into the badlands
the cast of amc' s martial arts drama into the badlands gets into the action with these new gallery photos .
the story continues when into the badlands returns for season 2 tonight on amc .
into the badlands premieres on amc in november. check out the first trailer below :
into the badlands airs sunday nights at 10 p. m. on amc .
into the badlands is a television series that airs on amc. [ 4 ]
into the badlands q & a — aramis knight (m. k. )
catch up on into the badlands on urltoken and amc apps for mobile and devices .
watch the latest episode of into the badlands on urltoken and amc apps for mobile and devices .
tonight is the season 2 premiere of' into the badlands' on amc. meet the cast here .
into the badlands received an expanded 16 - episode season 3 order last april for premiere in 2018 .
promotional image for amc’s action - adventure series “into the badlands” featuring daniel wu as the main protagonist, sunny .
yep. i thought so too. do you feel like into the badlands has found its audience this year ?
the third season of
into the badlands
is coming and the martial arts drama is getting more episodes than before. the renewal was announced after
into the badlands
season 2 episode 6 aired. so far, there is still no official news about the plot .
there are no featured audience reviews yet. click the link below to see what others say about into the badlands: season 2 !
amc has given den of geek an exclusive first look at the photos, which took a giant trampoline to pull off. click through the gallery above to see the cast of into the badlands literally jump into action .
watch full episodes of into the badlands on urltoken and amc apps for mobile, xbox one, apple tv, roku and chromecast .
this season has been gorgeous looking besides that. into the badlands ’ visual aesthetic has crystallized so well this year. all the colors are popping .
into the badlands' deadliest clipper opens up about his journey so far and what lies ahead for america' s premiere martial arts program .
into the badlands
is a genre - bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic chinese tale journey to the west. in a land controlled by feudal barons, into the badlands tells the story of a great warrior and a young boy who embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment .
former rosewood co - star lorraine toussaint is set as a new series regular in the third season of amc ’s hit martial arts drama series into the badlands .
at comic con, the cast and creators of into the badlands revealed what can be expected from the six - episode amc series. below are bullet point highlights from the conversation and the first trailer .
amc’s martial arts drama series “into the badlands” to premiere sunday, november 15th at 10: 00 p. m. et / pt - amc networks
into the badlands joins a 2018 scripted roster at amc that also includes both walking dead series and humans. the cabler' s slate also includes the terror, the son, preacher and better call saul .
midway through its second season, amc has renewed its hit martial arts drama series into the badlands for an expanded 16 - episode season 3 for premiere in 2018 .
is the war coming to an end? find out the fate of the badlands this sunday at 10 / 9c. on
amc just confirmed
into the badlands
season 3 and many fans are eager to know more about the coming season. with little explanation, what can fans expect from season 3 ?
miles millar and alfred gough, the co - creators and executive producers of into the badlands, discuss the final showdown between sunny and quinn, bajie’s true goals and how season 3 will be even bigger .
into the badlands
is an american action drama series starring wu who plays sunny, a character trying to make his way back to his family. season 2 is still currently airing on amc .
into the badlands
season 3' s release date is still unspecified. however, it is slated to get a total of 16 episodes .
from the very beginning of the first season finale of into the badlands, it’s clear that sunny has a plan. he delivers the head of someone he’s hoping looks like m. k. to the river king in exchange for passage out of the badlands. what isn’t clear, though, is whether such a shoddy plan will actually work .
into the badlands is produced in - house by amc studios and has helped amc collect four of the top five scripted dramas on cable, with better call saul joining it and both walking dead series .
what’s the story for the first season of into the badlands? per ep miles millar “into the badlands is set sometime in the future of america after a mass extinction event. the world has gone through a new dark age and emerged as a feudal society divided into seven territories. each territory is run by a baron. the baron has an army of fighters – clippers – who keep the peace. the story focuses on the most powerful baron quinn, his family and the most badass clipper in the lands – sunny. the story is sunny’s journey when he meets a young boy named mk who has a special power and a connection to his past. ”
when you think of the post - apocalypse, the lush greenery of the irish countryside probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but for into the badlands season 2, it’s the perfect setting to expand the world of alfred gough and miles millar ‘s vibrant martial arts series. while fellow amc series the walking dead paints a portrait of a grimy, urban post - apocalypse, into the badlands is set in a world regressed to feudalism and power earned through combat, complete with fortresses and courtly style .
