Johnny Nguyen's CHO LON Blocked By Vietnamese Censors

Been looking forward to seeing star Johnny Nguyen and the creative team behind The Rebel kick some more ass? You're going to have to keep waiting. It was announced today that the film has not been able to pass Vietnamese censorship and the release date is now on indefinite hold.

Producers have reportedly submitted multiple versions of the film to local censors in an attempt to pass local requirements and meet their April release date but all have been denied. And given that local clearance is required before Vietnamese producers are permitted to release a film internationally - breaking this rule can result in producers being blacklisted from the local industry - this means it won't be seen anywhere else, either.

What happens next? Perhaps more significant cuts, perhaps a rewrite and reshoots to try and salvage some version of the film. Only time will tell when Cho Lon will make it screens and in what form. For a look at how this is being presented in Vietnamese media take a look at this story which, when run through Google translate, says that 'At the request of the Central Council of the evaluation of films Film Department, producers will film and rebuild many scenes to be more in line with Eastern culture.' 

I really, really wish this were an April Fool's stunt but it's really, really not. Check the trailer below to see what you're missing out on.