Jean-Claude Van Damme has been a notable action star since the late 1980s. He’s known for movies like Kickboxer, Universal Soldier, and Timecop, using his martial arts abilities as a gateway to action-hero stardom. This has been true since the movie that first put Van Damme on the map, 1988’s action classic Bloodsport, which was the turning point in his career. He had just been fired from donning the Predator costume in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sci-fi masterpiece. Plus, his roles beforehand left much to be desired, as he was mainly a background actor, with his first credited role being Gay Karate Man in 1984’s Monaco Forever. (That is, unfortunately, the character’s credited name.) Van Damme got the chance to put on a better display of his skills in 1986’s No Retreat, No Surrender, with Bloodsport being his big break just two years later.
A24 Is Developing a Remake of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s ‘Bloodsport’
A remake of Bloodsport was recently announced, with the arthouse studio A24 set to produce. While A24 is a surprising choice, the studio has backed some successful films in the action genre, like 2016’s Free Fire and 2025’s Warfare. Even more surprising may be who has been tapped to write and direct the film: Michaela Coel. Coel is a two-time Emmy award-winning multi-hyphenate talent who has written, created, produced, directed, and starred in her own TV shows, including Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You, with her ability to craft compelling content not in question. The shock comes from the fact that, outside of her acting resume, her writing and directing have fallen squarely in the comedy and drama realm.
However, if breakout talents like Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger have transitioned from comedy to horror, then Coel may just be primed to make one of the best action remakes audiences have ever seen. It’s just coming from an unexpected source, which further shows how impressive her take on the material must have been for A24 to give Coel the green light with no background in action filmmaking. While numerous details about Bloodsport are still under wraps, the announcement describes it as a “reimagining.” Coel also released a statement to ensure fans of the original understood the passion behind the project, stating:
“I have long been in awe of fighters, and astounded by the discipline, intensity and isolation the sport demands of them. I am excited to explore this world, especially so with A24 as my collaborators. LET’S F***ING GO.”
‘Bloodsport’ Is Based on the Life of Frank Dux
Bloodsport tells the story of U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux, a highly skilled martial artist who competes in an illegal underground fighting tournament in Hong Kong called the Kumite. Frank goes AWOL to take part in the tournament, with the story seeing him pursued by agents out to bring him back. Details about his past are fleshed out as audiences see him trained in Japanese ninjutsu by master Senzo Tanaka, who treated Frank like family after the master’s son’s death. Even the tournament is rounded out with other competitors, like Ray Jackson, an American wrestler Frank befriends, and Chong Li, the main antagonistic fighter he’s been poised to battle from the start.
Frank eventually wins the tournament, taking home the title and respect for the Tanaka clan, with every bit of action a superb display of Van Damme’s fighting skills. His acting talents are another story, but he did bring Dux’s supposed true story to life. The problem is that the real Dux likes to play fast and loose with facts. As Marco Margaritoff (via All That’s Interesting) notes, “it really was based on a true story — or at least a story that the real-life Frank Dux sold to a screenwriter.”
Frank Dux Had a Flexible Relationship With the Truth
Bloodsport is based on a 1980 article in Black Belt magazine titled “Kumite: A Learning Experience.” The article describes his training and the secret Kumite tournament as seen in the 1988 film. The real Dux claims to have competed in the Kumite in 1975 in the Bahamas, with the tournament taking place in a new location every five years. The problem stems from the numerous claims Dux has made that are (most likely) false, even beyond the story in Bloodsport.
Sure, given that the Kumite is a secret tournament, it’s no surprise that information is scarce. However, information is so scarce that many claim it is entirely fabricated, along with several of his other accolades. Dux’s military background has been questioned, with no paperwork to support his enlistment. Though he attempted to explain the information gap with a career in the CIA. When he released a photo of himself in his military uniform, it was picked apart for having items out of place and in the wrong order, showing a lack of knowledge of how it was meant to be worn, which forced him to backtrack and say the photo was just a costume. A Freedom of Information Act request revealed that Dux served in the US Marine Corps Reserve from 1975 to 1981, but he never went overseas during that time.
Dux claimed to hold world records for the fastest knockout, the fastest punch, and the most consecutive knockouts, despite no one being able to corroborate it, and he’s even said he stopped an assassination attempt on actor Steven Seagal. One of his most outlandish claims stems from being asked to see the ceremonial sword he claimed to win in the Kumite. To explain why he didn’t have the sword, Dux said he sold it to buy the freedom of a boatload of children held captive by pirates. Dux stated (via All That’s Interesting):
“We took arms up and fought boat pirates and we got these kids free. I’m in touch with some of them, and they love me to death. And, I’ll tell you, I’ve got one kid who’s about 15 years old. All I have to do is look cross-eyed at one guy, and he’ll kill for me.”
Some have even pointed to the math, as Dux claims to have 56 consecutive knockouts in a single-elimination Kumite, which would require hundreds, if not thousands, of participants. While many of his stories are simply unverifiable personal accounts, Dux did lose a court case in 1999 when he sued Soldier of Fortune magazine for libel after they went on record stating his military and CIA background were largely false, further undermining the shaky ground of his other overly fantastic assertions.
A24’s Remake Can Avoid the Lies Surrounding ‘Bloodsport’s “True Story”
The concept surrounding the story is good enough to stand on its own, with Bloodsport’s secret tournament worthy of driving the story. While many aspects of A24’s remake are still unknown, their greatest strength can be leaning into the classic nature the action title has taken on, with Bloodsport being recognizable enough that it doesn’t need to spice up the details by claiming it’s based on a true story. Coel could also benefit from ensuring her film doesn’t follow the same protagonist. There is no reason for the story to be about Dux or his fabricated exploits. Even the Bloodsport sequels didn’t follow Dux as a character, showing the premise doesn’t live and die with the man who told a story about his possible time at the Kumite. The 1988 original may exist thanks to fabrications, but the next iteration can continue the legacy without the lies.
