Michaela Coel to Write and Direct New Version of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s ‘Bloodsport’ for A24

Emmy-winning multihyphenate Michaela Coel already has a busy spring ahead with the release of David Lowery’s psychodrama “Mother Mary” and Steven Soderbergh’s art-forging comedy “The Christophers.” But now she’s added a third collaboration with A24 to her plate after “Mother Mary” and her upcoming series “First Day on Earth”: a new version of the 1988 martial arts movie “Bloodsport,” which turned Jean-Claude Van Damme into a household name.

Coel, best known for her beloved 2020 limited series “I May Destroy You” on HBO, will do writing and directing duties for the A24 project. In a press statement, she said, “I have long been in awe of fighters, and astounded by the discipline, intensity, and isolation the sport demands of them. I am excited to explore this world, especially so with A24 as my collaborators. LET’S F*CKING GO.”

Newt Arnold directed the original movie, centered on Van Damme’s American Army officer Frank Dux, who undergoes ninjutsu training to enter the world of underground Hong Kong martial-arts fighting. Specific details about Coel’s take on the story were not disclosed on Wednesday.

Marc Toberoff (“Predator: Badlands” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”) will produce, suggesting blockbuster-level aspirations and perhaps franchise hopes. Toberoff is also a Hollywood attorney whom Elon Musk hired in 2024 to head up the xAI founder’s litigation against Sam Altman and OpenAI.

Alberto Lensi will also serve as a producer. Stuart Manashil and Peggy DiSalle will serve as executive producers, with A24 financing and distributing the film.

Toberoff added, “In 1988, the now-iconic ‘Bloodsport’ introduced audiences to the gritty aesthetic of mixed martial arts, and I look forward to bringing back that high-energy tournament format to the big screen again.”

Coel is currently in production on A24’s “First Day on Earth,” a 10-episode series co-production of HBO and the BBC. Set in Ghana, the series includes Coel, Ncuti Gatwa, Thandiwe Newton, Maxine Peake, and Danny Sapani, per most recent news about the show.