Into The Badlands

Martial Media, Culture and Other Arts Martial Media and Popular Culture
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I topped all of you guys!!!

Greetings,

I could not get past 15 minutes of the first episode. I completely lost interest when the boy made a slight move to get away from the protagonist and the guy says something like, :there’s nowhere to run to." Immediately I knew that line was incongruous to the protagonis’s character given to what already transpired. He should have said something like, “If I have to break something to keep you nearby, I will do it.” Not only do I blame the writers of the script, I blame the actors for not really taking the time to study their characters.

mickey

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[QUOTE=mickey;1289099]Not only do I blame the writers of the script, I blame the actors for not really taking the time to study their characters.[/QUOTE]

I can give the writing and acting a pass if the fights are good. But this one misses on all three.

This is about about on par with the overall quality.

http://www.amc.com/shows/into-the-badlands/exclusives/the-world#killing-anchor

Impressive if you are a strip mall mcdojo martial arts student, I suppose. :rolleyes:

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Sometimes I can excuse defects in acting and storyline if the fights are good, but other times I can’t. Even many of the lowest-budgeted old-school independent kung fu movies of the 70s had someone you could root for or against. Somebody had to be interesting enough for whatever reason, whether protagonist or villain, enough to care either way.

In the case of Into the Badlands, as far as what I saw, I simply couldn’t care either way. IMO, the whole futuristic post-apocolyptic thing has gotten a bit old. And since this is a series, a character(s) and the story have to be compelling enough to make the viewer care enough to tune in week after week. Otherwise, no matter how well the fights are choreographed, the series will disappear. I just saw a bleak, depressing concept without any characters I could like, or at least relate to or root for. Now, maybe the show has evolved a bit since the first episode. If I can remember to watch, I guess I’ll find out.

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Sorry to hear y’all aren’t getting into it

I’m still enjoying it. But then again, I can still smell Emily on my elbow. :wink:

Here’s episode 3

Season 1, Episode 3 76 days left
White Stork Spreads Wings
As Sunny begins to train M.K., the boy struggles to learn discipline. Meanwhile, Quinn seeks retribution against The Widow and faces the consequences.

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Greetings,

Gene,

About your facial expression with the redhead. Was it the food?

mickey

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Gene,

I actually hope that the show succeeds. It’s only like what?..one of only 2 or 3 shows in this country with an east Asian male lead, and of those, the only one who’s manly. The other Asian male images are nerdy, except for Daniel Dae Kim on Hawaii Five-O, but he’s only a supporting character (he really should be the lead, since he and his character are far more interesting than the leading actors who play McGarrett and Dano). Even today, there are so relatively few opportunities for Asian male actors in Hollywood, especially as leading men. If Into the Badlands doesn’t succeed, who knows when another opportunity for such a leading character will ever come up (anybody remember Vanishing Son or Martial Law)?

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[QUOTE=GeneChing;1289107]I’m still enjoying it. But then again, I can still smell Emily on my elbow. ;)[/QUOTE]

She’s a hottie :slight_smile:

[QUOTE=Jimbo;1289119]Gene,

I actually hope that the show succeeds. It’s only like what?..one of only 2 or 3 shows in this country with an east Asian male lead, and of those, the only one who’s manly. The other Asian male images are nerdy, except for Daniel Dae Kim on Hawaii Five-O […][/QUOTE]

Yep. Not expecting much though.

And on the kung fu skills, or lack thereof - lots of actors with no background can be made to look good.

Zhang Zi Yi, Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat, Wu Chun did fine.

So the Badlands actors trained for 6 weeks. Zhang Zi Yi trained for 6 months for The Grandmaster.

http://www.wsj.com/video/zhang-ziyi-kung-fu-fighter/19697878-D141-43C2-8A45-9400B1D6EB23.html

The attention to detail shows both in the skill, choreography, and filming.

Emily Beechum makes a point about big bold production approach in America. I think that carries over to the detriment of the fight scenes - big, bold, but superficial.

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I am with Jimbo. It is the story and acting. Maybe the director. They often kill actors ability. Some times that is for the best. Other times big mistake.

I had not even considered the lack of Asian male leads in Hollywood. True. That is a shame. I think Hollywood should sheep dip actors from Asia since they have so many great ones there. Start there anyway. But in the past , it has not always worked out well. It may be again, the directors. Or just different approaches and things get lost on the crossover.

