Tekken Movie in 2009 - Lateef Crowder to Play Capoeira Master Eddie Gordo

No one could forget the battle in Tony Jaa's last movie, The Protector (Tom Yum Goong), where the Thai warrior faced off against the unknown Capoeira fighter in the burning temple. The actor who played Tony Jaa's enemy was Zero Gravity stunt team member, Lateef Crowder. Thousands of fans agreed that he bore a striking resemblance to Eddie Gordo, the classic Capoeira fighter of the best-selling Tekken video game series. But now it is a reality; Lateef Crowder is confirmed to play as Eddie in the upcoming movie in 2009.

Lateef Crowder Will Be Bringing Capoeira in its Definitive Form

So he is a Capoeira fighter. He is an American actor born in Brazil. He looks like Eddie Gordo. He doesn't even need the credentials. It's like the guy starred in The Protector to square off against Muay Thai legend Tony Jaa out of perfect chance. Eddie Gordo isn't real, is he?

Capoeira is a martial arts style reigning from Brazil and to this day remains an essential part of the street fighting and cultural dance tradition. Among all the grappling and submission styles of fighting, Capoeira is the most feared because of its ease of adaptability to changing circumstances. It consists of break-dance style kicks and sweeps from low ground; its history takes root from the first slaves brought to Brazil. Disguised as a game, they were able to keep their traditional combat system alive and retain their fighting instincts despite having martial arts banned.

The Tekken Movie - Eddie Gordo

Lateef Crowder is not new to the movie business. His experience in past films is enough to prove he's worthy of playing Eddie Gordo in Tekken's first live action movie. Crowder has starred in CSI N.Y., played stunt doubles in season two of Heroes, An Act of Violence, and is going to play an important role in the stunts in the upcoming movies, Avatar and Dragonball.

His Capoeira fighting style also influenced the action genre in the video game industry. Lateef Crowder's moves were motion captured for Matrix Online and his choreography was used in The Bourne Identity game. For a relatively new actor, he's shown he can aspire to take major roles in high profile franchises. Martial arts movies based on video games don't have the best reputation and names don't need to be said. One of the best, despite the mixed reviews, was the first Mortal Kombat in 1995. The stunt double for Liu Kang was Tony Jaa, for those who didn't know.

Lateef Crowder now has the responsibility to play Eddie Gordo on the silver screen and has to portray Capoeira in its finest form - raw, vicious, and devastating in its flow motion. Perhaps he can finally redeem the fighting video game genre in Hollywood.

Lateef Crowder vs. Tony Jaa - Capoeira vs. Muay Thai

You might have heard the buzz about this fight but never actually got around to watching it. In The Protector, all the stunts are real, just like the first film, Ong Bak. The way the striking from Muay Thai clashed with the eccentric style of Capoeira in the flood waters amidst the burning temple gave justice to the legendary match up. There are absolutely no strings attached.

Tony Jaa and Lateef Crowder are both rising martial artist actors but they've had years of experience in film already. Watch the YouTube clip of the entire fight here. Although it's short, it makes up for it in each second.

Tekken the movie is going to come out in 2009 and already has a full cast set up. Notable actors include Luke Gross, who played Prince Nauda (the blademaster) from Hellboy 2 - The Golden Army. He will be taking the role of Steve Fox. The legendary Heiachi is also in good hands - played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the man who masterfully played Shang Tsung in the first Mortal Kombat movie. Jon Foo (the sword fighter Tony Jaa had to fight right after Lateef Crowder in The Protector) will be taking his role as Jin Kazama.

Will the Tekken movie end the bad luck with fighter video games gone to Hollywood? It all lies in the characters and the strength of the styles they will bring to the screen. Lateef Crowder's task of immortalizing Eddie Gordo is no easy endeavor, and the entire cast shares the responsibility.

But like all things in martial arts, the solution usually shows up in the inevitable, reluctant, but always entertaining violence and mayhem.