David Dobkin, the director behind films like Clay Pigeons, Wedding Crashers, Shanghai Knights and, most recently, the Robert Downey Jr.-led The Judge, is set to serve as both series director and executive producer on AMC’s upcoming martial arts drama “Badlands.” What’s more, Emily Beecham (28 Weeks Later, The Village), Sarah Bolger (“The Tudors,” In America) and Oliver Stark (The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box, My Hero) have joined the cast as series regulars.
“Badlands” is said to be a genre-bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale “Journey to the West.” In a land controlled by feudal barons, the series tells the story of a great warrior and a young boy who embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment.
AMC has ordered six, one-hour episodes, with an expected premiere in late 2015 or early 2016. The project was created by writers/show runners Al Gough and Miles Millar (Shanghai Noon, “Smallville”). They’ll serve as executive producers along with Oscar-Nominated producers Stacy Sher and Michael Shamberg (Pulp Fiction, Contagion) and master martial arts filmmakers Daniel Wu (Tai Chi Zero) and Stephen Fung.
“I am thrilled to be directing ‘Badlands,’” Dobkin said, “Aside from the amazing group of people I get to work with – everyone at AMC, plus Stacy and Michael, and Al and Miles for the second time – it’s a brilliant, visionary project that finally gives the fan-boy in me something to dig my teeth into.”
From AMC Studios, “Badlands” will be distributed internationally by Entertainment One Television (eOne).