when wu and csokas are off - screen and people aren' t kicking each other in the face, into the badlands is deadly dull. and even when they are, you keep waiting for the next fight to break out .
it' s not perfect, but into the badlands' second season is a major improvement, juxtaposing martial arts sequences with intriguing drama (and some much - needed laughs from nick frost) .
maybe we' ll figure out how old bajie really is in the process. that would be nice. anyway, after having completed two seasons and going into a third season with a boosted episode count (congratulations, by the way), how is into the badlands different now than it was when you originally pitched it ?
marton csokas as quinn: the most powerful baron in the badlands, who spent his youth patrolling the badlands and killing. once a great fighter, he now reigns in power, and nobody who crosses him lives to tell the tale. [ 10 ]
# minirvus. the badlands couple we' d never thought to see. watch # intothebadlands at urltoken # couplesgoals
pilgrim is a zealous warlord from beyond the badlands looking to recover a mysterious artifact from azra. read full bio
waldo, now working with the widow, wants to leave behind a better world than the one he was born into. read full bio
if you' re a martial - arts fan, you won' t be disappointed. dramatically, into the badlands is all dressed up with places to go. whether it will arrive offers reason to watch .
season 3 of into the badlands finds sunny living off the grid, doing his best to provide for his infant son, henry, in the wake of veil' s death. it is only when henry contracts a mysterious illness that sunny must join forces with bajie and journey back into the badlands, where the widow and baron chau are entrenched in a drawn - out war that has destabilized the entire region. no longer supported by tilda or waldo, the widow must find new allies in lydia and in nathaniel moon — the former regent who lost his hand to sunny and bajie in season 2. but when a mysterious nomadic leader called pilgrim arrives in the badlands on a mission to restore azra and usher in a new era of
peace ,
old enemies must band together to defend the badlands .
into the badlands was created by executive producers / showrunners / writers alfred gough and miles millar and is executive produced by stacey sher and michael shamberg, along with david dobkin, stephen fung, michael taylor and daniel wu .
now entering into this dystopia - saturated media landscape, into the badlands, mixes martial arts and samurai film aesthetics into this gritty & bleak genre. created by al gough & miles millar (smallvile), the story focuses on sunny (daniel wu), a fearsome martial artist, who rescues a teenage boy (aramis knight) from a group of murderous nomads. the world has now regressed into a feudal state, ruled by cruel barons – the most fearsome of whom, quinn (marton csokas) enslaves and trains young boys into killing machines. his most prized pupil, of course, is sunny. but when sunny begins to question quinn’s motives and saves the young boy, it puts the two men on a path towards inevitable conflict .
toussaint had been in demand since she recently became available following a two - season stint on fox’s procedural drama r osewood. she fielded film tv and theater offers, ultimately sellecting into the badlands for her next tv series gig .
i’ll truly miss “into the badlands” when the second season is over —and to whet your appetite for the season finale, we’ve got an exclusive clip featuring lydia (orla brady) and quinn (marton csokas), spouses and scrappers who just can’t seem to quit each other .
sunny and bajie seek help from lydia. the widow struggles to control m. k. pilgrim seeks to establish a new order in the badlands .
quinn makes decisions on loyalty. tilda seeks veil' s help for the widow. m. k. and sunny face the consequences of their quest to leave the badlands .
a reformer and revolutionary, the widow has big dreams for the badlands that she isn' t afraid to fight for with deadly force. read full bio
despite this, the series has been having some difficulty with ratings. since its pilot episode in 2015 ,
into the badlands
is only getting half of the average viewership it had back in season 1. although this has been happening for some time now, amc remains to be hopeful about the series .
it' s not a surprise that the drama got a third season with its massive popularity. amc reported the average viewership of the series at 3. 6 million per episode .
into the badlands'
ratings are one of the highest recorded in the cable drama category, with the series only falling behind
the walking dead ,
fear the walking dead
and
american horror story
at no. 4 .
as “ into the badlands ” prepares to wrap things up for 2017, the best news about this show, which ends its second season on sunday, is that it’s already confirmed to return in 2018. by ordering a 16 - episode third season recently, amc delivered a vote of confidence to an underrated drama that absolutely and unequivocally earned one. “ into the badlands ” improved significantly from its promising first season, and at the moment, very few shows bring me more pleasure on a weekly basis. it’s a joy to behold .