I always hoped Robert Ito would have got his own show back when I was a boy. He was a ballet dancer too. I like ballet.

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Billy,

They could get actors from Asia, but there are already quite a few very good Asian-American actors right here already. If they can best fit the role, IMO they should get first priority. And interestingly enough, a number of the actors in Asia (Hong Kong/China, S. Korea, etc.) are either American (or Canadian)-born, or at least had grown up in the States/Canada. Into the Badlands’ Daniel Wu is originally from the Bay Area. Other notables include Andy On, Philip Ng, and even Donnie Yen (who was born overseas but grew up in Boston). These are only a few examples. There are some Asian-American actors who started out here, but do a higher percentage of their work overseas (some have relocated overseas, some have not) in order to get work, or better work. And the latter type are not always MA-related actors.

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Did y’all see last night’s ep? With Cung Le?

Actually, I haven’t seen it yet myself. :o I won’t get the chance to catch it for a few more days. This is a great formula for success of the series with us martial artist fans - have guest martial artists do cameos and reoccurring roles in the show.

As for the series success, well, like I alluded to here and in my coverage on this, it’s all about China and season 2. And I just got news that it has succeeded on both fronts.

AMC’s ‘Into the Badlands’ Sells to Chinese Streamer LeTV


“Into the Badlands”

by Patrick Brzeski 12/3/2015 4:12am PST
The postapocalyptic martial arts drama stars Chinese actor Daniel Wu and is loosely based on a beloved Chinese classic novel.

Entertainment One (eOne) has licensed AMC’s Into the Badlands to LeTV in China. The postapocalyptic martial arts drama, loosely based on the beloved and oft-adapted Chinese classic novel Journey to the West, will launch on LeTV’s streaming video services in early 2016.

“We’re delighted to partner with LeTV, one of the largest online platforms in China, to bring this blockbuster series to the Chinese audience,” said eOne regional sales director Ben Bishop.

In addition to Mainland China, eOne has licensed Into the Badlands to AMC Global in over 125 countries, including regions throughout Asia, Benelux, Latin America, Central Europe and Spain, as well as to Foxtel in Australia, SoHo in New Zealand and CMore in Scandinavia.

Set in a devastated future world controlled by powerful feudal barons, Into the Badlands tells the story of a ruthless warrior, Sunny (Daniel Wu, a major star in mainland China), and a young boy, M.K. (Aramis Knight, The Dark Knight Rises), who embark on a spiritual odyssey across a dangerous land.

Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the series debuted on AMC in the U.S. as televisions highest-rated series premiere this fall among adults ages 18-49 in live/same day ratings.

From Daniel Wu’s facebook:

Into The Badlands has been renewed for a second season. So fans, please continue to support the show as well as you have. Things like voting on IMDB help a lot, so thanks fans!

[QUOTE=mickey;1289112]Greetings,

Gene,

About your facial expression with the redhead. Was it the food?

mickey[/QUOTE]
Um, it was the open bar. Needed a few shots of Johnny Walker Black to chat up those starlets. :o

Here’s EP 4

Season 1, Episode 4 73 days left
Two Tigers Subdue Dragons
Sunny and M.K. try to figure out how to control the boys power, while Quinn sets a dangerous parlay with a rival Baron to help fight The Widow.
Full Episode

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renewal retracted

Again from Daniel Wu’s facebook page (looks like he’s got someone posting for him who messed up :o)

[LL] Hi everyone!
So I made a mistake earlier about how the show was renewed. That information was incorrect! I am sorry, because that information will be announced appropriately. I made that assumption because, like you, I’m a big fan of the show and Daniel (so I just automatically thought it was, but I was wrong!).
Your feedback has been much appreciated. If anything, it just shows how passionate the fan base has been.
-Lyon

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So I saw episode 4 but didn’t see Cung Le.

