony Jaa's apparent obsession with superstitious power landed him in trouble with the studio and resulted in producer Somsak "Sia Jiang" Techarattanapra-sert ordering the action star's mentor, Panna Rittikrai, to help him finish the film.
Jaa has worked hard on his directorial debut, combining several martial arts forms and carefully choreographing moves derived from the sacred Thai masked dance known as Khon (Thai: โขน).
Jaa studied Khon with the acclaimed performer Pichet Klunchuen a few years ago and has transformed the gracious slow movements into a new form of Muay Thai, which he calls Nattayuth.
(Photo credits: dailyxpress.net, thaicinema.org, Modernine.mcot.net, Popcornmag.com)
