Why Kung Pow! Enter The Fist Needs A Sequel 20 Years Later (2024)

Why Kung Pow! Enter The Fist Needs A Sequel 20 Years Later (1)

Twenty years ago, Steve Oedekerk released a parody of Kung fu cinema that forever warped my humor and elevated my appreciation for martial arts movies. Kung Pow! Enter The Fist dominated the schoolyard conversation in my youth, but now it’s a movie I only hear talked about on rare occasions. It’s mainly me bringing it up, and usually the people I’m with either joyously remember the movie or have no clue what I’m talking about.

It’s a shame for the latter crowd who never had a chance to witness the cinematic masterpiece that is Kung Pow! Enter The Fist, and an even greater shame we never got the sequel teased at the end. Now I’m hoping to manifest its existence in 2022 and explain all the reasons why we need a sequel 20 years later.

Why Kung Pow! Enter The Fist Needs A Sequel 20 Years Later (2)

Kung Pow: Enter The Fist Already Teased A Sequel After The First Movie

Not only does Kung Pow! Enter The First deserves a sequel, quite frankly it owes me a sequel after the promise of one in the final moments of the first movie. For those who don’t remember, Kung Pow 2! Tongue of Fury teased alien tongues were going to invade France, thousands of people were after Chosen One and even that dude who had a hole punched through him survived his injuries. Frankly, I thought he was a goner, but I guess when you get hit so hard that it comes out in a solid chunk without organs, someone can survive that sort of thing.

As a pre-teen at the time, I fully believed Kung Pow! Enter The Fist’s sequel announcement was a legitimate promise and would 100% happen. My father later served me a dose of reality, noting that another one of my favorite comedies at the time, History of the World, Part 1, also teased a sequel at its end. The difference between the two was that Mel Brooks’ movie was much older and, of course, didn’t have a sequel at the time. As such, it seemed like Kung Pow 2 wasn’t an actual thing, and I should let the dream die.

For a while, I did let the dream die, but then came some wonderful news in October 2021 via Variety. History of the World scored a sequel at Hulu, thus reinvigorating my hope that Kung Pow! Enter The Fist will see another installment. Months later, I’m still riding that high and hoping Wimp Lo might somehow survive after all.

Why Kung Pow! Enter The Fist Needs A Sequel 20 Years Later (3)

Steve Oedekerk Is Still Willing To Make A Sequel And Beyond

Director and star Steve Oedekerk (who worked with Jim Carrey on Ace Ventura 2) revealed in March of 2022 (via Honk If You’re Horny) that his original plan for Kung Pow was for it to be a trilogy. It’s a dream he’s still willing to make happen, but now it seems that the rights to the original film belong to Disney. Keep in mind that I just mentioned how those with a Hulu subscription will get to see a sequel to a Mel Brooks classic, so is it possible the streamer can do the same with Kung Pow?

If not, Oedekerk offered the alternative idea of creating a spiritual successor to the Kung Pow movies. In short, the premise would be to dub over different genres of films like Spaghetti Westerns (he should hit up Quentin Tarantino for suggestions) or something else of that nature to keep the franchise alive if it’s impossible to keep Kung Pow going. It's not necessarily a compromise that I’m thrilled with as a long-time fan of Kung Pow, but also better than nothing.

In a world where Hollywood is ready to cash in on nostalgia and streaming services need content that will draw eyes, I feel like this is an easy decision. Kung Pow! Enter The Fist wasn’t a raging success at the box office by any metric, but it's thrived over the years on its reputation as a cult classic. It also doesn’t seem like it would be an expensive feature to make given the work that went into the first one, though I won’t jump to conclusions about the budget that went into making that CGI cow.

Why Kung Pow! Enter The Fist Needs A Sequel 20 Years Later (4)

Kung Pow: Enter The Fist Would Thrive In The Modern Comedy Scene

I wouldn’t say that Kung Pow! Enter The Fist was a trailblazer that was ahead of its time, as some of its jokes are absolutely reminiscent of the times. What I will say is that in an era where low-budget comedy thrives on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, there’s certainly a market for it. Even Adult Swim, which is now a household name when it comes to surrealist comedy, wasn’t quite at the level that it is now. So I do think there is an argument to suggest the world wasn’t quite ready for the movie.

20 years later, is the world ready for a Kung Pow sequel? I’d like to think so, though I do wonder if Steve Oedekerk is able to step back into the shoes of Chosen One decades later. I will say that William Zabka and Ralph Macchio (who looks great for his age) had one hell of a comeback when they did Cobra Kai, so I don’t think anything is impossible. That said, if the world needs a new Chosen One to take on the next chapter, I’m all for seeing that journey too. Ultimately, I’m just trying to see a movie that meant a lot to me in my youth get another installment, especially when I can rarely find the original available to stream for free on services.

Speaking of Cobra Kai, people who grew up in the '80s get constant callbacks to things they were nostalgic for and can easily find those '80s franchises on streaming. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting on my karate film from my childhood to get its shine, and millennials still have yet to get their due. I don’t want to wait another 20 years for it to happen, so hopefully we can see this sequel happen soon.

