Martial arts cinema is about to get a serious injection of old-school swagger and modern grit as Michael Jai White (Outlaw Johnny Black) officially joins the cast of the upcoming action-thriller Paper Made. The film, helmed by writer-director Ryan Watson (Paper Line), is shaping up to be a passion project rooted in both cultural identity and hard-hitting fight choreography.
Leading the charge is Myles Truitt (Stranger Things), who plays Tavon Watkins, a young man whose life spirals into dangerous territory after a brutal hazing incident pulls him into a secretive underground brotherhood of Black martial artists. It’s a premise that blends coming-of-age drama with underground fight circuit intensity — and it’s one that Watson says highlights a rarely explored perspective in American martial arts storytelling.
But for longtime genre fans, the real hook is the return of Taimak — the cult icon best known for his role in the 1985 classic The Last Dragon. Paper Made marks a major comeback for the actor, placing him alongside White in what promises to be a generational crossover of martial arts talent.
And the roster doesn’t stop there. The ensemble cast includes Walter E. Jones (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Quartay DeNaya (Dolemite Is My Name), Marrese Crump (Tom Yum Goong 2), along with pro wrestlers Daria Rae Berenato and Jamara Garrett, stuntman and martial artist Sam Lee Herring (Gladiator Underground), and martial artist Jair Muhammad — creating a lineup stacked with both screen presence and real-world combat skills.
Behind the scenes, the project also draws from Watson’s earlier work, with Paper Made reportedly expanding on concepts introduced in his 2022 film Paper Line, suggesting a more refined and larger-scale evolution of that story.
Currently shooting in Tampa, Florida, Paper Made is positioning itself as more than just another indie action flick. With a focus on legacy, culture, and high-level martial arts, it aims to spotlight a lineage that has long existed but rarely taken center stage in mainstream cinema.
If it sticks the landing, this could be the kind of breakout genre entry that bridges eras — honoring the past while kicking its way into something new.
SOURCE: City On Fire, Deadline