it' s gotten stronger for that. this season has truly been a step in the right direction, i feel. so i read a recent interview in which you discussed how into the badlands was created to emphasize the spiritual side of martial arts. do you feel this is now better reflected in the characters themselves ?
the widow and her daughters prepare for war, while veil offers quinn some hope. sunny trains m. k. and secretly plans an escape from the badlands .
one big problem with badlands is its punishingly dour tone, utterly devoid of humor or any fleeting moments of lightness .
last week i had a pleasant surprise: an interview daniel wu of into the badlands. as someone who has reviewed the show since it began airing, i jumped at the chance to pick his brain about how the show has matured this season, what' s ahead for us next year, and how sunny' s journey will change .
indeed, the badlands team sees the first season as something of a primer on the world of the show, and with season 2, into the badlands can be fully unleashed as it explores that world with much more depth. “it was six episodes for people to understand the world and the tone and the characters. there was a lot for people to understand, ” he said. “this season, with the move and with more episodes has allowed us to really expand the show and make it more of a journey show, which was always our intention. it was never supposed to be a ‘stuck on a plantation’ show. but you need to understand the world and that’s why at the end of season 1, we sent sunny in one direction and m. k. in the other direction and left the badlands in kind of a mess. ”
for the second season, into the badlands picked up production and moved from new orleans, louisiana to dublin, ireland, where i had an opportunity to visit the sets, speak with the cast and creative team, get an up - close look at the widow’s (emily beecham) gorgeous gowns, and see them in action as we observed filming on one of the series signature fight scenes. as with all things in the entertainment industry, the move was partially driven by financial incentives, but it also offered the right landscapes for season 2’s expanded story, which takes us out of the badlands and deeper into the show’s world as sunny (daniel wu) struggles to make it back to vail (madeleine mantock) and their newborn child. according to wu, the new locations give the show a “grand and epic cinematic feel. ”
loosely based on the chinese tale journey to the west and set in a land controlled by feudal barons, into the badlands tells the story of a ruthless, well - trained warrior named sunny (daniel wu) and a young boy, m. k. (aramis knight), who embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment .
sunny and m. k. fight to escape quinn' s grip once and for all, while the baron' s enemies conspire to take him down and change the badlands forever .
from the narrative point of view, gough said they were also intent on tying the fight scenes into the story more naturally, with less of a stop - start feel between the drama and the ass - kicking, “i think what we’re doing this year is the fight sequences are more intertwined with the storytelling. this season, it’s a lot more intertwined in the action and the story. ”
halfway through its second run, into the badlands has been averaging 3. 6 million total viewers including a 2. 1 rating among adults 25 - 54 when factoring in three days of delayed viewing. all told, the series from creators al gough and miles millar ranks as the no. 4 scripted drama on cable as well as the fourth - ranked returning drama, behind only the walking dead, american horror story and fear the walking dead .
with bajie shackled to him, sunny faces a terrifying foe. meanwhile, m. k. takes an uncomfortable journey into his own history .
moved from the louisiana to outside the leafy hills of dublin, ireland for season two, giving the show a unique and diverse backdrop. at the end of a long set visit, the evening chill was coming in as a group of reporters watched the bundled - up cast file into the pool room of a vacant resort turned film studio to shoot promotional images for the upcoming season .
as “into the badlands” prepares to wrap things up for 2017, the best news about this show, which ends its second season on sunday, is that it’s already confirmed to return in 2018. by ordering a 16 - episode third season recently, amc delivered a vote of confidence to an underrated drama that absolutely and unequivocally earned [ … ]
“ into the badlands looks like nothing else on television, a literal high - wire act attracting passionate and dedicated fans by the millions, ” said amc president charlie collier. “thanks to series creators and showrunners al gough and miles millar, the terrific cast, led by daniel wu, the amazing martial arts team guided by the incomparable master dee dee and fight directors stephen fung and andy cheng, and everyone else involved who brings this thrill ride to the fans. ”
“we are excited and grateful to continue our journey into the badlands with charlie, joel, susie and all of our friends at amc, ” said gough and millar. “we also want to give a big clipper salute to our irish and chinese partners! the thought of doing an expanded 16 - episode season is both thrilling and exhausting! ! ”
season two of
into the badlands
finds sunny and m. k. separated and scattered to the wind, each imprisoned in unlikely places. while m. k. struggles to control his powers, sunny is determined to fight his way back into the badlands to find his family or die trying. on their journey, clipper and colt are assisted by mysterious, new allies whose motivations may be anything but pure. meanwhile, the widow continues to consolidate power against the other barons, while a dark and mysterious threat prepares to exact revenge on them all. alliances are struck, friendships betrayed, and by season' s end, sunny and m. k.' s lives will be forever altered with devastating consequences .
