Mark Dacascos - The Actor

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In some surprising and very intriguing news, Mark has acquired the rights to the film adaptation of Tess Uriza Holthe's novel, "When the Elephants Dance." Mark will produce and star in the film, based off the highly-reviewed book. Kirkus Reviews had this to say about Ms. Holthe's literary work: "Romantic and patriotic heroes fill this WWII-set debut; a remarkably rich story about a disparate group of Filipinos thrown together in their struggle to survive the Japanese occupation. . . . A well-orchestrated chorus of voices that should strike a chord with many." Please keep an eye on this site for more news on this exciting development.

Mark has made two trips in the last month to beautiful Vancouver, putting in work as a guest star of an upcoming episode of Stargate: Atlantis. Mark plays the role of Tyre from the planet Sateda. Stay tuned for more information on this episode.

Never one to rest, Mark's been working hard studying Muay Thai Kickboxing as of late, preparing to play a Thai Kickboxer (named King Charles) in CCTV's epic mini-series, "The Bruce Lee Story." The 40-episode "mini-series" is scheduled to air in China during the summer of next year. Mark recently flew to Guanzhou to film his role.

In the beginning of June Mark will be traveling yet again, this time to Istanbul, Turkey, to meet with producers about a possible upcoming project. Hopefully more news will follow.

After that, in mid-June production of the drama/action film "Serbian Scars" begins in Serbia, with Mark playing a half-Mongolian/half-Serbian character.

July's another good month for Mark, with him attending the infamous Comic Convention in San Diego, and The Crow: Stairway to Heaven finally hitting DVD.

Iron Chef: America ramps back up in September with 20 more episodes (bringing the total to a whopping 92) currently scheduled to air. What surprise ingredients will Mark be unveiling next? Tune in to find out!

Happy New Year! And what a new year it is with TWO new theatrical releases for Mark this month. First off we have "Code Name: The Cleaner" hitting "theaters everywhere" this Friday, January 5. Then, on Friday, January 26, the long-awaited "Nomad," finally hits our shores in a more limited run. What a great way for Mark to ring in the new year.

Mark Dacascos now has an OFFICIAL MySpace page. As any MySpace users know, there are frequently many fake MySpace profiles for celebrities, and it can be hard to pick out the real one, what with all the effort some fans put in. Mark's page can be easily found here , so now you can easily tell him from the imposters.

Keep a look out Summer 2007 for Mark's new film for the Sci-Fi Channel, "Alien Agent," for which he wrapped principle photography on July 8 of this year. The film, directed by Jesse Johnson, is a mixture of sci-fi and martial arts and stars Billy Zane, Kim Coates, Amelia Cooke, Emma Lahana, and, of course, Mark.

Mark's presently scheduled to shoot a minimum of 20 episodes of the newest season of "Iron Chef: America," currently scheduled to begin production in October.

Mark's upcoming film, The Cleaner has both a new (well, expanded) title and a release date! "Code Name: The Cleaner" is now scheduled to hit theaters January 5, 2007. Should be a good start to the year!

One of Mark's other higher-profile, though seemingly in-limbo films, now has a scheduled release as well, albeit unofficial. Expect to see Nomad within the US at the end of this year. The film was shown at the Locarno film festival in Switzerland the first week of August, and Mark will be visiting Moscow in September for the Russian premiere.

For all you video game fans, keep an eye out for John Woo's new game for the Xbox 360, entitled "Stranglehold." The game stars Chow Yun Fat, and Mark just completed his voice work for one of the other lead characters. Expect to see it this holiday season from Midway.

The new Comedy/Action film, "The Cleaner" is now entering post-production. The film stars Cedric the Entertainer, Lucy Liu, Nicolette Sheridan, Will Patton, and the person whose name you typed into your address bar to get here. Directed by Les Mayfield ("The Man," "Flubber," "Miracle on 34th Street") and written by Robert Adetuyi and George Gallo ("The Whole Ten Yards," "Bad Boys I & II,"), "The Cleaner" is about an amnesiac janitor who is fooled into believing he is a secret agent. Expect to see this film sometime next fall, under distribution by New Line Cinema.

Mark's epic upcoming film, "Nomad," has been picked up for domestic distribution by Harvey Weinstein and is scheduled for release in Fall, 2006.

