We’ve known for a little while now that hip-hop renaissance man, and erstwhile Wu-Tang Clan member RZA was set to follow up his long-gestating directorial debut “Wu-Tang Vs. The Golden Phoenix” (of which there’s still no sign…) with the kung-fu flick “The Man With The Iron Fist” — the project’s been in the works for years, and it finally got the greenlight a few months back from Universal, with a $20 million price tag. But we figured it would be a pulpy, grindhouse flick, full of actors pulled from the stables of RZA’s friends Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth (who’s producing the film). What we didn’t expect was an A-list star and Oscar winner, but that’s exactly what we seem to be getting.
RZA spoke to E! Online (via Bleeding Cool)at the VMAs on Sunday, and revealed that none other than Russell Crowe has signed on to “The Man With The Iron Fist,” which starts filming in Shanghai in December, and will be playing ‘the baddest man alive.’ The pair appeared together in both “American Gangster” and the upcoming “The Next Three Days,” and presumably became close — we can’t imagine Crowe signing on to something like this unless as a favor.
RZA says of the prospect of directing Crowe, “It’s nerve-wracking. He’s a master of the craft. I’m quite sure that I may learn something from him.” At a guess, we’d say that Crowe’s role will be a cameo, but even so, it should be fun to see the actor, who’s normally in weightier fare, in something a little bit lighter. The plot involves RZA’s character as a blacksmith in China who defends his village from attackers, and the rapper/actor has promised that “It’s striving to bring the originality and excitement that I brought to hip-hop to the silver screen.” While he’s unproven as a helmer, we’re cautiously confident that RZA may be able to live up to his promises, particularly if he can attract Crowe to the project.