Rapper RZA's directorial debut is heading to cinemas - his martial arts project with actor/filmmaker Eli Roth has been picked up by studio bosses at Universal.
The Wu-Tang Clan star, real name Robert Diggs, has been quietly working on The Man With the Iron Fist with Roth for over a year and fans will soon get the chance to view the finished product after finalising a new funding and distribution deal.
RZA will direct and star in the script he co-wrote with horror master Roth, about a blacksmith in a small village in China, as well as score the film.
Roth says, "While I was away shooting Inglourious Basterds, RZA went to China to shoot test footage on his own, with all the choreography.
"It was very visual and I think he will bring to life a script that mixes kung-fu with a spaghetti western mindset and a hip hop influence. RZA has imagined every tribe, every fighting style, every costume. He knows kung-fu like I know horror."
The Hostel writer and director previously told WENN the film had the potential to be turned into a major movie series, saying, "It's going to be something spectacular, unique, and original that stays true both to the genre and to RZA's fans. It's a really fun script. We see this film as the first step in a franchise."
Production on The Man With the Iron Fist is expected to begin later this year (10).