Jean-Claude Van Damme Returns to His Martial Arts Roots in Yakuza Thriller ‘Katana’

Jean-Claude Van Damme became an action icon after his breakout in ‘Bloodsport’ in 1988, and fans have long hoped to see him back in the kind of martial arts film that made him famous. His recent work has included 2025’s ‘The Gardener’, voiceover roles and a special DLC appearance as a playable character in the video game ‘Mortal Kombat 1’.

The Action Elite admitted it had started to wonder whether the star had retired, since he hadn’t had much in the pipeline for a while. It turns out Van Damme is preparing to step back into the ring.

As Bloody Disgusting reported, Van Damme will star in ‘Katana’, a martial arts thriller written and directed by Jeremy Zag. The project was first reported by Deadline, with The Veterans launching international sales ahead of the American Film Market.

Van Damme plays a former world champion fighter who has become a father and left a dark past behind. When the Yakuza kidnap his daughter in Japan, he is forced back into the fight and into the country’s criminal underworld.

Jean-Claude Van Damme is heading back to his martial arts roots! The BLOODSPORT star leads KATANA, a martial arts thriller about a former champion forced back into the fight when the Yakuza kidnap his daughter. Written and directed by Jeremy Zag, the film promises plenty of martial arts action!

— Bloody Disgusting (@BDisgusting) November 4, 2026

Zag is best known as the creator of the ‘Miraculous’ animated franchise, but he is also a longtime martial artist. According to his statement, he has practiced Kyokushin karate at an elite level for 30 years.

Zag credited Van Damme with making him want to walk into a dojo in the first place and called directing him a lifelong dream come true. He added that the actor trusted him because the 2 speak the same language as martial artists and share a deep understanding of combat.

Bloodsport Trailer 1988 https://t.co/i1BIypawgP

— 80s Nostalgia Channel (@80s_channel) October 9, 2023

Zag has pointed to 3 well-known action films as creative reference points. He wants to combine the power of ‘Bloodsport’, the urgency of ‘Taken’ and the energy of ‘John Wick’ in a story about a father who plunges into Japan’s criminal world.

He has also placed the samurai code of honor and katana combat at the heart of the project. Zag said the lead character’s experience is his strength, a fitting angle for an actor revisiting the genre that made him a star.

‘Katana’ will surround Van Damme with real-life combat champions. Armenian MMA fighter Melsik Baghdasaryan and French Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion Cyril Benzaquen are part of the cast.

According to FilmoFilia, Zag is assembling fighters and champions from different generations, both men and women, to appear alongside Van Damme. Zag also said that Van Damme had resisted returning to this kind of film for years.

Van Damme and Zag have been trying to work together for some time. In 2022, they were attached to ‘What’s My Name?’, a film Deadline said would bring Van Damme’s long career as an action film fighter to an end.

That project followed a man who wakes from a coma with amnesia and battles iconic fighters from his career while searching for his identity. Deadline now describes it as having apparently evolved into ‘Katana’.

Division Z is producing in partnership with Japan-based Wowow Bridge, whose credits include the HBO Max series ‘Tokyo Vice’. Filming is planned for April, May and June 2027 in Japan, France and Los Angeles. The Veterans will present a sizzle reel and screenplay to buyers at AFM, while CAA Media Finance represents the US rights. No release date has been announced yet.

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