amc expressed their excitement over the coming season, with the president of amc, charlie collier, saying ,
into the badlands looks like nothing else on television, a literal high - wire act attracting passionate and dedicated fans by the millions. thanks to series creators and showrunners al gough and miles millar, the terrific cast, led by daniel wu, the amazing martial arts team guided by the incomparable master dee dee and fight directors stephen fung and andy cheng, and everyone else involved who brings this thrill ride to the fans .
into the badlands is filmed hong kong style, which means the choreography is doled out in tiny, bite - sized pieces as they’re filming, so the actors never have to memorize any lengthy routines. they simply have to do as they’re directed on the day, one block of movement at a time, guided by fight choreographers and coordinators who watch every move to make sure it is strong and steady. sometimes that means another take with the wrist held at a slightly different angle, or making smoother transitions, moving in one full motion. the hong kong style is both easier for the actors and keeps the choreography from feeling stale. the folks on badlands never know like their anticipating punches, because they can’t .
“‘into the badlands’ looks like nothing else on television, a literal high - wire act attracting passionate and dedicated fans by the millions, ” said charlie collier, president of amc, sundancetv and amc studios. “thanks to series creators and showrunners al gough and miles millar, the terrific cast, led by daniel wu, the amazing martial arts team guided by the incomparable master dee dee and fight directors stephen fung and andy cheng, and everyone else involved who brings this thrill ride to the fans. ”
we are excited and grateful to continue our journey into the badlands with charlie, joel, susie and all of our friends at amc, ” gough and millar said in a joint statement. “we also want to give a big clipper salute to our irish and chinese partners! the thought of doing an expanded 16 - episode season is both thrilling and exhausting! ! ”
a boy with mysterious powers is rescued by badlands clipper sunny, who is having doubts about what he does, despite being close to a powerful baron .
stephen harber is the editor and co - writer of occult generation. he used to work as a bouncer at a bar called badlands so this show has special meaning to him. kind of .
it may be strange to experience such positive emotions while watching a show about a post - apocalyptic world, but the tone of “into the badlands” has never been one of nihilism or despair. every single character on the show wants something, and though they may use underhanded methods — and ferociously precise fighting styles — to further their goals, their desires usually revolve around not just power and autonomy, but also personal connections and emotional bonds .
into the badlands
is set centuries from now, where a feudal society has emerged and the strongest and most brutal rose to wealth and power. this area came to be called the badlands, and is divided among seven rival barons who control the resources necessary to daily life and enforce their rule with the aid of loyal armies known as clippers. clippers enjoy status and comforts the general population can only dream of, and they are willing to sacrifice their lives in service to their barons. few clippers ever live to see their 30th birthday, but sunny (daniel wu) is no ordinary clipper. demonstrating lethal proficiency in martial arts, sunny rose swiftly through the ranks to become quinn ’s (marton csokas) head clipper and most trusted adviser .
if you loved bruce lee, the old tv series kung fu, the matrix, kill bill, road warrior and untold others i' m probably forgetting, then you' ll love the genre mashup
into the badlands .
i thought the ads were boring, but after seeing the first two episodes, it' s pure epic tv. oh, and best of all, given the times, they banned guns in this futuristic post - apocalyptic society so everybody is highly trained with knives and swords. and with an asian in the lead role, cinema - level fight scenes, what' s not to love ?
into the badlands
is set centuries from now, where a feudal society has emerged and the strongest and most brutal rose to wealth and power. this area came to be called the badlands, and is divided among seven rival barons who control the resources necessary to daily life and enforce their rule with the aid of loyal armies known as clippers. clippers enjoy status and comforts the general population can only dream of, and they are willing to sacrifice their lives in service to their barons. few clippers ever live to see their 30th birthday, but sunny (daniel wu) is no ordinary clipper. demonstrating lethal proficiency in martial arts, sunny rose swiftly through the ranks to become quinn' s (marton csokas) head clipper and most trusted advisor .