I was told Cung had a cameo in the series at the premiere. And then a pic of Cung came up on Daniel Wu’s instagram:

thatdanielwu

Anyone know who this guy is? @cungle185 was kicking ass in sanda while I was competing in wushu more than 20 years ago. I would try and catch his fights in between my events. He was the first person I ever saw use a scissor kick take down in competition. He’s also is in #intothebadlands. Episode 4 coming up in 2 days! Make sure you check it out! #AMC #UFC #mma

Maybe it’s the 5th episode? Maybe the finale? :confused:

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I guess Cung will be in the finale

Season 1, Episode 5 65 days left
Snake Creeps Down
As Sunny secures his escape from the Fort, Quinn grows suspicious, while The Widow’s decisions set her on a collision course with Sunny and M.K.

RATINGS: AMC’S “INTO THE BADLANDS” DECLINES THIS WEEK
BY BRIAN CANTOR
15 DEC 2015

It dropped this week, but “Into The Badlands” remained solid from a competitive standpoint.

In its second week without “The Walking Dead” lead-in support, AMC’s “Into The Badlands” remained strong from a competitive standpoint. It was Sunday night’s #2 original cable program in adults 18-49.

Sunday’s episode did, however, suffer week-to-week losses in adults 18-49 and total viewership.

Per live+same-day Nielsen data, Sunday’s episode drew a 0.96 adults 18-49 rating and 2.209 million total viewers. The numbers trail the 1.06 rating and 2.424 million viewership mark posted by last week’s episode.

Sunday’s episode was the series’ fifth.
That’s too bad. Ep. 5 had the most amusing fight so far. Sunny vs. the Widow in the dungeon armoury…because every fort keeps its armoury next to its dungeon…but it had swords, morning stars, a guandao and tiger hooks, so I was amused.

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Last night I did something I rarely ever do; I watched TV long enough for a back-to-back Into the Badlands marathon, up through the season finale with Cung Le. All in all, I have to admit that, IMO, the show seemed to have improved a bit over the debut episode, as well as the fights. There was enough to hold my interest, at least. However, I don’t get the impression that the series will be long-running.

Plot-wise, it’s still basically a post-apocalyptic mob story. Everybody only out for themselves, and out to get everybody else, including whacking one’s own allies. Everybody jockeying to become a baron (or a Don). It’s just an ugly world (except for The Widow, lol).

Funny thing is, at first I didn’t even recognize Cung Le when he first appeared. Good work. As in some of his work in movies, Cung can look very imposing onscreen.

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I still have yet to see the season finale

The Cover Story, INTO THE BADLANDS with Daniel Wu by Gene Ching, from our JANUARY+FEBRUARY 2016 issue is online.

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And now, we wait…

Will there be a Season 2? I hope so.

‘Into the Badlands’ Season 2 News: AMC Has High Possibilities Of Another Season In 2016?
John LandichoJan 01, 2016 06:59 PM EST

The very first season of “Into The Badlands” has impressed a lot of people as it was considered as one of the “best new series of 2015.” AMC’s new series is looking to take things to a higher level as they highly consider another season which will air in 2016.

According to Tech Times, the show averaged “viewers of 3.2 million adults 19 to 49 and 3.3 million adults 25 to 54.” The season finale did a good job as well, getting around 3.6 million viewers. It’s a good job for the show and the network but the possible next season would be a good opportunity to turn that “good” into a “great.”

While the numbers aren’t good enough yet to be compared to “The Walking Dead” or “Fear The Walking Dead,” the show ranked 3rd highest among all the freshman series on any network on cable (“Fear The Walking Dead” is at the No. 2 spot and the No. 1 belongs to “Better Call Saul,” AMC’s prequel to “Breaking Bad.”). That alone should convince the network executives to push through with another season.

“‘Into the Badlands’ was built to be entertaining, action-packed television, and this team delivered. We’re very appreciative of the many millions of fans who have joined us in the Badlands each week,” AMC President Charlie Collier said according to Tech Times.

“Into the Badlands” aired its pilot episode on November 15, 2015. It got a score of 51 percent from Rotten Tomatoes while getting an average audience score of 85 percent. It also has a score of 8.3/10 from the International Movie Database.

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Renewed!

‘Into the Badlands’ Renewed for Season 2 at AMC
News Editor Laura Prudom


‘Into the Badlands’ Renewed Season 2 COURTESY AMC

MARCH 8, 2016 | 01:43PM PT
AMC has renewed martial arts drama “Into the Badlands” for Season 2, the cabler announced Tuesday.

The drama will return for a 10-episode second season that is slated to premiere on AMC in 2017.