Kung Pow! Enter The Fist is available to purchase on Amazon Prime Video and other platforms like Apple TV and Vudu. Any fans feeling nostalgic should certainly revisit it in the modern era, and perhaps if enough interest is drummed up, we’ll finally see some progress happening towards that sequel finally happening.

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Why Kung Pow! Enter The Fist Needs A Sequel 20 Years Later (5)

Mick Joest

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Mick likes good television, but also reality television. He grew up on Star Wars, DC, Marvel, and pro wrestling and loves to discuss and dissect most of it. He’s been writing online for over a decade and never dreamed he’d be in the position he is today.

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Why Kung Pow! Enter The Fist Needs A Sequel 20 Years Later (2024)

FAQs

Was there a sequel to Kung Pow Enter the Fist? ›

Kung Pow II: Tongue of Fury - Nestflix. The long-awaited sequel to Kung Pow! Enter the Fist. The Chosen One returns and must face a whole new set of foes, human and otherwise.

Why is there no kung pow 2? ›

Future. In a livestream on March 27, 2022, Oedekerk has stated that, while his original plan was for there to be a Kung Pow trilogy, discussions to make a sequel with 20th Century Studios have not worked out.

What is kung pow enter the fist a parody of? ›

Synopsis. The movie is a parody of classic kung fu movies and features footage from the 1975 film The Savage Killers (1976). Most of the footage in the film is recycled with current actors superimposed into some of the scenes.

What movie did Kung Pow dub over? ›

Uses footage from The Savage Killers (1976) with actors digitally inserted into original scenes, and new dialogue overdubbed.

Is Legend of the Fist a sequel? ›

The film is a sequel to the 1994 film Fist of Legend, which starred Jet Li as Chen Zhen. Principal photography for Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen began in November 2009 and ended in early February 2010; shooting took place in Shanghai, China.

Is The Chinese Connection and Fist of Fury the same movie? ›

Fist of Fury was accidentally released in the U.S. under the title The Chinese Connection. That title was a means of tapping the popularity of another film, The French Connection (starring Gene Hackman), released in the U.S. in 1971.

What happened to Steve Oedekerk? ›

Oedekerk resides in Southern California with his wife, two children and a badger, pound for pound known to be the most vicious mammal on the planet.

Where can I watch Kung Pow 2? ›

Kung Pow Chicken 2, a comedy movie starring Justin J. Wheeler, Paul "Maxx" Rinehart, and Brian Bullock is available to stream now. Watch it on Cocoro, The Roku Channel or Frndly TV on your Roku device.

How old is Steve Oedekerk? ›

What does kung pow mean in chinese? ›

ˈku̇ŋ- : being stir-fried or sometimes deep-fried and served in a spicy hot sauce usually with peanuts. kung pao chicken.

Who is the villain named Betty? ›

Master Pain, better known as Betty, was the main antagonist of Kung Pow! Enter the Fist. He was the Chosen One's arch-nemesis and the former leader and boss of his henchmen. He worshipped the Evil Council.

What was the original martial arts movie? ›

History. The first ever martial arts film was a Chinese film released in 1928, The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (also translated as "The Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery"), a silent film directed by Chinese film director Ying Yunwei and produced by the Mingxing Film Company.

Is Kung Pow worth watching? ›

September 19, 2017 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review… Steve Oedekerk's ode to bad '70s Hong Kong cinema is a gleefully bizarre combination of loving homage and merciless satire, bad special effects and unexpected jokes.

What kung fu movie has a boat fight scene? ›

"Kung Fu Hustle" - International (English title), UK, USA Director:Stephen ChowWriters:Stephen Chow (writer)Xin Huo (writer)Release Date:22 April 2005 (USA)P... YOUR KUNG FU IS GOOD BUT MY BOAT IS BETTER! I have so many questions. It's human battle-bots!?

Is The Legend of the Fist Based on a true story? ›

Legend of the Fist: Chen Zhen is a television series based on the story of Chen Zhen, a fictional apprentice of the Chinese martial artist Huo Yuanjia.

What is the story of the fist? ›

A rebellious Cleveland warehouse worker rises through the ranks of a trucking industry union to become union president but his organized crime links cause his eventual downfall.

Who taught Donnie Yen Wing Chun? ›

He worked hard and studied Wing Chun under Ip Man's eldest son, Ip Chun, for 9 months before tackling the role. Ip Chun has since praised Yen for his effort, his skills as a martial artist, and his ability to grasp the full concept of Wing Chun much faster than anyone else he has taught.

Why did China stop showing Marvel movies? ›

Chinese regulators never officially explained why the movies were banned. This left many to speculate that the trade war tensions between the US and China and the nationalistic policy stance under President Xi Jinping, as well as his repressive tightening of control over civil society, could be the main reason.

Does China allow Marvel movies? ›

China has reopened its doors to Disney's Marvel Studios for the first time in almost four years, with two new film releases secured in the world's second largest movie market.

What happened between Marvel and China? ›

The underlying controversy stemmed from the film's casting and the perception of the comic book series that “Shang-Chi” is based on. The 2021 release of “Black Widow,” coincided with a blackout period in China in which the country leaves theaters open for local productions and boxes out foreign films.

