Hello Mr. Albiston. It’s an honor to interview you. Please,
introduce yourself and the new Cannon Films company. The
most welcomed reincarnation for cult
movie buffs nowadays!
Hi Tiziano. Reincarnation is a very strong word. Since Menahem passed, I wanted to create an independent company that could complete his work, because he had so many fantastic
ideas and so many scripts
that have something really special to offer. He worked extensively on a script called Le Grande Festival and it really is one of the most fantastic
scripts I’ve ever read. I wanted to do what I could to try and get these movies made, but at the same time, I have my own ideas an directions that I’d like to explore,
which is why we have movies like Daniel Farson’s Curse
in active development.
You defined yourself as the “Protégé”
of Menahem Golan. He was a legend, and it’s a true pleasure to see that someone
so skilled like you is carrying on his endless
legacy. Can you tell us more about him?
I’d certainly never look upon myself as skilled. Even fantastic, creative individuals in movies
sometimes make a project
that they believe is the best way forward, and it doesn’t
receive the attention they had hoped, Menahem
is included in that, but I think now there is a seemingly endless line of Cannon Group material getting comprehensive attention from companies like Arrow Video, 88 Films and others in the US, shows that in certain
circumstances, it takes a
long while to be accepted.
Menahem was a great guy. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great producers
of different nationalities, but Menahem
was different. Some producers
ask for something
and you show them your work and they throw it out the window,
even though it’s exactly what they asked you to write. Menahem was different, when we first started on
the script that would become Allan
Quatermain and the Jewel of
the East, we had a solid treatment and then a first draft. But
then Menahem had changes and ideas, but he’d always explain to me, someone who hadn’t been through
that process before, exactly why we were changing because of the way he would shoot something
or that a certain line could throw the audience off what we were trying to tell them. It helped me get a strong grasp on, not only WHAT to write, but WHY to write it like that. Menahem was extremely generous with his time and his experiences, he’d lived it and learnt it.
Did he (Golan) ever reveal you some facts or interesting tidbits/inside stories about the five American Ninja movies? What did he think
about the overall American Ninja saga?
We never sat down and had a real conversation about American
Ninja as it was back then. We had approached Michael’s agent about a completely different project back in 2011 or 12 and we had a brief talk about how he suited the role but American Ninja wasn’t really
something we discussed. You have to remember that Menahem did one of the first ‘Western’ ninja
movies with Enter the Ninja with Franco Nero, and American
Ninja didn’t happen until after Cannon’s
first ninja franchise
ended with Ninja 3: The Domination. There’s no doubting that American Ninja
was certainly successful, but American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt didn’t come out until after Menahem had left the company
and that production was handled
by another great producer, Harry Alan Towers. So I don’t really know what he thought
of the saga as a whole.
Do you like American Ninja
2: The Confrontation?
I like all of the American
Ninja films, although some of the sequels,
like most sequels,
often don’t require viewing as often as others. American
Ninja 2 shows really Sam Firstenberg coming into his peak as a director, although I view Avenging Force as his best film. The sequel
was a bit more ‘out there’ with his genetically enhanced ‘super ninjas’ and stuff, but it gave Michael and Steve James a chance to show off. I also liked the soundtrack
of the sequel more, the trumpet in American Ninja always makes
me feel sorry for the poor musical that had to play it!
Has the franchise been profitable? What was the most commercially successful “David Bradley entry” anyway?
I think it was profitable but less so as the films went on. By the time it got to American
Ninja 3: Blood Hunt, the Cannon Group had a home media deal for video tapes with some company on the condition that the films had been a theatrical release. So what they’d do is release
the film in a limited area for a week or two weeks or whatever just to
keep the deal going. As a result,
American
Ninja 3 and American Ninja 4 didn’t do very well at the box office at all, but then did well on home media. But I believe American
Ninja 3 was the more profitable of the David Bradley
films.
I once theorized
that – at a certain point of his life – Sean Davidson left Delta Force and adopted a new civilian identity (Joe Kastle) in order to avoid the demons (and the enemies) of his past as special
agent and hero. So basically, American
Ninja 5 could be a proper chapter and not necessarily an alternate
universe. What do you think about this theory? All in all, that could not even disrupt the continuity of the upcoming American
Ninja Apprentice.
Well first of all, American Ninja Apprentice is neither a sequel nor a prequel to the original American Ninja saga.
It’s is it’s own film, in it’s own universe
with it’s own timeline.
Your theory is certainly
interesting. I suppose
there are arguments for and against.
