Jean-ClaudeVan Damme starred as Kurt Sloan, the martial artist who learns the secrets of kickboxing in order to defeat his brother's killer, in the original movie, this time around he'll portray a new version of Sloan's sensei, Master Chow. Van Damme was tapped to replace Thai actor Tony Jaa, who dropped out because of scheduling conflicts.  

"We are so excited to have Kickboxer roll into production and to have JCVD in the role of Master Chow, passing the torch to Alain, to have him lead the franchise to a new generation " says producer Ted Field. John Stockwell is directing this one, kicking off shooting this week in New Orleans before finishing up production in Thailand. Van Damme played the Sloane character in the original 1989 “Kickboxer,” which grossed $14 million on a $1.5 million budget. He did not appear in the four sequels.