David Carradine and Daryl Hannah Reunite in 'Kung Fu Killer,' a Two-Part Spike 'Original Guy Movie' Miniseries Premiering This August
"Kung Fu Killer" To Premiere In HD Under The "Spike Guy Movies"
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NEW YORK, July 23 -- David Carradine and Daryl Hannah
reunite for the first time since their roles on the big screen in "Kill
Bill" to star in the two-part original movie miniseries, "Kung Fu Killer"
slated to premiere Sunday, August 17 and Monday, August 18 (10:00 PM -
Midnight, ET/PT) on Spike in HD.
Set in late 1920s in China, before Communist rule, "Kung Fu Killer"
tells the story of White Crane (Carradine), an orphaned son of Western
missionaries who was raised as a Wudang monk to become a spiritual leader
and master in martial arts, and his ultimate journey for revenge and
justice.
In the first installment, Crane's peaceful world is shattered when Kahn
Xin (Lim Kay Tong) and his mercenaries raid his temple and slay his mentor.
In search of his master's murderers, Crane infiltrates the Shanghai
underworld where he encounters Jane Marshall (Hannah), a lounge singer from
Brooklyn, who is on a mission of her own -- to find her lost brother, who
is being held captive by Kahn. Realizing that Kahn's evil plans are more
intricate and widespread than originally thought, Crane teams up with Jane
in order to enter Kahn's inner circle. From there, they tread carefully in
order to dismantle Kahn's destructive plans before assassinating him. Soon,
Crane's battle becomes a moral one, as he finds himself torn between his
peaceful Wudang upbringing and the cold-blooded life of an assassin.
The second installment, "Kung Fu Killer II" shifts gears to a more
personal drama as Crane returns to help rebuild his shattered temple.
However, the peace is short-lived as, back in Shanghai, nightclub singer
Jane is kidnapped by Bai Yang, an old classmate and rival of Crane's who
plans to employ her in the sex trade. It is up to Crane and his young
protege Lang (Osric Chau) to save not only Jane, but Lang's true love Wei.
"Kung Fu Killer" was shot entirely on location in China at the Zhejiang
Heng Dian World Studios and the towns of Fong Yang and Heng Dian. The
miniseries marked the first time a production of this scale was produced by
a Western production company utilizing an almost exclusively Chinese crew.
"Kung Fu Killer" also features the singing debut of Daryl Hannah, who sings
such period standards as "You Made Me Love You" and "I'm Always Chasing
Rainbows," along with others done with a period-authentic jazz mixed with
torch-song style arrangements.
"Kung Fu Killer" is presented as part of Spike TV's "Spike Guy Movies"
umbrella of original movies. Since its launch in January 2008, Spike TV's
original "Spike Guy Movies" average nearly 1.5 million viewers each month.
"Kung Fu Killer" is a production from RHI Entertainment. Robert Halmi,
Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr. serve as executive producers. Shan Tam, Matthew
O'Connor and Michael O'Connor are producers. Philip Spink is director.
Jacqueline Feather and David Seidler are writers, and the teleplay is by
John Mandel. Bill McGoldrick is vice president of development for Spike TV.
RHI Entertainment (Nasdaq: RHIE) develops, produces and distributes new
made-for-television movies, miniseries and other television programming
worldwide, and is the leading provider of new long-form television content
in the United States. Under the leadership of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert
Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed thousands of hours of quality
television programming, and RHI's productions have received more than 100
Emmy Awards. During 2007, RHI developed, produced and distributed 43 new
television movies and miniseries to broadcast and cable networks around the
world. In addition to the development, production and distribution of new
content, RHI owns rights to approximately 1,000 titles, or over 3,500
broadcast hours of long-form television programming, which are licensed to
broadcast and cable networks and new media outlets globally.
Spike TV is available in 96.1 million homes and is a division of MTV
Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the
world's leading creators of programming and content across all media
platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is http://www.spike.com.
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