How did you find that experience as a new endeavour? You mentioned Never Back Down 3 and you actually directed for the first time on Never Back Down 2. So this is my priority now ahead of the next film. I’d say its very much like a fighter in training and I just need to get myself conditioned and prepared for my fighting weight. My normal process before filming is to drop weight, whereas a lot of people think I bulk up. I’m getting ready to direct Never Back Down 3, having made the second film, and I'm doing most of my training now because I won’t get a chance once cameras start rolling on set. But one thing I really enjoy are the happy accidents you sometimes stumble upon which can change something beyond what you had originally thought, so it’s more organic and in the moment. A big part of filmmaking is problem solving and it can be like a big puzzle, figuring out the different pieces. We laughed a lot every single day and had a good time making the film, so it was a good experience. What are your fondest memories from Falcon Rising? We had some rain issues during filming, it actually rained a lot while we were there, but fortunately no big hurdles which affected the film. We were shooting in Puerto Rico and you can find that, working in a different country, there are things they do differently and little day to day challenges we had to solve, but overall nothing too difficult. Were there any challenges you had to overcome while making the film? You’re really just hitting your marks at that stage, so once we knew the routine it all came together pretty quick. It didn’t take very long because, fortunately, when you’re working with a good stunt team it’s just like working with professional dancers. How long did you have to work on the fights? So we tried to create action which was impressive, but which worked within John’s world and the story as it unfolded. Some choreographers come up with cool ideas but it doesn’t necessarily fit the character, which is the most important thing. I feel the fighting should be a result of that story and reality. I believe the first thing to remember is to fight as that character. What was the approach for the choreography on this one? You collaborated again with fight choreographer, Larnell Stovall, who you’ve worked with a number of times. My criteria for movies is that you should be able to take out the action and fight scenes and still have a good movie by itself, and this definitely fit that bill. I felt the story had strengths in every aspect. There are combat veterans who come home with severe PTSD and actually my brother-in-law has suffered from this, so it’s something close to my heart. This was a character who I found a lot more down to earth. What appealed to you about the story and character of John “Falcon” Chapman?įor me, it felt rooted in reality in terms of what a real American hero could be. Then we got together with Ernie Barbarash who was directing and we started developing news ideas on how best to translate it for the screen. I was first approached by Shahar Stroh from Strohberry Films about the project. How did you come to be involved in Falcon Rising? As a long time fan of Michael and his work, including Tyson, Spawn, Universal Soldier: The Return, Undisputed II, Blood and Bone and Black Dynamite, to name just a few, it was a real honour and I'm grateful for his time. I sat down with him to discuss the film, what he's developing next and gain some insight from someone who, at this point in his career, has over 26 years' experience in the film business. Michael Jai White visited the UK to promote the film's release and had a busy schedule of interviews, events and TV appearances. On a self-destructive edge, he learns his sister has been brutally beaten in the favelas of Brazil and travels there to hunt down her attackers, waging war on all criminals and corrupt cops he encounters during his new, self-proclaimed mission. In the film, John "Falcon" Chapman (MJW) is an ex-marine anti-hero plagued with guilt and trauma after returning home from conflict. Falcon Rising, a true passion project from action star and filmmaker Michael Jai White, is finally arriving on UK DVD.
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