the show looks incredible. the directors and directors of photography on “into the badlands” have outdone themselves this season — and not just because the show changed countries without missing a beat (it’s now filmed in ireland after shooting its first season in louisiana). “into the badlands” uses color with thoughtful intent and to fantastic effect; each baron has his or her signature hue, and even the monastery had its own palette (scenes of initiates doing martial arts drills beside a waterfall while wearing purple robes are still etched on my memory). not since “mad max: fury road” has a post - apocalyptic world looked and felt this thought - through and wildly, riotously, strangely evocative. an orange - hued junkyard; the saturated jewel tones of the widow’s mansion; the cool, icy blues of baron chau’s satin ensembles; the rich green of a maze contrasted with the intense red of a man’s well - cut coat; the wintry, surreal flavor of an abandoned hotel decorated long ago for the christmas holiday: all these images will linger long after the season is over. as was the case with “penny dreadful” (which was also shot in and around dublin, as it happens), this is a world that you can lose yourself in so thoroughly that it’s easy to forgive the occasional weak subplot or dull character .
while the show hasn' t improved on every flaw from the first season, the change in scenery, the shifting balance of power and the generally increased scope of the series all result in a more compelling post - apocalyptic drama .
i actually feel like this season is the real season and last season was like the extended pilot. it was the backstory .
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for decades, quinn has been unchallenged as the badlands’ most powerful baron, but the territory’s newest baron, the widow (emily beecham), has begun staging brazen attacks on quinn’s transport vehicles and is testing his appetite for a fight. one of those attacks leads sunny to m. k. (aramis knight), a teenage boy who has survived a deadly ambush. sunny soon comes to understand that the teen harbors a dark secret and has a hefty bounty on his head. as the widow continues her campaign against quinn, the destinies of the stoic assassin and the impetuous teenager become intertwined. in their evolution as teacher and student, each will discover his true purpose; together, they will embark on an odyssey that could mean the difference between chaos and enlightenment for everyone in the badlands. [ 5 ]
for sunny, that quest is deeply personal and one that puts him in the kind of dire straights he’s never faced before. a trained fighter since his youth, sunny has lived as the right - hand man to his baron as a fearful warrior known as a clipper, with all the luxuries that accompany such a status. but sunny was captured in last year’s finale and starts off the new season as a slave in the territories outside the badlands .
“i almost look at season 1 as the backstory or the extended pilot, where it sets up the world and this season we start to see the outlying territories and inside the badlands, ” said wu, echoing gough’s sentiments on the show’s newly expanded world. “we added some elements like nick [ frost ] that adds levity to the show that helps compliment the martial arts and all the other stuff that happens. but this season, things are much more broken up and all the characters are spread out. everyone’s got different storylines going on and it’s kind of a way to set up the climax of the end of the season. we’re all trying to get there and there’s a real journey this season and a real quest to make this happen. ”
for decades, quinn has been unchallenged as the badlands' most powerful baron, but the territory' s newest baron, the widow (emily beecham), has begun staging brazen attacks on quinn' s transport vehicles and is testing his appetite for a fight. one of those attacks leads sunny to m. k. (aramis knight), a teenage boy who has survived a deadly ambush. sunny soon comes to understand that the teen harbors a dark secret and has a hefty bounty on his head. as the widow continues her campaign against quinn, the destinies of the stoic assassin and the impetuous teenager become intertwined. in their evolution as teacher and student, each will discover his true purpose; together, they will embark on an odyssey that could mean the difference between chaos and enlightenment for everyone in the badlands .
as per the norm in science fiction, into the badlands will comment on the social issues of today. “you have brutality and inequality, ” millar stated “the barons are the one - percent and everybody else is the ninety - nine percent… the reason to do science fiction is so that it reflects our present times. so the show has a lot of big themes. one is power and what that means in this world of have and have - nots. but it’s about spiritual emptiness. it’s a guy who’s basically sick of doing what he’s doing which is killing. what’s my point in life? is there more to it than this? the idea of people escaping from what they’re doing feels like a universal theme. we have elements that reflect the brutality of isis. people who are misled in life, who believe things they shouldn’t believe…”
ag: we’ve actually just started the writers’ room this week. the good news is there really are a lot of stories to tell. we’ve left people in very interesting situations. we can really dive deeper into the characters and into the world and styles of fighting. it allows us to explore characters that we wouldn’t normally get the time to explore even in a 10 - episode season. season 2 was great, but there were so many things we wanted to do but you only have so much screen time. there are so many different things we want to showcase and we’re looking to make it even bigger and better than season 2 .
