Kenn Scott Talks JOHNNY TAO

Big thanks go out to Mike Leeder for the following interview.

July 29th sees the North American DVD release of American martial arts movie “’Adventures of Johnny Tao’’, written and directed by Kenn Scott, a former “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle”, and star of the classic “Showdown”alongside Karate legend Billy Blanks. For “Johnny Tao”, Scott assembled a cast and crew whose credits include ‘James Hong from “Big Trouble In Little China”, Johnny Nguyen from “The Rebel”, Jason London from “Dazed & Confused”, Chris [sister of Donnie] Yen from ‘Protégé de la rose noire’’, Matt Mullins from the new “Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight’’ series, JJ Perry from “Wolverine’’ and Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing’’ and Marcus Young from ‘The Scorpion King’. Prior to the films DVD release, Mike Leeder Hong Kong based editor for www.impactmoviemagazine.co.uk caught up with Kenn for the following chat.

Pop quiz hotshot, what's Johnny Tao?

Kenn Scott: Adventures of Johnny Tao is a family-friendly kung-fu adventure that combines elements of Arthurian legend with Eastern philosophy.

What was the genesis of the project? How long from the original idea to shooting the movie?

The project started when, as an actor participating in martial arts films, I felt that besides Ninja Turtles, Hollywood wasn't making martial arts films that appealed to their core audience of kids. Most films were about drug deals gone bad and revenge for younger brothers killed by gang lords. I took everything I wanted to see in a movie; zombies, kung-fu, Elvis-style rock-n-roll and figured out how to weave a tale together that told the origin of an All-American hero whose eyes are opened by the sublime aspects of Taoist philosophy. The project was a long time in the making, about 10 years from concept to screen.

What made you decide to stay behind the camera this time, after appearing in previous American martial arts projects such as “Shootfighter’ & “Showdown”?

Though I originally wrote 'Johnny Tao" as a vehicle for myself, the concept of writing, directing, producing, editing, AND starring in the film was too much. After a while, the project goes from being a viable piece to an "Ego-project." I didn't want it to be that way. I wanted the strength of the Johnny Tao mythology to have a chance to find an audience without being dismissed as some actor's opus to his own ego. Besides, it took so long to make the film, I got too old.

How did you go about assembling your cast for the project?

I had an excellent casting director in Jeff Hardwick. Between him and my action producer, Marcus Young, we were able to compile a cast of actors that had what I call the "triple threat." They looked great, they could act, and they had extraordinary martial arts abilities.

Chris Yen, sister of legendary film star Donnie Yen, and a fantastic martial artist in her own right, plays "Mika." She is the last in a long line of warriors who have sworn to fight the presence of demons on earth. Matt Mullins, world champion X-treme martial artist and star of the upcoming CW series "Kamen Rider," plays "Eddie' the simple minded resident of the town who is possessed by the spirit of an ancient, evil demon. Matthew Twining plays "Johnny." Stuck in a run-down town with no prospects, he is determined to leave, but must step up and take control when the evil demon starts to overrun the town.

Now the films action is not full on Hong Kong style but it’s definitely some of the best American action, what was the specific approach to the action scenes, were you very HK influenced or looking for something else?

We were really lucky with the action. Being a martial artist and a kung-fu film actor myself, I knew some very specific things I was going for. I wanted to create fight scenes that were "hyper real' without being full on wire-flying stuff. Our mandate was to use wires when needed, but only to enhance the action as opposed to dominate it. A good portion of what we see in the fights is the product of our action producer Marcus Young. He and I have worked together several times over the years and have a great understanding between us of what we want to see. Along with top Hollywood fight coordinator J.J. Perry and an impressive team of stunt players that are some of the best in the world, we were able to try and create action that, I think, is usually only seen in films with a much higher budget.

There's a real "Big Trouble In Little China" feel the movie at times, blending action, comedy, Chinese myths and legends and of course James Hong making an appearance, was "BTILC" a major influence on the film?

There were a couple of movies that I asked all my department heads to watch before we made the film; "Big Trouble in Little China,” "Streets of Fire," and "Near Dark."

What was the hardest part of the shoot and what was the most enjoyable?

The hardest part of the shoot was having it come to an end. I had the most fun of my life working on that set. To see the entire project come together and watch the story fill with life was truly a blessing.

The film is about to hit DVD in North America, how do you feel about its upcoming US release?

I'm very excited about the North American release on July 29. We are getting really great reviews in the press and retailers are placing great orders. They will be showing trailers for the film at Comic-Con in San Diego and we've got a few magazines running contests to give copies of the movie away. It seems that people are really identifying with the 'Family style' entertainment that the film provides. I'm anxious to see how it goes.

What’s next for Kenn Scott?

Well, there's talk of doing a "Johnny Tao" sequel. I just wrote some episodes for a sit-com here in the states, I'm getting ready to direct a mystery/thriller that I'm very excited about, and I'm talking with a fine gentleman in Hong Kong about directing a hard core martial arts movie based on Chinatown Tongs.

One last question, as a former hero in a half shell yourself, should Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles be men in suits or CGI?

Kenn: I'm always a believer that real is better. But I did enjoy the CGI turtles.

For further information on the project including Kenn Scott’s production diary detailing pre-production, filming, post and the quest for distribution, log onto: http://www.johnnytao.com/