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[RatskyWatsky]

From the creators of 'Smallville', and starring American born Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu in his first US televison role, comes 'Into the Badlands', an epic martial arts series premiering on Sunday, November 15 at 10/9c. The critical response to the first couple episodes has been tepid in the early going, but even the staunchest critics admit that the action scenes kick ass - it's no surprise with Huan-Chiu Ku and Stephen Fung working as the Martial Arts Coordinator and Fight Director, respectively - and isn't that really what we're all here for?

'Into the Badlands' is a genre-bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West. In a land controlled by feudal barons, Into the Badlands tells the story of a great warrior and a young boy who embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment.

The first season will consist of 6 one-hour long episodes.

Cast

• Sunny is Regent (Head Clipper) to the Badlands’ most powerful Baron, Quinn. He is the ideal right-hand man: a prodigiously skilled, merciless killer with a keen strategic mind, unflappable temperament and deep sense of loyalty.
• Saved from mercenary Nomads by Sunny, M.K. is taken to Quinn’s walled compound, The Fort. A seemingly average teenage boy, M.K. is anything but. Lurking inside him is a dark energy that The Widow wants to harness into a weapon.
• The Widow is the Badlands’ newest Baron. It is rumored, correctly, that she murdered her husband but few know the story behind her act. A brilliant martial artist, she has adopted a blue-winged butterfly as her Baronial symbol, representing a transformation from insignificance to beauty and power.
• Sixteen-year-old Tilda is profoundly grateful to her Baron, The Widow, after she saved her from abuse. Under the guidance of The Widow, Tilda has flourished into a confident, self-reliant teenage assassin.

• Ruthless, enigmatic, shrewd and charming, Quinn is the Badlands’ preeminent Baron. A former Clipper, Quinn secured his position the old-fashioned way: he killed for it, murdering the very Baron who trained him.
• Lydia is Quinn’s first wife and is both his fiercest critic and most devoted follower. Without her astute counsel, he wouldn’t have ascended so far.
• Jade grew up as a Cog in Quinn’s house. Now in her early 20s, she is a beautiful young woman whose beguiling demeanor hides a core of ambition and tenacity. She is about to become Quinn’s wife, and aims to eclipse Lydia in her husband’s affections.
• Ryder is Quinn’s only son and presumed heir. Impulsive and arrogant, Ryder might have become a different person had he not been kidnapped as a child...

Videos and Links

• Official Comic Con Trailer
• The Characters of Into the Badlands: The Clippers
• The Characters of Into the Badlands: The Barons
• Building the World of Into the Badlands

• The Master: Into the Badlands Fight Camp: Episode 1
• Creating Real Kung Fu: Into the Badlands Fight Camp: Episode 2
• Bringing It All Together: Into the Badlands Fight Camp: Episode 3

• Digital Comic: The Story Begins
• Infographic: The World of 'Into the Badlands'

Promo Photos

Reviews

Masterfully choreographed by EP and fight director Stephen Fung and superbly executed by the charismatic American-born Hong Kong star Wu, the fight scenes in Into the Badlands are gravity defying and mind blowing in a pretty good yarn of a narrative. As a huge martial arts devotee, the series has some of the best and most versatile moves you will ever see on either the small or big screen.

Into The Badlands’ fight scenes are stellar. Fight director Stephen Fung brings the series its only spark of life with devilish, elaborate sequences of blood and mayhem.

The fights are marked by swift, breathless moments of hand-to-hand (or sword-to-sword) combat, and when the series leans on the sheer spectacle of such physically stunning actions, there's a potent exuberance in the lethal bits of violence.

 

[Qvoth]

wat
this show is kungfu post apocalypse? lol that definitely sounds interesting

 

[Aztechnology]

Well see how the turns out. I'm interested after reading this thread. However, the commercials made it look like a B list Kung fu/sci fi film. So that doesn't bode well for it.

Cool fight scenes won't save a show from bad writing.

 

[Hours Left]

Nice OT Ratsky.

I've been curious about this. I'll give it a few episodes.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Cool fight scenes won't save a show from bad writing.

Seemed to work well enough for Daredevil!

 

[D i Z]

Well see how the turns out. I'm interested after reading this thread. However, the commercials made it look like a B list Kung fu/sci fi film. So that doesn't bode well for it.

Cool fight scenes won't save a show from bad writing.

That was the impression that I was left with as well. That, and the cuts to close up leave a feel that not all of the cast are all that proficient in martial arts. This might not be the case at all (though it's very likely that it is) and they're managing to avoid the first pitfall of ho hum martial arts shows. I would have liked to see a more... diverse cast as well. I guess we'll see.

 

[Angelus Errare]

Looks like they spent their minority budget on Sunny.

I assume she's not a main character going by the roster in the OP?

 

[PfantzyPantz]

I'll pray to the Gods of Kung Fu that this lives up to "Post-apocalyptic kung-fu meets steampunk western", because that sounds so amazing *o*

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I assume she's not a main character going by the roster in the OP?

She is, I just couldn't fit her into the cast section without it being lopsided.

 

[Angelus Errare]

She is, I just couldn't fit her into the cast section without it being lopsided.

Just drop one of the lessers!

 

[D i Z]

Looks like they spent their minority budget on Sunny.

Looking at the full cast on IMDB Sunny is the only Asian major character listed for now.

