Oh Tony......

[TheBaron]

It was all looking so good. Tony had made two of the actionist films for years. He was showing huge potential to become the next Asian action mega-star. Then Ong Bak 2 gets delayed, then we here that Tony has disappeared. There's talk of Tony stealing production money, black magic, meditation and nervous breakdowns. Then we have Tony appearing on a Thai news program tearfully talking about the recent events. It's all very sad and strange. Now it has got a little sadder and a little stranger.....

Thai martial arts actor/director Tony Jaa says he will go back to work on his martial arts spectacular, Ong-Bak 2, after walking off the set two months ago.

In Bangkok yesterday, he met Sahamongkol films boss Sia Jiang and Thai police deputy commissioner-general Jongrak Chuthanond, who acted as a neutral third party, witness and mediator all rolled into one.

Jaa paid a visit on Jongrak to see his advice after he had noticed men in khaki following him.

Jongrak, who knows Sia Jiang, urged him to reconcile. Jongrak called Sia, who turned up at police headquarters, for the first meeting between Sia and Jaa since the director walked off the set.

The three talked for about an hour, before Jaa and Sia emerged to say Jaa had agreed to return to work.

They had not reached any formal agreement, with Sia admitting he had torn up a list of seven demands which Jaa's lawyer had presented to him last week. For his part, Jaa says he has torn up the 10-year acting contract he has with SF, though Sia insists it will remain in force.

'He can go back to the family farm and raise elephants or enter the monkhood if he likes. He doesn't have to act for us, but I will still send him a monthly salary,' says Sia Jiang, who earlier bought Jaa out of a contract with Grammy Entertainment, so he could make the first Ong Bak movie.

Explaining their falling-out, Jaa says Sia agreed to look after him and his family financially while he was making the film. When the budget ran out, he had to go back and ask for more, which made him felt bad.

Sia says he will pay whatever it takes to finish the last 20% of the film, which could take a month to shoot, and might cost another B80m. However, he would not transfer the money to Jaa's account as he had in the past, as some of the money went missing.

Sia says he suspects Jaa's family members took it. Some might also have been used to buy property.

Sia would ask his son, a financial controller for SF, to oversee the budget. If Jaa wanted money, he would have to withdraw it from SF himself. That way, he would know how much was being spent, and he would get the money directly himself.

He would tear up the deal with Jaa to share with him 25% of the revenue from Ong Bak 2, and the two could renegotiate once the film was finished. Jaa has agreed to resume work tomorrow.

If Jaa has any more problems, he had agreed to talk again to deputy police commissioner Jongrak, who can act as mediator.

Jaa still sounds flaky. Earlier, Jaa's lawyer insisted his client was set on entering the monkhood.

Jaa defended his decision to hire a personal manager to look after his affairs, and to seek advice from his lawyer (whom he has known just a matter of weeks) rather than consult his brother-in-law as he had in the past.

He needed business advice, he said, but no one was in a position to provide it.

Jaa says he stopped talking to his parents because he can't make them see sense. However, he intends to pay them a visit soon. After coming to Bangkok in search of their son, they have now returned to Surin.

Sia and Jaa shook hands for the cameras, but distrust clearly remains. 'Jaa doesn't believe me, but he believes the police,' says Sia, explaining how the pair were able to meet after months in which Jaa refused to make contact.

Story from http://bkkmindscape.blogspot.com






I get the feeling that maybe Tony is just not cut out for the business world he has got himself into. Leaving could be in his best interest. Hopefully I'm wrong, because I was looking forward to years of entertainment from him.

[Jubilee]

Pretty poor news all round really. It's not right, but knowing how to conduct business is part and parcel for todays top movie stars. We'll never know the real details though, and if the film doesn't suffer, I don't really need to dwell on it.

Sounds like the film could suffer tho. This stop start/actor walks out stuff nearly always leads to turkeys!

[TheBaron]

I don't think it'll be a complete turkey, the action will almost certainly kick ass. It's not about this film, after this whole ridiculous farce, I think we are looking at the end of Tony's career.

[Jubilee]

Yes, the teaser thingy looks good, and of course an action film will suffer less that usual from this kind of thing. Still, like you say, it desnt lk god for his career. Still, it does remind me a little bit of Jet with Born To Defence. Lot's of mess there too.

[Drunken Master]

Is this just another case of too much too young? Just because Tony is a great action talent it doesn't mean he can take on the role and responsibility of film maker. I'd like to think he will get through this somehow, but the film industry can be very unforgiving.

[martin]

I agree with DM, hopefully this won't burn him out though - he doesn't look too sharp in those pictures. He's starting to look like Michael Jackson... The trailer looks great though.

[Phil]

I'm sure he'll bounce back and continue to work in the industry once the money starts rolling in. He'll probably just choose not to direct again in a hurry and perhaps consider that move to Hollywood where his "people" can do all the hard work for him.

[Charlie Parker]

They should get the bald guy from ong bak and the bodyguard to take over the franchise. He's so talented! hmm

[Phil]

They should get the bald guy from ong bak and the bodyguard to take over the franchise. He's so talented! hmm

Petchtai Wongkamlao? I hate that guy, never seen his appeal and he has one of the most grating voices ever. Perhaps to someone that speaks fluent Thai he's hilarious but to me it just seems like he gets in the way.

[Charlie Parker]

i forgot to add a laughing face >

Petchai is truly a talentless man