Isaac Florentine’s ninja films, directed by Scott Adkins, have been huge hits, and Adkins’ rise to fame proves why, if he and Florentine are up to it, Ninja 3 should finally be released. Having played a variety of supporting, villainous, and supporting roles in action films, Ninja was Scott Adkins’ first film as the lead and the second of many films with director Isaac Florentine. While it wasn’t as energetic a start as an action star as Yuri Boyka’s role in Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, it was nonetheless an entertaining martial arts film with plenty of amazing fight scenes.
The sequel to the 2013 film Ninja 2: Shadow of Tears took everything that was good about its predecessor and took it all to the extreme. Years after its release, Shadow of Tears is considered one of Adkins’ best martial arts films, as well as one of Adkins’ favorite films. Considering the Ninja films have become such a big hit in Adkins’ career, it’s a little surprising that Ninja 3 never got greenlighted.
While there was never an official reason why Ninja 3 never happened, the low-budget action films that Adkins and Florentine make tend to be more volatile than big-budget, studio-backed films. However, a few things have changed since The Shadow of Tears, including direct-to-video action films that are now viewed with far less ridicule, or even no ridicule at all in the case of Adkins’ career. There’s also the fact of how high Adkins has risen since The Shadow of Tears.
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At the time of Shadow of a Tear’s release, Adkins was just beginning to gain visible mainstream popularity, and he is now much better known among the general public than even then. From being named as the villain in Ip Man 4: Endgame by Donnie Yen himself, to reuniting with Yen and other martial artists in John Wick: Chapter 4, Adkins’ presence in the action movie is bigger than ever. . Adkins has also cemented his popularity among action movie fans with his YouTube series, The Art of Action, in which he conducted numerous interviews with directors, stunt performers, and his fellow action stars.
Simply put, Scott Adkins, who stars in action films as a hero, a villain, or as part of an ensemble like Triple Threat, easily takes audiences along for the ride. This also means that Ninja 3 makes as much sense to be greenlit as something like Undisputed 5. Adkins’ portrayal of heroic American ninjutsu master Casey Bowman is even close to Boyka in terms of his most iconic characters, and Shadow in the film ” Tear Adkins and Florentine deliver some of the most amazing fight scenes they’ve ever filmed.
Florentin himself is also a very gifted action director, and having him return to helm Ninja 3 would be just as important. With Scott Adkins now the mainstream martial arts movie star that he is today, Ninja 3 is sure to please action fans and many casual moviegoers alike. Let’s hope that now that Adkins gets the same recognition and Isaac Florentine’s strengths as a director, Casey Bowman will be wielding his sword for Ninja 3 soon.