Set amidst the violence of America's Asian underworld, Lionsgate's ROGUE ASSASSIN is a high-adrenaline action thriller that examines just how far one man is prepared to go to avenge the death of his best friend. Crawford is a fallen FBI agent who is bent on revenge, and the man he wants is Rogue - a killer with a hidden agenda and no loyalties, a ruthless, shadowy assassin who seems to materialize at will, wreak havoc in a few silent seconds, and then disappear again like a ghost…
ROGUE ASSASSIN screenwriters Lee Anthony Smith and Gregory J. Bradley had been long time Jet Li fans and disciples of the Asian-influenced action genre when they created the role of Rogue, and they did so expressly to accommodate their screen idol. Many screenwriters write scripts with particular stars in mind, but in this case, producer Jim Thompson actually managed to get Smith's and Bradley's script to Li, who signed on to play Rogue almost immediately.
"It's one of those rare occasions where the writers had a vision, they had one guy in mind, and we actually made it happen," says Thompson. "We got it to the guy that it was intended for, and the movie actually happened with him in the part, which is rare."
An international film star and world-renowned martial arts master, Jet Li first gained notoriety in Asia as a martial arts competitor.  His remarkable success in the field led to his first starring role in Chang Hsin Yen's 1979 film, THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE, which instantly turned Li into a martial arts screen star in Asia. The ensuing years have brought him a worldwide following with the release of such films as FEARLESS, UNLEASHED, HERO, and THE ONE.
Steven Chasman, who represents Li and acts as one of ROGUE ASSASSIN's producers, says he was surprised by Li's strong endorsement of the ROGUE ASSASSIN's script. "When I first read it I didn't think Jet would be interested because the character is really the antithesis of almost everything he's ever played in a movie. But to my pleasant surprise he responded enthusiastically."
"I've never played this kind of character before," agrees Li. "I don't know whether he's good or bad. I only know this character, who is very violent, has a reason for doing what he does."
A devout Buddhist, Li often seeks projects that reflect his philosophical ideals about violence. He admits that he sometimes struggled with Rogue's particular brand of ruthless vengeance. "Even though I don't agree with what this guy does, I had to commit to it," he says. "When I went to the set, I had to forget I'm Jet Li first and be in that world. Then I'd go back home and think, 'Oh, why am I doing this?' I'd have to remind myself that the character is not me. It's somebody else."
With Li on board for the title role, the producers turned their attention to casting Rogue's nemesis, John Crawford, the police officer who risks everything to exact revenge. "John Crawford is pretty much the driving force of the story," explains director Phillip Atwell.  "He's an FBI agent who, in a sense, has kind of gone rogue himself. And he's enlisted himself to find the killer who took out his best friend and his best friend's family."
The part of Crawford called for an actor who could handle extreme physical set pieces as well as intense, emotional scenes; with his bulldog intensity and strong onscreen presence, Jason Statham, known for films like CRANK and THE TRANSPORTER, was the ideal candidate. Says Chasman, "He's a great actor who also brings a lot more dimensions to the role than just the physicality. He's got it all."  
Statham signed up immediately for the project, eager to work with Li again after appearing alongside him in 2001s THE ONE. "I never got to fight him on that movie," he laughs. "Working with Jet Li and doing something with a much deeper storyline, a bit more of a meaningful character for me to play and to actually come head to head with Jet and bash it out was something I was deprived of previously."
Statham also reacted strongly to the multi-layered role of Crawford. "Crawford becomes obsessed with seeking revenge on Rogue, trying to right the wrong that has happened even though it's quite possibly out of his control," explains the actor. "In the end, he actually gets to accept what happened to his friend while exorcising a few of his own demons."
For both stars, the process of working together was uniquely rewarding. Says Statham, "Li was just great to act with. You just look at his eyes and you've got a great, real connection." 
"He's a great actor," says Li of his co-star, smiling. "He's much better than me."
With the stars in place, the producers approached Phillip G. Atwell to helm the project. Known for his music videos for rap stars Eminem and 50 Cent, Atwell's eye for stylish, edgy visuals was considered a perfect fit for the raw intensity of ROGUE ASSASSIN. "When Lionsgate wanted to make this movie and we discussed directors, my first choice was Phillip," recalls Chasman. "He seems to really have his finger on the pulse of the audience."
Production for ROGUE ASSASSIN took place in Vancouver, where Atwell gathered a talented, international ensemble cast, including John Lone (YEAR OF THE DRAGON, THE LAST EMPORER), Terry Chen (ALMOST FAMOUS, SNAKES ON A PLANE), Luis Guzman (PUNCH DRUNK LOVE, TRAFFIC, THE SALTON SEA), Nadine Velazquez (MY NAME IS EARL, BIKER BOYZ) and Devon Aoki (SIN CITY).
Atwell's most significant decision was to steer the script away from the florid, slick visuals epitomized by the MATRIX films. "We still have a bit of a comic book style," he explains. "But the idea was to make a hard-core aggressive movie - as though these things could happen in real life. I didn't want the audience to say, 'Well, wait, how did he climb up the wall like that?' Stuntmen want to flip four times more than they really need to. And for certain films I think that's great, but for ROGUE ASSASSIN it was important to keep it grounded."
Corey Yuen, arguably the world's best known stunt choreographer and a director in his own right (THE TRANSPORTER, D.O.A.), teamed up with Li and Atwell to create ROGUE ASSASSIN's realistic fight sequences and impressive stunts. "As much as Jet is a legend as an onscreen performer, Corey is a legend as far as putting these fights together," says producer Christopher Petzel. "There are one or two household names in the world as far as action choreography and Corey is one of them."
Atwell also enlisted cinematographer Pierre Morel, who had worked with both Li and Statham on UNLEASHED and THE TRANSPORTER, and stunt coordinator Scott Nicholson to facilitate his vision. Atwell's less-is-more philosophy also set the tone for special effects artists Jason Ward and Ryan Nicholson of Vancouver's Flesh and Fantasy Makeup Effects.
"When you watch movies and you see a guy get shot and a big blood pack goes off - well, that's not how it happens in reality," says Atwell. "I think there's more of an impact to show how it really happens and have the actors respond in a real way. That'll be as painful as seeing a big blood spurt shoot across the screen."
To ensure that the action scenes were as authentic as possible, Atwell also put his cast through special weapons training sessions and police recruit boot camps. Says Sung Kang, who plays Jade Squad sniper, Goi, "We learned how to hold a gun properly, how to enter a building, how to cover the rear unit, basically what a SWAT team's procedures are in terms of staking out, holding the weapon, or firing the weapon."
Despite all of this attention to detail, Li maintains that "in action movies the most important thing is the story, not the fighting." Statham agrees, and hopes that viewers will become invested in Crawford's hunt for Rogue. "Action for the sake of action doesn't carry much weight," says Statham. "ROGUE ASSASSIN is a thinking man's action movie. The audience is going to be on the edge of their seats thinking,  'Are they going to get this guy? Is justice ever going to come? Is this Rogue going to pay for all these wrongdoings?' And then when they finally find out, they'll be taken totally by surprise."

