THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS Animated Prequel

Here’s a stylish animated prequel short to Universal Pictures’ The Man with the Iron Fists, directed and narrated by RZA, telling the tale of the first encounter between the Blacksmith and the armored foe Brass Body.

I’m fairly sure it’s more of a compilation of concept art, but has an ancient Asian artwork style to it and it’s got a great feel to the film that tells the epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone outsider hero in nineteenth-century China who must unite to destroy the clan traitor who would destroy them all.

The Man with the Iron Fists opens November 2nd, 2012, also starring Lucy Liu, Russell Crowe, Jamie Chung, Byron Mann, Pam Grier, Cung Le and David Bautista.

Here’s the synopsis for the short:

This prequel side story to The Man with the Iron Fists finds the Blacksmith (RZA) on his way to China via a Dutch trading vessel. At a typical port stop, the Blacksmith and the crew have an unfortunate encounter.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoPkmD8RC9U[/youtube]

And here’s the full synopsis for feature:

Quentin Tarantino presents The Man With the Iron Fists, an action-adventure inspired by kung-fu classics as interpreted by his longtime collaborators RZA and Eli Roth. Making his debut as a big-screen director and leading man, RZA—alongside a stellar international cast led by Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu—tells the epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone outsider hero in nineteenth-century China who must unite to destroy the clan traitor who would destroy them all.

Since his arrival in China’s Jungle Village, the town’s blacksmith (RZA) has been forced by radical tribal factions to create elaborate tools of destruction. When the clans’ brewing war boils over, the stranger channels an ancient energy to transform himself into a human weapon. As he fights alongside iconic heroes and against soulless villains, one man must harness this power to become savior of his adopted people.

Blending astonishing martial-arts sequences from some of the masters of this world with the signature vision he brings as the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan and as one of hip-hop’s most dominant figures of the past two decades, RZA embarks upon his most ambitious, stylized and thrilling project to date.

Source: Collider