Yep, it puts a lot of weight on Kiel McNaughton's upcoming action-comedy The Legend Of Baron To'a to start off by comparing it to the work of Stephen Chow and Taika Waititi, but hey ... when you take a cast made up entirely of Pacific Islanders and Maori and put them in a character driven action comedy rooted in the world of pro wrestling then these sorts of comparisons are somewhat inevitable.
‘The Legend of Baron To’a’ tells the story of Fritz, a Tongan entrepreneur who returns to his old neighbourhood and inadvertently causes the theft of his late father’s valued pro wrestling title belt by some ruthless gangsters led by ‘man-mountain’ Tahu. When negotiation and diplomacy fail to get it back, he is forced to embrace his father’s legacy to reclaim the title.
Uli Latukefu, Nathaniel Lees, Jay Laga’aia, John Tui , Shavaughn Ruakere and Fasitua Amosa lead the cast while McNaughton takes the step in to the feature film world after a string of local TV comedies. The first teaser for this one arrived over the weekend and it's an absolute blast. Check it out below!
[Full disclosure: XYZ Films - where I am the head of international acquisitions - is handling sales rights Baron To'a so, yep, I'm totally biased as hell. But seriously, take a look at that teaser and tell me you can't see why we're so excited to be part of it.]