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

PHILIP G. ATWELL (Director)
Director/Executive-Producer, Philip G. Atwell, is the owner of Geronimo Film Productions Inc, a highly successful Music Video and Commercial company based in Los Angeles.  Atwell started the company ten years ago, and under the Geronimo banner has produced videos for directors such as F. Gary Gray, Paul Hunter and Hype Williams, all of which have gone on to successful feature film careers.
Atwell began his directing in his own right in the late nineties.   Since then he has been honored with an impressive eight MTV Music Video Awards and well over 20 nominations for artists that include 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Marilyn Manson, Snoop Dogg and Tupac. Philip also directed and executive-produced the concert documentary DVD, "The Up In Smoke Tour," featuring such Hip-Hop giants as Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, as well as "The Anger Management Tour" DVD for Eminem. Recent videos include "Ass Like That" for Eminem, and "Dreams" for The Game.  Atwell's first television commercial campaign for Coors Light, featured Dr. Dre's first appearance as a corporate representative.  Based on this campaign, and the amazing storytelling and visuals in the music video "Stan," Saatchi Advertising championed Atwell by including him in the 2002 New Director Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival. Mr. Atwell also directed "Barber Shaq" for Verizon's VCast, starring Shaquille O'Neal.
Since then, Atwell has expanded his talents beyond music videos and commercials, to the feature and TV worlds.  He directed the short films Severance Pay, a one-minute-movie for NBC and John Wells Productions, and a bonus short film that screened before the feature 2Fast2Furious, (bridging the sequel with its original movie, The Fast and the Furious).
Mr. Atwell was then hired by Jerry Bruckheimer to direct the second unit action sequences on National Treasure, starring Nicolas Cage. Most recently Philip was given the opportunity to direct an episode of the award winning hit drama, "The Shield."

THE ART OF ORIGINAL FILMMAKING

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