Who does Steve Oedekerk look like? ›

Conversation. Steve Oedekerk looks like Kevin Nealon in Kung Pow. most of my time watching the movie I was thinking about this.

Is Jim Carrey in Evan Almighty? ›

Jim Carrey declined to reprise his role from the original Bruce Almighty.

Are Steve and Bob Odenkirk brothers? ›

The brothers are sons of a 1983 Augie alum Steve Odenkirk, a Tucson, Ariz., bank vice president and nephews of famed film and TV actor Bob Odenkirk ("Better Call Saul," "Breaking Bad The following summer he did a one-man show, Show-Acting Guy, directed by Tom Gianas.

What is the new kung fu show on Netflix? ›

Kung Fu (2021 TV series)
Kung Fu
Based onKung Fu by Ed Spielman
Developed byChristina M. Kim
StarringOlivia Liang Kheng Hua Tan Eddie Liu Shannon Dang Jon Prasida Gavin Stenhouse Vanessa Kai Tony Chung Tzi Ma Yvonne Chapman JB Tadena
Music bySherri Chung
21 more rows

Is Kung Pow on Disney plus? ›

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist | Disney+

Is Kung Fu Panda 2 out? ›

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 13, 2011, accompanied by the short film Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters and an episode of the Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness television series.

Where was Jimmy Neutron made? ›

A year after its namesake movie debuted, the Jimmy Neutron science-comedy TV series aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons until its cancellation in 2006. The series was produced by Dallas-based animation company DNA Productions.

Who makes Jimmy Neutron? ›

Nickelodeon

Who made the thumb movies? ›

Thumbs! is a collective term for the O Entertainment short films created by Steve Oedekerk using "Thumbation" technology, a process which combines live-action thumbs and superimposition of the voice actors' faces. The first short, Thumb Wars, was created as a television special and spawned the rest of the series.

What does po po mean in Chinese? ›

婆婆 pópo. *婆婆* | 婆婆* | *婆婆 husband's mother / mother-in-law / grandma.

What does po kai mean in Chinese? ›

Puk gai (踣街, more commonly idiomatically written as 仆街; pūk gāai) literally means "falling onto street", which is a common curse phrase in Cantonese that may be translated into English as "drop dead". It is sometimes used as a noun to refer to an annoying person that roughly means a "prick".

Why are there peanuts in kung pao? ›

Authentic Kung Pao chicken also calls for peanuts (toasted or deep-fried) which adds another layer of flavour. You may replace them with cashew nuts. It's important that you add the nuts at the very end of the stir-frying process. Otherwise, they would lose their crunchiness.

What name shortens Betty? ›

Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beatrice.

Why Shaolin monks are so powerful? ›

The monks use Qi Gong and a special method of breathing with the lower abdomen to transform their bodies into armor. This allows them to withstand powerful blows, including those from dangerous—and sometimes sharp—objects.

Who is father of kung fu? ›

Bodhidharma: The Buddhist Monk Who Became the Father of Shaolin Kung Fu. Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE.

Do Shaolin monks have powers? ›

Shaolin monks can perform seemingly impossible feats of mental and physical prowess. They poke holes into trees with their fingers, they bang their bare heads against stone walls and knock their heads together to harden their skulls. They knife-scrape their stomachs to strengthen their core area.

Was there a sequel to the martial arts Kid? ›

The Martial Arts Kid 2: Payback.

What movie came before Legend of the Fist? ›

In fact Legend of the Fist is sort of a sequel to Lee's 1972's Fist of Fury, in which Chen attacked a Japanese martial arts dojo in Shanghai, exacting revenge on the men who murdered his master.

What is the oldest martial art movie? ›

History. The first ever martial arts film was a Chinese film released in 1928, The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (also translated as "The Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery"), a silent film directed by Chinese film director Ying Yunwei and produced by the Mingxing Film Company.

What is the oldest Karate Kid movie? ›

The original film series began as a tetralogy, starting with the release of The Karate Kid (1984), after the success of which three sequels were produced: The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), and The Next Karate Kid (1994).

Why was martial law TV series Cancelled? ›

In many scenes, Hung does not speak at all, making Martial Law one of the few United States television series to feature little dialogue from the lead character. The show lasted two seasons, before being cancelled due to high production costs and Hung being unhappy with the writing of season two.

What is the oldest movie ever made? ›

Roundhay Garden Scene is a short silent motion picture filmed by French inventor Louis Le Prince at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, Leeds, in northern England on 14 October 1888. It is believed to be the oldest surviving film.

What is the longest movie ever? ›

1. Background Information: Introducing "Logistics" The longest movie ever made is titled "Logistics" and was first released in 2012. This experimental film was conceived and directed by two Swedish artists, Erika Magnusson, and Daniel Andersson.

What was the 1st movie ever made? ›

The first motion picture film is believed to be Louis Le Prince's Roundhay Garden Scene. This film was recorded in Leeds in England in 1888. It is approximately 2 seconds long and shows some of Louis Le Prince's family members walking around a garden.

References

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