Master Z: Ip Man Legacy is finally coming to North America after premiering in Hong Kong over the holiday season. Donnie Yen's Ji-dan Wing Chun master character is not in the movie, but he is a producer and gave full control over to legendary director Yuen Woo-Ping. The latest trailer has been released and it stars Max Zhang (The Love Clinic), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Liu Yan (Young Marshal), Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians), and Tony Jaa (Ong-bak Series).
Iconic action director Woo-ping Yuen draws on a stellar cast to create a hard-hitting martial arts blast worthy of its place in the celebrated Ip Man universe. Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi (Max Zhang), tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it's not long before the mix of foreigners, money, and triad leaders draw him once again to the fight. The trailer teases some expert martial arts moves and some pretty crazy moves from Dave Bautista.
Max Zhang admits that fighting Dave Bautista was a challenge that even scared him at times because the Guardians of the Galaxy actor is so much taller than he is. Zhang says, "his fists are so huge, that even if his punches didn't land for real, you would still feel the pain." That should be a pretty good warning to anybody who plans on even pretend fighting with Bautista in the future. Zhang is no slouch with his martial arts, so Bautista probably felt the same fear while fighting on the set of Master Z: Ip Man Legacy.
Even though Master Z: Ip Man Legacy contains the Ip Man name, it is very much its own movie. Max Zhang as Cheung Tin Chi is a different character with a new story that carries over from the third Ip Man project. However, he has given up fighting at the beginning of the movie. That all changes when he catches wind of Owen Davidson's (Dave Bautista) drug trafficking business. The sense of righteousness buried deep inside him revives the Wing Chun spirit and it's on from there.
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy hits theaters on April 12th. Although Donnie Yen wasn't around to help with the movie, his presence is felt all over it. He had a lot of confidence in Max Zhang and Yuen Woo-Ping's abilities to pull the project off without any problems. According to reviews from overseas, the duo were able to pull off an excellent spin-off for the franchise, which should be enough to get North American martial arts fans into theaters to see the movie. You can check out the trailer for Master Z: Ip Man Legacy below, thanks to the Well Go USA Entertainment YouTube channel.
