The Muscles from Brussels sports sleep attire and sense of self-parody in first JEAN-CLAUDE VAN JOHNSON trailer

Jean-Claude Van Damme, world-renowned action hero of countless eighties and nineties B-movie flicks, is back in older yet no less muscular fashion. Just one month after Van Damme helped kick off Fantasia 2016 as Master Durand in opening night film KICKBOXER VENGEANCE we see the Belgian actor assume the role of Jean-Claude Van Johnson in Amazon’s upcoming series of the same name. Promising to be equal parts Hollywood satire and send-up of JCVD’s martial artist status, the first trailer follows the ennui-filled morning routine of an aged and lonesome movie star who looks back on former glory as he Segways himself onto the sidewalk to pick up a new issue of Variety. Slight, yet punctuated by nostalgia-inducing French music, the trailer already leaves you wanting more. The knowledge that the new series will imagine Van Damme’s film career as an elaborate cover for real-life Black Ops missions only sweetens the comedic deal.

While Jean-Claude Van Johnson may seem like a departure for viewers only familiar with JCVD’s kickboxing extravaganzas, the actor’s humorous side is well-documented. For proof, look no further than Van Damme’s glorious 2014 Coors Light ad which sees the ‘Muscles from Brussels’ rely on nothing but the chopping fury of his fists to chisel an ice bar into existence.

Watch the Peter Atencio-directed pilot episode of Jean-Claude Van Johnson this Friday, August 19 on Amazon for what promises to be an action-packed continuation of JCVD’s genial self-ridicule.