If you thought martial arts action couldn’t evolve any further, The Executioner is here to prove otherwise—by flipping the format entirely.
Best known for his scene-stealing brutality in Havoc and Headshot, Sunny Pang (The Night Comes For Us) is stepping into a new kind of battleground as this project is a vertically-shot martial arts series designed for mobile-first viewing. It’s a bold pivot that reflects how audiences are increasingly consuming content—but make no mistake, the action remains as bone crunching as ever.
Directed by Sam Loh (The Driver) along with fight choreography by Pang’s own stunt/choreography team Ronin Action (re: solve), the series is set against the gritty backdrop of Hong Kong’s underworld, the story centers on a deadly assassin targeting kung fu masters one by one. At the heart of the chaos is Mo, a man caught between survival and redemption, who strikes a risky deal with law enforcement: help stop the killings, and earn his freedom.
What makes The Executioner stand out isn’t just its premise—it’s the format. Shot entirely in vertical orientation, the series leans into smartphone-native storytelling, a trend that’s been gaining traction in short-form and social media-driven entertainment. While some purists may balk at the shift, the project aims to prove that tightly choreographed fight sequences and visceral action can still thrive within the constraints of a narrower frame.
Early promotional material teases a slick, stylized approach, with Pang front and center delivering the kind of intensity fans have come to expect. The vertical framing, rather than limiting the action, appears to emphasize close-quarters combat—making every strike feel immediate and personal.
Also starring Asher Su Chai Chong (Dreaming), Jaze Phua (Singafist), Paulyn-Grace Teo (The Driver), Terence Cao (The Challenger), Adele Wong (The Big Day), Vincent Ng (Deleted), as well as Thai internet celebrity FahFah, the micro series will be available to view on social media apps in April.
Whether The Executioner signals a larger shift for martial arts cinema or remains a niche experiment, one thing is clear: Sunny Pang isn’t afraid to push the genre into uncharted territory. And if the results hit as hard as his previous work, this could be one vertical you won’t want to scroll past.
SOURCE: City on Fire
