Wu tang Klan member RZA is proving to be arguably the most versatile individual in entertainment! A bold statement like that could only be backed up when you take a look at his career as a rapper while simultaneously scoring big budget films — then moving on to screenwriting, acting, producing and now directing.
The rapper has just signed onto to direct two more projects, John Milius’ biopic of Genghis Khan and the action thriller No Man’s Land.
The Khan biopic has been in development for years, with Milius writing and executive producing. Originally, Milius was slated to direct the film, but has since pass those duties off to RZA.
Genghis Khan rose to power in the 13th century by uniting many of the nomadic Mongolian tribes forming the largest contiguous empire in history. The empire was able to take over most of China and Eastern Europe partially due to their superior archery skills. The story will follow one of his Khan’s sons and grandsons.
Alongside Milius, Andre Morgan and Peter Lam are producing the film, which is gearing up for a shoot in China next year bringing RZA back to where he shot Iron Fists.
No Man’s Land will likely be RZA’s next project after Genghis Khan. Trey Ellis and David Klass wrote the script, which is to be produced by Bill Mechanic and Reginald Hudlin.
The story follows a man who steals a powerful criminal’s diamond that soon proves to be far more valuable that initially thought. With the help of a dancer, he attempts to stay alive and cash in on the jewel. The story takes place during one night and has been described as having echoes of The Warriors as The Hollywood reporters writes it.
RZA directorial debut Man with the Iron Fist opens in theaters November 2 and stars RZA (as the title role), Russell Crowe, Rick Yune, Lucy Liu and Jamie Chung.