Mark spent time filming not one, but two new films for DVD in the Philippines this year for Sony Screen Gems. The first film, titled "The Hunt for Eagle One" has him playing the role of Marine Lt. Daniels. It also stars Theresa Randle and Rutger Hauer and was directed by Brian Sechler. The second film is its immediate sequel, "Crash Point." This film was directed by Henry Crum and stars Theresa Rangle, Jeff Fahey, and, of course, Mark. Check back here for information on their upcoming release.

Sci-fi fans should look forward to "Solar Strike," directed by Paul Ziller, coming this Spring to the Sci-Fi channel. Mark spent some time in Toronto this year filming alongside Joanne Kelly and Lou Gossett Jr. Tune in for more details soon.

The Food Network's calling Mark in to preside, once more, over their hit show, "Iron Chef: America" in the beginning of 2006. Expect to see all 24 exciting new episodes of culinary war later next year.

"Nomad" recently completed principal photography and has now moved on to post-production. The producers of "Nomad" intend to premiere the film at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Prepare to set your TiVos for the Food Network, as Mark will be returning to the set of Iron Chef America for ten all-new episodes, the first of which debuts Sunday, January 16 at 9PM. Allez Cuisine!

Keep an eye open for the January 2005 issue of "Filipinas" magazine. If you squint carefully at the cover you'll likely miss the large photo of Mark adorning it.

Mark has recently begun work on the new film, "Only the Brave." The movie tells the story of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII. This regiment is one of the most highly decorated of its size in all of US Military history. Most amazing is that these soldiers were of Japanese ancestry. What complicated matters further is that while these men were fighting the Germans in Italy and France, much of their families back in America were being held captive in internment camps. "Only the Brave" is written, directed and starred in by Hawaiian-born, award-winning filmmaker Lane Nishikawa. The film also stars Jason Scott Lee, Yuji Okamuta, George Takei, Tamlyn Tomita, and Mark. It is executive produced by Nishikawa and Eric Hayashi, produced by Karen Criswell and Jay Koiwai. The director of photography is Michael Wojciechoski who was also the DP on "Drive." Stay tuned for more news about Mark's newest production.

Mark's Magazine Covers page has been updated. Take a look at his latest cover-stories in the Martial Artist Photo Gallery.

Take a look at the new page for "The Nomad" for several never-before-seen photos of Mark in character. Things are really rolling now, so keep checking back for more photos and updates.

Keep an eye out for "Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters," debuting on Food Network, April 23-25. Sharp, or even not-so-sharp eyes, will catch an appearance by Mark in a rather unusual capacity. Other guests will include Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Iron Chef Sakai, and Iron Chef Morimoto. All in all it sounds like an event not to be missed.

Fans of Mark and Christophe Gans may be disappointed to learn that their long-in-planning film, The Adventurer, has been shelved after Christophe's parting of ways with rights-owning French studio, Canal Plus. Hope of the two teaming up for another film is far from lost, though, as Christophe will be launching pre-production this summer on "Rahan," based on the French comic book by the same name. Rahan is France's best-selling comic book to date, enjoying great success since its debut in the late '60s. Written and directed by Christophe Gans, the movie tells the story of Rahan (played by you-know-who), and was described by Mark, in a nutshell, as "a prehistoric love story." Filming is currently scheduled for the beginning of '05.

Mark Dacascos fans, old and new, will be especially excited about this next bit of news once again relating to Mark and Christophe: Their 1995 cult-fan-obsessed film, "Crying Freeman," is finally seeing a stateside theatrical release this August by way of Universal Focus (responsible for the U.S. release of "Brotherhood of the Wolf"). For the handful of Mark fans not familiar with the film, "Crying Freeman" tells the story of a Japanese potter who is unwillingly recruited by a Chinese mafia to become their number one hitman, code-named: The Freeman. The film stars, among others, Julie Condra, Tchéky Karyo, Mako, Masaya Kato, Yôko Shimada, along with, of course, Mark Dacascos. Whatever you do, don't miss your opportunity to see this breathtaking film upon its much-demanded U.S. release.

Mark should be making his final return to Kazakhstan to finish up the rest of his filming for "The Nomad." Check back soon for more information on this film, as well as photographs.

Mark Dacascos is currently in Kazakhstan, working on the new motion picture, "The Nomad." He is co-starring alongside Jay Hernandez and Jason Scott Lee. The film is directed by Ivan Passer, written and produced by Rustam Ibragimbekov, and also produced by Milos Forman, Ram Bergman, and Pavel Douvidzon. Filming starts this month and is expected to finish up in December. Check back for further details.