i noticed. the emotions are coming through during the fight scenes now more than ever .
daniel wu is an actor, director, and producer based in hong kong. he made his acting debut in 1998, and since then, has gone on to star in over 60 films. wu was born in berkeley, california, and began playing sunny in into the badlands in 2015. the actor splits his time between hong kong, shanghai, and beijing, and trains in a variety of martial art forms. he married his wife, who is from south africa, in 2010. (getty )
it isn' t the greatest show: it' s campy, the politics can be dull, and the acting is often stilted and awkward. but the action is consistently incredible .
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mm: we wanted the last shot of the show to be epic and there is no more epic location in the world than the cliffs of moher, which is the west coast of ireland. it was something i saw as a tourist and thought was amazing and had to have it on the show. if we were going to shoot in ireland, we had to showcase ireland. luckily, we planned it for months. we had to get special permissions to shoot that because it’s such a popular tourist attraction. we had the weather on our side because the winds there are notorious and people get blown off those cliffs! getting a helicopter up there and getting that shot was no small feat, but it was worth it. what we’re looking forward to in season 3 is really exploring more of ireland, more epic locations and really showcasing the landscapes that are a big feature of into the badlands .
back at the fort, jade is recovering from her sickness, and lydia is by her side. it looks like the two are really bonding until quinn storms into the room and says that jade was poisoned and that it was lydia who did the deed. she staunchly denies it, but considering quinn found poison in her room and the “rumors” that have plagued her ever since quinn’s previous wife died, she doesn’t have much of a case. still, considering the slight smile jade gives her on the way out, it would seem she’s being framed .
for example, the moon and sunny fight, to me, was a metaphorical fight more than anything else. it was about two representations. one represents that [ sunny’s ] given into destiny. moon tried to break free of his destiny, but it drew him back in and he’s trying to tell me that the same is going to happen to me but i don’t believe that yet. so we’re on two different levels and we’re fighting each other with that mentality. i think that’s why the fights have a little more impact this season because they’re tied into characters fighting rather than just one guy annihilating a bunch of faceless dudes .
this period drama follows robert the bruce' s battle to regain control after being made an outlaw by the king of england for taking the scottish crown .
its women kick butt, look great while doing so, and get to be as flawed as anyone else. i would probably kill (or at least maim) for the widow’s wardrobe, or for a chance to live in baron chau’s minimalist - regency mansion. and by the way, these women aren’t token ladies in a man’s world: there are important storylines for female characters all over this show, and none of them put the women in the boring position of having to act like aspirational role models. the women come into conflict with each other, strike up alliances, have romances, and make mistakes, just like anyone else. and like the men in this world, they have to be willing to fight and kill, and they occasionally betray each other. i do wish for stronger writing for sunny’s lover, veil (madeleine mantock), who has been mostly limited to pining and reacting to quinn’s evil plotting all season. but in general, this is the rare action - adventure hour that does not turn the women’s quests and storylines into sloppy afterthoughts. you never know, the widow could end up ruling the entire badlands — or under the thumb of either quinn or even baron chau. in any event, i look forward to seeing even more smart development for most of the characters next season — women included .
let’s talk about the city of azra for a minute. there’s this lost - esque mystique about it (and the book) that appeals to me and a large portion of your fanbase. the way season two left off, it seems like we' re closer than ever to gettng some answers. obviously we’re going to see more of this side of the show developed next year, but i' m just wondering - can you give us any insight into what the actual heck is going on ?
which is strange to me, especially with having the walking dead as a lead - in. i tell people about it. lately i’ve noticed that it’s starting to slowly come into their awareness. they say, “oh yeah! you' re talking about that kung - fu show, right? ”
mm: i really love the moon fight – it’s spectacular – and the parkour fight in the junkyard [ in episode 5 ] with the bus was a really fun one because it’s a different tone for us .
per millar: “everybody in the show’s universe is ambiguous in terms of their morality. there are no clear - cut heroes. “the ‘hero’ of the show has killed over four hundred people. in the pilot he kills fifteen people. in the second – he kills thirty. the show doesn’t deal with black and white…”
knowing it’s a martial arts show, some people get turned away from it. then they realize, oh there’s much more to it than that, and then they get back into it. hopefully that helps turn a bunch of other people who aren’t necessarily martial arts fans onto the show. i don’t think
the season 3 premiere: sunny and bajie go undercover on the widow' s frontlines, seeking passage to a possible cure for henry. tilda confronts the widow .