 

[YesNOnoNOYes]

interesting. i'll check it out. i like kung fu, and i like post apoc.

thanks op

 

[Mrbob]

In for the fight scenes. Hoping the show doesn't suck. Interesting setting.

 

[Tim the Wiz]

What's the explanation for the no guns thing in a post-apocalyptic world? Even steampunk usually has gunpowder weapons.

 

[matrix-cat]

Cool fight scenes won't save a show from bad writing.

Cool fight scenes will save anything from anything, as far as I'm concerned. I'll definitely give this a go, though I'm hopelessly snobbish about fight scenes so it takes a lot to impress me

Trailers make it look a bit shaky-cam, but I don't mind some shake as long as it's still edited well. There's a world of difference between The Raid shaky and Taken shaky.

 

[Discotheque]

Cool fight scenes won't save a show from bad writing.

uh yeah they will absolutely. superheroes existing save shows from bad writing, zombies saved a show from bad writing etc. etc.

i'm definitely watching this because it came out of nowhere for me. looks cool as hell.

 

[Cabbagehead]

This is going to be bad... though i hope it won't be to bad.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Cool fight scenes won't save a show from bad writing.

I call bullshit. Cool fight scenes have saved plenty of movies from mediocrity. Don't see why the same can't be true for TV.

 

[Aztechnology]

Seemed to work well enough for Daredevil!

Touche. However, you can't compare this IP to established franchises from Marvel and DC. As much as I agree with what you're saying, you know you can't. Shows like Arrow and Flash (Considerably worse than Daredevil) also only survive due to their lineage.

I hope I'm wrong, the trailers just really left me kind of soured.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

I'll give it an episode. Given who is behind it, my expectations are pretty low.

 

[Pachimari]

One of my few anticipated shows. I really hope this turns out great. Can't wait for the pilot.

 

[a secret-boss]

martial arts series finally

Mahvel take some ideas for Iron Fist

 

[Baldwin_the_First]

Is that Jared Leto playing a actress named Ally Ioannides playing a teenage girl assassin?

seriously:

 

[DiscoJer]

Daniel Wu was really good in One Nite in Mongkok.

And I don't get what is wrong with a "b list kung fu/sci-fi" movie. I'd much rather watch one of those than the typical soulless CGI slathered blockbuster from Hollywood.

 

[Johndoey]

This looks stupid in a great way I can't hardly wait.

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Any chance of this coming to the UK or any way a brit can watch? I'm intrigued!

 

[cjp]

Any chance of this coming to the UK or any way a brit can watch? I'm intrigued!

Amazon Prime.

 

[soundscream]

Is that Jared Leto playing a actress named Ally Ioannides playing a teenage girl assassin?

seriously:

LOL

First thing I thought.

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Amazon Prime.

Thanks, i'll have to log-in and have a look about.

 

[jesu]

Modern day Monkey from the makers of Smallville, what could possibly go wrong.

 

[old manatee]

Beaten.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

However, you can't compare this IP to established franchises from Marvel and DC. As much as I agree with what you're saying, you know you can't. Shows like Arrow and Flash (Considerably worse than Daredevil) also only survive due to their lineage.

That's fair.

 

[the_firewithin]

this looks fun and colorful. hope it doesnt end up cheesy

 

[Volimar]

Guns have been banned. This is a show about outlaws. What outlaw gives a shit if something is illegal? The only way the premise makes sense is that this is so far in the future that no one even remembers guns...

 

[the_sun_king]

It caught my interest when I saw the Comic Con trailer, so I'll check it out.

I have a feeling it's gonna take itself a little too seriously, though. A little levity goes a long way sometimes.

 

[Savitar]

I've seen commercials and it looks pretty damn cool in style. The fights especially.

 

[Chairhome]

Really looking forward to it, but I don't have cable :-(. I'll have to wait a bit longer. Looks great though.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Really curious to see how this turns out. Not enough people have made legit stabs at a martial arts show in a long time.

 

[Chairhome]

Really curious to see how this turns out. Not enough people have made legit stabs at a martial arts show in a long time.

The last legit one I can remember was Vanishing son? Martial Law was disappointing.

 

[MrPink93485]

Marton Csokas and Stephen Lang will pull off some mastery scenery chewing in between the fights. Count me in.

 

[Gonzalez]

Why couldn't AMC get the TV rights to Fist of The North Star?

 

[Beaniedude]

The font in the pictures made me read it as
"Into the Brolands"

 

[Edwardo]

Definitely gonna watch this. Looks pretty cool.

 

[BlackGhost]

In! I'll miss the premiere live though. I'll post my opinions when I finally get to watch it, probably a week later

Awesome op

 

[StudioTan]

Could be interesting. Will watch a few episodes.

 

[Rootbeer]

I'll be giving it a shot

 

[psynergylover]

I'm looking forward to it

 

[Platy]

This is either REALLY good or REALLY bad. There is no middle ground

Is that Jared Leto playing a actress named Ally Ioannides playing a teenage girl assassin?

seriously:

He looks girlier in the left pic

here is a better one

 

[TheSeks]

wat
this show is kungfu post apocalypse? lol that definitely sounds interesting

"Guns were outlawed."

That's where I threw the story into the trashheap and pray the fight scenes are 90% of an episode to where I can watch it just for the fights and not the story.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

The font in the pictures made me read it as
"Into the Brolands"

"Into the Brolands" would be a great name for a show.