Mark will be co-starring in one of NBC's "one-minute movies" in mid-September. These ultra-short films will be broken up into even shorter segments throughout entire evenings of NBC line-ups, scattered randomly through commercial breaks. So make sure you stay tuned to NBC this fall, and only take bathroom breaks during the actual show!

Principle photography on "Cradle 2 the Grave" was completed in June. Warner Bros. has a release date of February 28, 2003 scheduled. For more information on this film, please visit Inside Cradle 2 the Grave.

The Adventurer is currently scheduled to start principle photography July of 2003. Director Christophe Gans is planning for a 6-month shoot, with expected locations of Germany and China.

Mark has completed filming his episode of "CSI." "Felonius Monk" is scheduled to air on Thursday, March 7th 2002, on CBS. Mark portrays the role of "Ananda," who is a Thai Buddhist monk.
"Cradle to the Grave," the next Jet Li and DMX film (Warner Bros.), begins principal photography on March 11 2002. Mark will portray the role of "the lead bad guy."
Mark wishes to thank all of his wonderful fans for their tremendous support of "Brotherhood of the Wolf" ("Le Pacte des Loups").
Mark is wrapping up negotiations to join Jet Li and DMX in "Cradle to the Grave," a Warner Bros. film produced by Joel Silver and directed by Andrzeg Bartkowiak. As part of a global diamond heist, Mark will portray an international criminal who kidnaps the daughter of a crime lord (played by DMX). The result will be an alliance between a government agent (Li) and the crime lord to get back the daughter and thwart a plan for mass destruction.
Mark will soon be working as a guest star on an episode of CBS's popular evening television drama, "CSI."
Check out the new January 2002 issues of "Flaunt" and "Venice" magazines, both featuring photos of, and interviews with, Mark. Both should be on newsstands now.
Mark's press tour is changing by the minute! The latest is as follows:
This Thursday, November 29, 2001, he'll be in San Francisco for a press screening, followed by a question-and-answer period with those reviewers.
The following Tuesday, December 4, 2001, Mark heads for another one-day stop in Phoenix, Arizona.
A few days off, then he's flying on to New York City, for another press date, on December 12, 2001.
The January 2002 issue of "Inside Kung-Fu" is out on the newsstands. It'll be easy to spot, since Mark and his father, Sifu Al, are featured on the cover.
Because the interview with Mark and Al Dacascos was done nearly four months ago, the article will mention the opening date of "Brotherhood of the Wolf" as being in November. By now, you must know the absolute date for the movie's opening is January 11, 2002.
Mark sends a big "Aloha and Mahalo" to Dave Cater and the gang at "Inside Kung-Fu" for the honor of being on the cover, and for the incredibly kind and supportive article.
Tuesday morning, Mark had a photo shoot for the January issue of "Venice" magazine, which is a popular Southern California publication. The issue should be out on newsstands sometime in December 2001.
Mid-December, Mark will be doing a one-day "Brotherhood of the Wolf" press event, somewhere in Los Angeles.
Toward the end of November, he will do a five-city tour, promoting "Brotherhood of the Wolf." The three DEFINITE cities are: San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago. The other two cities are Philadelphia and Washington, DC, but with the possibility that one of those two cities MAY be replaced by Dallas.
Also in November, even closer to the end, Mark will join director Christophe Gans, as well as Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel (all from "Le Pacte des Loups," of course) on a publicity tour in New York City. This brief tour will last three days.
Mark had an interview with Fangoria on November 5, 2001. On November 7, he's got both a photo shoot and an interview lined up with Cinescape.
Last Thursday, the 18th of October, Mark did a photo shoot for Spin Magazine. He has a second photo shoot lined up for Monday, the 22nd of October, for Flaunt Magazine. Both issues will come out in December 2001.

Since "Le Pacte des Loups" is soon having its U.S. release, Mark is pleased to inform all of you that there is now an official web site for "Brotherhood of the Wolf" (its American title)! Universal has created the site, so please check it out!

Mark is on his way to Canada for the Toronto Film Festival. He will then head to New York to do publicity for "Brotherhood of the Wolf."

At the beginning of October, he's scheduled to do a European press tour. The countries will include Spain, Germany, Switzerland, England, and possibly Italy. So keep an eye out for Mark over there!

On the 24th of August, 2001, while in Portland for the 13th Western U.S. Nationals, Mark did a series of television, print, and online interviews.

There is a terrific on-camera interview with Mark Dacascos at YouBored.com. This interview took place in Portland, Oregon, during the August weekend when Mark attended the 13th Western U.S. Nationals.

