[Press] Jean-Claude Van Damme and Odyssey Media get their "Pound of Flesh" with Spring Theatrical R

Global action star Jean Claude Van Damme stars in Odyssey Media’s action thriller, “Pound Of Flesh” opening theatrically worldwide.

Hollywood, CA – International action star, Jean Claude Van Damme stars in Odyssey Media’s action thriller “Pound of Flesh”. Produced and Executive Produced by Odyssey Media’s Kirk Shaw (Drive Hard, Hurt Locker, Personal Effects) and Henry Luk’s Ace Studios (Fist of the Dragon, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil), the film is Directed by Ernie Barbarash (6 Bullets, Assassination Games, Falcon Rising), written by Joshua James (Alien Uprising), and will be distributed in over 3000 theatres by Luk’s Ace Studios, Automatic Entertainment, Chunqiu Time Culture Co. Ltd and Canada’s Entertainment One.

Pound of Flesh is the story of Deacon (Van Damme) who arrives in town to donate his kidney to his dying niece. However, he awakes the day before the operation to find he is the latest victim of organ theft. Stitched up and pissed-­‐off, Deacon descends from his opulent hotel in search of his stolen kidney and carves a blood-­‐soaked path through the darkest corners of the city -­‐ brothels, fight clubs, back-­‐alley black markets, and elite billionaire estates. The clock is ticking for his niece and with each step he loses blood; Deacon enlists the help of his former underworld connections and his civilian brother in a journey through society's seedy underbelly, proving to anyone who crosses their path, nothing means more to a man than his own flesh and blood.

Also joining Van Damme is Gemini nominee John Ralston (The Informant, Degrassi: Next Generation, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, Ascension), Darren Shahlavi (300, The Watchmen, IPman 2, and the upcoming Kickboxer: Vengeance) and Aki Aleong from Van Damme’s The Quest (House of Sand & Fog, Cable Guy), Marsha Yuan, Jason Tobin from the Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, Andrew Ng from The Man with the Iron Fists with British ingénue Charlotte Peter’s debuting in the leading role of Ana.

The film features fight choreography by Donnie Yen mainstay John Salvitti from Flashpoint, Special ID and the upcoming Kung Fu Killer/Last of the Best, and car stunts by Bruce Law Stunts Unlimited.

“This is certainly the best Jean-­‐Claude Van Damme action movie in many years.” Said Odyssey Media’s Producer – Executive Producer Kirk Shaw, “Working closely with JCVD to develop the script, Director, Ernie Barbarash was able to spend seven full weeks shooting on location in China, which afforded JCVD an opportunity to perfect his many action stunts and fight sequences for the camera. But it’s not all just action, JCVD creates a fully rounded character that emotionally engages with the audience. As the producer, I personally enjoyed getting to know and work with JCVD. He is a rare personality in Hollywood, a perfectionist who truly understands his fans. We have a sequence in this film with JCVD doing the splits while holding on to the side of a fleeing car. That’s 100% JCVD on screen doing the stunts. In fact, as a producer, I would only allow two takes of that particularly dangerous stunt due to my fear of an injury to our star. JCVD nailed the stunt on the first take, but then pleaded for the second take to push his performance further. The second take bested the first. I hope too that this film stands as a calling card for the excellence of our Director, Ernie Barbarash and further propels his career forward.”

Follow the Pound of Flesh team online at:

• Jean Claude Van Damme on Twitter @JCVDOnline

• Ernie Barbarash on Twitter @ErnieBarbarash

• Odyssey Media on Twitter @OdyMedia

• Kirk Shaw on Twitter @KirkShawOnline

About Odyssey Media

Headquartered in Vancouver and Los Angeles, Odyssey Media (odysseymediainc.com, @Odymedia) is a leading international film and television production, distribution and rights management company founded by Kirk Shaw, dedicated to delivering the highest quality content to clients in the USA, Canada and around the world. Odyssey Media has over 150 film and television credits with stars such as Sharon Stone, Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, Ashton Kutcher, Sharon Stone and Michelle Pfeifer.

About Ace Studios

ACE Studios provides a wide range of production facilities, equipment, and resources for film, television, and advertising. With a highly-­‐trained permanent crew, Ace Studios cover the complete spectrum of Production Services, spanning Development, Pre-­‐ Production, Production, and Post-­‐Production/Finishing: "A Complete Below-­‐The-­‐Line Solution." Located across from the 105 acre CCTV backlot studio, ACE Studios offers 5 star services with a convenient location and numerous stage options that allow clients to utilize a world-­‐class venue for film production.

About Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The Company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. Through established Film and Television divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 40,000 film and television titles, 4,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.

MEDIA CONTACT

Popular Press Media Group – PPMG

+1 310-­860-­7774

media@ppmg.info

#kirkshaw #kirkshaw #odysseymedia #odysseymedia #jeanclaudevandamme #jcvd #jcvdonlinecom #kirkshawonlinecom #movienews #actionfilm #afm #americanfilmmarket #bestactionmovies #celebrityevents #celebritynews #executiveproducer #favoriteactionmovies #filmdistribution #filmfinance #filmmaking #films #hitman #howtomakeafilm #howtomakeamovie #howtosellyourfilm #kirkshawauthor #moviemaker #moviemaking #movies #makingmovies #favoriteactionfilms #6bullets #erniebarbarash #fistofthedragon #puppetmaster #axisofevil #alienuprising #joshuajames