The trailer for an insane action sequel that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Fassbender has leaked online, then quickly been removed from YouTube.
The first Kung Fury was an action spoof about a Miami cop teaming up with a Viking and dinosaur to do battle with Adolf Hitler in 1985.
The film was a modest hit in 2015, and has become something of a cult favorite in the years since, precipitating the making of a star-studded sequel.
But while Kung Fury 2 commenced principal photography in Bulgaria and Germany in 2019, the film was never completed for “legal reasons.” Which is frustrating as a sizzle real that leaked online suggests something pretty special was in the works.
Kung Fury 2 trailer leaks online
A 10-minute teaser for Kung Fury 2 – essentially an industry promo – somehow recently leaked online, before hastily being taken down “due to a copyright claim by Hammerstone Studios.”
But we watched the footage before removal, and can report that it was completely bat-sh*t crazy, in the best way possible.
The sizzle reel kicks off with voice-over trailer guy saying: “In a city overrun with crime, in a time ruled by chaos, the world’s number one rock band is also the world’s greatest crime-fighting team – they are, the Thundercops.”
We’re then introduced to the team, which includes leader Kung Fury, digital genius Hackerman, Viking warrior Barbianna, and a couple of prehistoric officers in the shape of Triceracop and Dinomite.
They’re trying to clean up the streets when “worst criminal of all time” Adolf Hitler unleashes an army of darkness on Miami, meaning it’s time for the Thundercops to take down the Kung Fuhrer.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a kick-ass President
The footage – which wasn’t meant for public consumption – features multiple spoilers that we don’t detail here. But it did give Kung Fury fans a first look at Arnold Schwarzenegger as an ass-kicking US President shooting bad guys with a big gun called ‘The Patriot.’
While Michael Fassbender chews up the scenery as a renegade FBI Agent called Colt Magnum, who competes with Kung Fury for leadership of the Thundercops, and talks about eating lions and making justice omelettes.
There also appears to be some gladiator and pirate action, as well as space and time travel, and David Hasselhoff singing a ballad while wearing a leather suit and holding some puppies.
Kung Fury is “being held hostage”
Writer-director David Sandberg sent Variety a statement expressing his dismay that key plot details from Kung Fury 2 had leaked online, but also joy that people were finally getting to see his team’s hard work.
“This was an internal promo video that was never supposed to be seen by the public,” Sandberg said in the statement. “I feel bad because it contains a bunch of plot points and temp VFX.
“I hope at least people can see the passion that we poured into the movie, the world deserves to see it as it was meant to be seen. This movie has been held hostage for the past five years but I promise to keep fighting for it and make sure this film gets the chance it truly deserves.”
In terms of that situation, post-production on the movie ceased when producers filed a lawsuit against the film’s Chinese investors Creasun for not paying $10 million that the company promised.
Variety reports that Creasun “asserted that the lawsuit was meritless and filed because it had exercised its contractual right to take over the film,” and adds that there has been “little movement” on Kung Fury 2 since.
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