Long-awaited news: The "China Strike Force" DVD release date in the United States is September 11th!

In late July, Mark Dacascos and Sifu Al Dacascos did a photo session for the cover of the January 2002 issue of "Inside Kung-Fu." There was a third very special (very SMALL!) person posing with them for the shoot - his name is Makoalani Charles Dacascos - but it is unlikely that the magazine will include Makoa's image.

On August 5, 2001, Mark Dacascos and his father (Sifu Al Dacascos) did a radio interview for Kickboxing.com. It should probably "air" in the next couple of weeks, but if you want an exact air date, you can check out the official web site.

Mark Dacascos will be attending his father's annual tournament (13th Western U.S. Nationals) in Portland, Oregon. This year�s tournament will be held the weekend of August 24 and 25, 2001 (Friday and Saturday), and Mark will appear at 8:00PM, on Saturday, for the finals. There is a SLIGHT possibility that Mark will also hold a 20-minute question-and-answer period on Saturday afternoon, but that is not confirmed, and probably won't be until the actual day of the tournament.
The tournament will be held at:
For further information on the tournament, please call or e-mail:
You can also visit the official web site, which is:
At the end of this year, or very early in 2002, Mark is also scheduled to do a movie with director Euzhan Palcy. Ms Palcy directed both the award-winning film, "Sugar Cane Alley," and the critically-acclaimed "A Dry White Season" (starring Donald Sutherland, Susan Sarandon, and Marlon Brando).
The tentative date for the release of "Le Pacte des Loups" in the United States is November 12, 2001. For American audiences only, Universal is re-naming the film "Brotherhood of the Wolf." And the first week of June 2001 will bring "Le Pacte des Loups" to Canadian audiences!
April 23rd's edition of "Daily Variety" has reported: "Universal Pictures has picked up U.S.distribution rights to French box office hit 'Le Pacte des Loups'... due out this fall through Universal Focus." Thankfully, the movie -- which will be titled 'Brotherhood of the Wolf' -- will have English sub-titles.
More good news! Mark Dacascos began work on Monday (the 9th of April) on "Scorcher," a film directed by James Seale. This movie (which also stars Rutger Hauer, John Rhys-Davies, and Tamara Davies) has Mark excited. Why? Because this is his first film since the birth of his son Makoalani, and it�ll be his first time playing a FATHER (as he relayed, "On camera!" and also, "At least as far as I can remember"). The movie will shoot in Southern California.
There's really good news for people living in the United States! Mark's just alerted us that both "Le Pacte des Loups" and "China Strike Force" have very high chances of getting U.S. theatrical releases! Mark will let us know when there is solid news for each of these two movies.
Mark wants you all to know that hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, he'll have more photos from Hawaii to add to this official web site.
As for the new suspense-thriller, "The Perfect Husband" (which he's referred to as "a little gem"), Mark had a great time working with his friends, Kadeem Hardison and Tim Abel. He also enjoyed meeting and working with Missy Cryder and Gustavo Graef-Marino (the director), and he's hoping he will have the fortune to work with them again. He says: "I think 'The Perfect Husband' will air on one of the cable channels sometime in the spring or summer of 2001."
Mark then adds...............
"After working on three different movies in three different countries - all in one year - it is nice to be able to rest, relax, and anticipate the birth of our son in my birthplace, Hawaii. Julie loves taking off the extra weight of pregnancy by swimming in the warm Hawaiian waters every day. I, of course, am totally enjoying the surfing, along with eating the local food.
"I will be flying to Paris for the premiere of 'Le Pacte des Loups,' which will be on the 25th of January (on Les Champs Elys�es). It'll then open to the public around the 31st of January, 2001.
"I heard that 'China Strike Force' has a shot as a feature release in America sometime next summer... but, of course, one never knows for sure.......... It's getting released as a feature in Asia, and probably in Europe, as well.
"Six years after its completion, 'Crying Freeman' has played successfully in both theatres and on television throughout Europe, but has yet to be released in North America. I really hope my fans here in the States will someday be able to see it. After all, it's special to me in many ways - and the most important way is that it is during that film (directed by Christophe Gans) that I met Julie. She played Emu O'Hara, my character's lover. And then, Christophe Gans directed 'Le Pacte des Loups.' We made our son on my second film with Christophe! What happens if I work with Christophe again???
"Please wish all my fans happy holidays and a big ALOHA from Hawaii!!!"

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