enough action to satisfy martial arts fans but the story lacks any logic to justify the show' s existence .
the hyper - stylized martial arts drama has been renewed for a third season, the cable network announced tuesday .
after an epic fight with the widow, tilda forges a new identity as the iron rabbit. read full bio
drama vs. fighting? “we want the drama to be of equal importance to the martial arts. the drama should be just as compelling as the martial arts. they should all tie in together. ” director david dobkin compared the mix to conducting a symphony. there needs to be ebbs and flows between the action and story beats. lead daniel wu added if the show was just action all the time, it would become “white noise. ”
so it was like veil died at the end of the first episode and sunny goes on this revenge thing, right? that totally changed. we drew it out over the course of two seasons, basically. i think it’s much better for that. we were trying to make a really sizzly pilot episode with a lot of stuff happening, to make the studio want more of us. but when we got the six episodes they told us we didn’t need to pack all that stuff into one episode, so then we drew it out over those six episodes and later over the second season as well .
ag: my favorites are the sunny - moon fight in episode 3, the tilda - widow fight in episode 9 and then the final bunker siege with the sunny - quinn fight and bajie facing off against quinn’s number 2 .
' s favorite words towards the end of a take to the lead actors were
fabulous
and
beautiful
.
sunny works with the river king to secure passage to pilgrim' s fortress. the widow faces mutiny from discontented troops .
on july 11, 2014, it was announced that amc gave a straight - to - series order to the then tentatively titled badlands, based on the classic chinese tale journey into the west, written by al gough and miles millar, and set to be executive produced by gough, millar, daniel wu, stacy sher, and michael shamberg. on november 24, 2014, david dobkin was announced as the director for all six episodes, as well as serving as an executive producer. as well as emily beecham' s casting as the widow, sarah bolger as jade, and oliver stark as ryer. on december 19, 2014, daniel wu was announced as the lead character, sunny. on january 22, 2015, orla brady joined the cast as lydia. on april 15, 2015 aramis knight was cast as m. k. , madeleine mantock as veil, and ally ioannides as tilda. on may 4, 2015, marton csokas was announced to be portraying quinn .
it stars an asian man as both the action - adventure hero and the romantic lead. the stereotypes that hollywood typically employs when it comes to asian characters are still, unfortunately, pervasive. there are a few exceptions like “master of none, ” but in the main, asian men are relegated to roles like the sidekick, the fourth detective on the team, or the one - dimensional tech geek. occasionally, they get to play a criminal or a silent killer, and that’s usually about it. “into the badlands” — which, it should be noted, has been very successful from a ratings standpoint — knew from the start that wu could bring his effective presence to bear on almost any kind of scene, and efficiently capitalized on it. sunny gets to be a fighter, a lover, a schemer, and the kind of complicated hero who, despite his blood - soaked past and his literal and figurative scars, can’t help but rescue less powerful people along the way. and because the show itself can be intentionally melodramatic and metaphorical, wu’s subtlety and quiet intensity are even more effective as balancing factors. and it’s not just that sunny gets all kinds of romantic and heroic storylines: this is a show that tends to be effortlessly inclusive on screen, and executive producers and showrunners miles millar and al gough deserve a lot of credit for that .
it’s really interesting the kind of audience we’ve drawn to us. when we’re live tweeting stuff it’s cool to see we’re reach out to people in africa and south america and all these places that love this show that we never really thought of because the first incarnation of the show, the idea was to put hong kong style martial arts on american television. we didn’t realize how much effect it would have globally. but also locally as well. it’s different types of people that get into this show. i mean we have the most diverse audience and the most diverse cast. al, our showrunner, said, “we’re probably one of the only shows that has equal amount of trump supporters as bernie or clinton supporters. ”
al gough: when we started the season, we knew we wanted to kill quinn at the end of the season. that was on the board early on. the veil death was something that came later in the season as we were looking at it. interestingly, it had kind of been foreshadowed through the whole season. moon and all these people tell sunny that if he goes back, he’s going to bring death to his family. this season for sunny has been this journey back to the badlands, but also through his own personal hell as well and trying to make amends for the killer he’s been. it felt like he had to pay a price. he gets veil for a minute and then she’s taken away from him and he’s left with the baby. he gets out, but there is a price he pays for his sins, and we see it. it’s heart - breaking when she’s gone .