The show delivered the third highest-rated first season in U.S. cable TV history, averaging 5.6 million viewers per episode.

“With its deep dive into authentic martial arts, the visually stunning ‘Into the Badlands’ proved to be unlike anything else on television,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “Co-creators and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar, along with a talented team of producers, cast and crew, brought us an artfully crafted series. We’re eager to return to the world of barons and blades and spend even more time with these compelling and evolving characters across an expanded second season.”

“We can’t imagine any other network bold enough to embrace a show like this,” said Gough and Millar in a statement. “We are incredibly grateful to Charlie, Joel and the entire AMC team for taking this leap of faith with us and we look forward to continuing the journey into the Badlands!”

AMC Global will once again premiere Season 2 within minutes of the show’s U.S. broadcast in markets around the world, as it did with Season 1, which aired in 125 countries simultaneous with its U.S. broadcast.

From AMC Studios, “Into the Badlands” was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who serve as showrunners, writers and executive producers. It’s executive produced by Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg, director David Dobkin, fight director Stephen Fung and Daniel Wu.

“Into the Badlands” stars Wu as Sunny; Marton Csokas as Quinn; Aramis Knight as M.K.; Oliver Stark as Ryder; Emily Beecham as The Widow; Orla Brady as Lydia; Sarah Bolger as Jade; Ally Ioannides as Tilda; and Madeleine Mantock as Veil.

I’m so relieved. It would have sucked if we went with that cover story for a one-season wonder. :cool:

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“With its deep dive into authentic martial arts, the visually stunning ‘Into the Badlands’ proved to be unlike anything else on television,”

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

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Leading the charge

This haas always been the underlying intention of this show - penetrate new markets.

Into the Badlands Licensed into 260-Plus Territories
Kristin Brzoznowski 35 mins ago
SPI International

LONDON/LOS ANGELES: Entertainment One (eOne) has placed the martial arts drama Into the Badlands into more than 260 territories around the world, including deals with Amazon in the U.K. and Germany and HBO in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Further sales include to Universum Film for Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland; Viacom in Italy; and TV2 in Norway. eOne previously licensed the AMC Studios drama to LeTV in China, Foxtel in Australia, SoHo in New Zealand and CMore in Scandinavia, as well as to AMC Global in over 125 countries, including regions throughout Asia, Benelux, Latin America, Central Europe and Spain.

The announcement comes on the heels of AMC’s renewal of the series for a ten-episode second season. eOne handles the international distribution in all media for Into the Badlands through its exclusive multiyear output agreement with AMC Networks for all original scripted series.

“The overwhelming global interest in this series has been incredible, it is a testament to the superb writing and talent,” said Stuart Baxter, the president of eOne Television International. “We’re delighted the series has been renewed for season two and look forward to providing buyers with more gripping episodes that will keep their audiences tuning in.”

“With incredible martial arts and compelling characters, Into the Badlands is an innovative and visually stunning drama that complements the strong lineup of original series being produced by AMC Studios,” added Charlie Collier, the president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “We’re pleased the first season resonated so strongly with global audiences and look forward to continuing our partnership with eOne to bring more of this distinctive series to viewers worldwide.”

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work continues

Martial arts drama ‘Into the Badlands’ adds LaToya Morgan
AFP Relax News
•June 28, 2016


‘Into the Badlands’ series poster

AMC’s second season of “Into the Badlands” is gaining Image Award-nominated writer LaToya Morgan as work continues on the 2017 show.

Morgan most recently collaborated with AMC on “Turn: Washington’s Spies,” for which Episode 2 of Season 3, “False Flag,” won her a NAACP Image Award nod.

She also has credits on “American Horror Story: The Orderly,” dramatic comedy “Shameless,” and crime thriller “Complications”; future projects include a biopic of civil rights icon Angela Davis, as Deadline reports.

The first season of “Into the Badlands” starred Daniel Wu of action film “New Police Story,” Emily Beecham (“Hail, Caesar,”) Orla Brady (“Wuthering Heights,”) Sarah Bolger (“The Tudors,”) and Aramis Knight (“Teen Wolf.”)

It was nominated for Best Genre Series at February 2016’s Satellite Awards ceremony.

It’s funny that they credited Daniel Wu with New Police Story and not Warcraft. :rolleyes: