Tony Jaa gets a hired gun

Contrary to an earlier report (and here), it seems Sword might still be a going concern for Tony Jaa, but then when you're dealing with the nebulous world of film pre-production, who knows what's going on?

Anyway, The Nation's print-only Soopsip column reports today that while Tony is busy on tour promoting Tom Yum Goong, director Prachya Pinkaew is putting together the team for the next film, "temporarily titled" Daab Atamas. Daab is sword in Thai, okay?

Prachya has roped in writer Praphas Chonsalanon, a co-founder of Work Point Entertainment Company, who will write the script.

Script? What's that?

"He met Jaa when I was working at Grammy," Prachya was quoted as saying. "He's been interested in working with us since then, but it’s not until this project that the timing’s been right."

Soopsip further opined: "Bringing in the popular writer will perhaps overcome problems with substance and ensure the new movie has a stronger story line than Tom Yum Goong."

Tom Yum Goong is now out on VCD in Thailand and all the video shops are playing it. It's my preferred way to catch the film now, doing some shopping and catching glimpses of Tony Jaa doing some bad-ass stunts out of the corner of my eye.

Meanwhile, plans by Tom Yum Goong executive producer Somsak Techarattanaprasert to offer shares of his Sahamongkol Film have been shelved.

Somsak, also known as Sia Jiang, says he changed his mind after watching the debacle earlier this year when Grammy boss Paiboon Damrongchaitham attempted a takeover of the Matichon publishing firm and the Bangkok Post.

Somsak says he probably wouldn't work so well with shareholders watching his every move.

"I'm totally unhappy if I don’t have total freedom to do what I want," Somsak was quoted as saying.

(Cross-published at Rotten Tomatoes)