speaking of which, i thought tilda had died at the end of that fight. in fact, i wrote that she bit the dust in my review of the episode... whoops .
while traversing the wilds, sunny and bajie cross paths with a formidable swordsman. the widow draws up plans for a critical confrontation .
the younger brother of baron chau, gaius becomes a reluctant player in his sister' s war against the widow. read full bio
regent sunny, a highly - skilled fighter and the deadliest
head clipper
for baron quinn battles the nomads to rescue a mysterious boy named m. k. who harbors a dark secret about his past. but when he brings him back to the fort to train as a
colt
, a clipper - in - training, things quickly get out of hand with another trainee. when first blood is drawn, m. k. loses control of himself as if something takes over his body, making the boy valuable to an opposing baron, the widow. meanwhile, sunny discovers m. k.' s pendant has the same image as the one on his childhood compass of a place called azra, the boy' s home. in order to seek out the truth about his own past, sunny wants to know more of this city beyond the badlands, and must find a way out, especially now that his lover veil is illegally pregnant with his child .
how does the limited number of episodes (six total) affect how they approach the series? “we look at the six episodes as a mini season or super pilot, where you’re able to set up the world, meet the characters [ as they begin their ] journey and hopefully leave the audience coming back for more, ” gough stated. millar added: “the aim is for people to watch this week to week on amc. if they hear word of mouth, people can then go and watch this — the four and half hours — in one night. it will be a very satisfying meal. though in the end, there will be loose ends that will be wrapped up in future seasons… there’s very much a cliffhanger at the end of the season…
yeah. the show is bloody and violent and all that stuff, but we’re also trying to show the spiritual journey, the spiritual side of martial arts. it’s not all about fighting. it’s not about the brutality of it all. that’s only one aspect of martial arts .
the widow, beecham’s ferocious but ever - charming and fashionable baroness, remains intent on claiming control of the badlands and bringing an end to the caste system of feudal law. “she’s still driven by that same rhetoric that she was in the first season, but things are advancing for her and she’s gaining more power and traction with her forces becoming stronger. ” said beecham, “people are starting to take her more seriously. so she’s trying to break that division between herself and barons and cogs and clippers and trying to help people recognize that there could be a different and alternative future and system. ”
nah fam, if this the future, let me perform seppuku now and be reincarnated in the horizon zero dawn future, yo. bordeaux mines aka the third year of a trump presidency is terrrrrrrrible, fam .
first of all, i just want to mention that season two finale was incredible. definitely the most cinematic episode of the series so far .
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definitely. actually, when we' re [ training ] in the fight camp, i started to go for a different approach with the actors, because they aren’t originally martial artists. i told them while they were training to think about themselves as the characters. instead of saying “i’m ally”, or “i’m emily”, trying to do these kicks, like right now, you’re not ally, you’re not emily. you’re the widow, and that sidekick you’re throwing is to quinn right in the stomach. imagine that. do all those things. so in the training i add a level of acting to the training to the martial arts as well so they would have an emotional tie - in to what their actions were. then they tie in the emotional arc of the character with the way they fight.
into the badlands is a 1991 american western horror film , released directly to tv . it stars bruce dern , mariel hemingway , and helen hunt . the film was directed by sam pillsbury and written by dick beebe , marjorie david , and gordon t. dawson . it was nominated for a 1992 primetime emmy in cinematography for a miniseries or a special ( johnny e. jensen , director of photography ) . 
into the badlands is a 1991 american western horror film, released directly to tv. it stars bruce dern, mariel hemingway, and helen hunt. the film was directed by sam pillsbury and written by dick beebe, marjorie david, and gordon t. dawson. it was nominated for a 1992 primetime emmy in cinematography for a miniseries or a special (johnny e. jensen, director of photography).
into the badlands is a 1991 american western horror film, released directly to tv. it stars bruce dern, mariel hemingway, and helen hunt. the film was directed by sam pillsbury and written by dick beebe, marjorie david, and gordon t. dawson. it was nominated for a 1992 primetime emmy in cinematography for a miniseries or a special (johnny e. jensen, director of photography).