If fans want it to be connected, then they can be, or if you
want it to be
it’s own film, that’s
fine too.
Is American Ninja 5 an official movie of the franchise, however? Much speculation has surrounded the flick throughout the decades. Is the original title: American Ninja 5 or
American Ninja V?
The original
title is neither
of those. As far as I know, someone wanted to do a movie in the vein of The Karate Kid and they either commissioned a script or bought a script that suited them. I know at one point the film was titled Little Ninja Man, which is in the dialogue
of the film at several points. I have heard it was also called American
Dragons at one point.
I did work with the movie’s producer, cult filmmaker
Ovidio Assonitis, at one point, but again, American
Ninja is not something
we discussed other than his time at Cannon in general.
I know for certain,
that American Ninja 4: The Annihilation ended the franchise with it’s low profit margin and the internal
conflict of the renamed Cannon Pictures
at the time, so I have little doubt in saying American
Ninja 5 never started life as an official
sequel in name or any capacity.
In my mind, Joe Armstrong
is the “Batman” of the American Ninja saga, while Sean Davidson
is the “Nightwing” (If you’re not familiar
with comic books,
he’s the original Robin gone adult and independent as costumed superhero). How do you see the two characters? Which aspects of each do you like the most?
I like both characters
and both actors. If you sat me down and forced me to pick an American Ninja film to watch, I’d probably pick American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt. Marjoe Gortner is a great villain,
even if the film is a bit all over the place, but then that’s
down to budget and circumstance. Both Harry and Cedric, the director, did the best with what was available to put a new guy in the lead of a successful franchise, which is notoriously hard to do, even with James
Bond sized budgets.
I see them both as their
own man, completely different in background and in characterization.
Fans will always pick and choose which one they prefer for their own reasons
and often as how they saw the film on it’s original viewing.
Sean is a far more personable hero, where is Joe is quiet and aloof to others around him. That’s not to say one is good and one is bad, it’s just different
and just like with James Bond, it’s up to the individual fan to pick and choose based on their own
taste.
Steve James. Talk about him. He will be forever missed…
I’ve always enjoyed his movies. The first performance I saw him in was The Delta Force. In a lot of his films, he was underused. Especially in performances like Avenging
Force and Hero and the Terror, he puts in great performances but he’s never the focus. He never made another Cannon film after Menahem
left, but he went to 21st Century Film Corporation with him and did Street Hunter, which he plays the lead. But it’s the mark of a great actor that you can remember and appreciate their performance even though they aren’t the focus of the film and whether its in The Exterminator, The Delta Force or whatever,
you always remember Steve.
I noticed in a lot of American Ninja 3 marketing stuff they gave Steve top billing
(finally!) because
David got the ‘And Introducing…’ credit at the end, which he deserved. Even though Michael and David were the American Ninjas, I doubt they’d have stood a chance
agains the villains (or at the box office) without Steve.
American Ninja Apprentice. The upcoming
project. Is that a working title? I’m definitely
thrilled and excited, but I must
confess I’m also a bit scared to see a girl
assuming the mantle of the new American Ninja. Or am I totally wrong about the plot and the concept
behind the sixth movie? I’m confident
in you and the new phase of the company.
Working title yes, but I don’t see it changing
if I’m honest.
This title is something
I discussed with Menahem about re‐inventing the ninja movie for modern audiences. The 80’s were a hotbed of action for ninjas, even I still have a copy of The Revenge of Shinobi for a SEGA Mega Drive, but their appearances since then, even in the recent Nu
Image films with Scott Adkins,
haven’t really done anything
primal. They’ve
taken baby steps away from the 80’s movies with making the costumes cooler, action smoother,
adding CGI stuff, but they’re still ninja script that would feel at home next to their 80’s counterparts. How do ninjas fit into the age of digital
technology? Why
would a psychotic villain like
Marjoe Gortner’s The Cobra hire
ninjas today when he can take out his enemies
with drones and stuff?
Hopefully we can put something
together that adds something
new, another dimension to this rare sub‐genre whilst
keeping what we all love about the old ninja
movies alive.
Will the original
American Ninja
costume make an appearance? Black suit + red belt? Will “he” be masked as the good ol’ days?
Hopefully you liked my website. Any message or special
dedication for the American
Ninja fans out there?
American Ninja fans, like any Cannon fans, know what they love and what they want to see. Hopefully we can deliver something that satisfies their needs! I
hope you won’t be disappointed!
Thank you Mr. Albiston for this amazing and very insightful interview... we’re waiting for the return of American Ninja.
