Tony Jaa Quits Acting, Joins a Monastery

Twitch Film is reporting that action star and director Tony Jaa has walked away from the film industry...to join a monastery. The story goes that on Friday, "Jaa rode an elephant to a Buddhist temple in Surin, Thailand, where he shaved his head, took vows, and was officially ordained as a Buddhist monk."

There have actually been a few indications that Jaa was close to some kind of breaking point, or that he at least needed a massive change in his life. It all been, apparently, during Ong Bak 2 a couple years ago. On-set reports indicated that the actor, who assumed creative control of the film because of the success of its predecessor, began sacrificing chickens before each day's filming. He was unexperienced, so the movie went vastly over budget and over schedule. Then, Jaa disappeared for a couple months. But that's just the beginning.

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Brand New Thai Trailer for Tony Jaa's 'Ong Bak 3'

In the US, we'll probably get a chance to see Ong Bak 3 on VOD before it gets to theaters. The fantastic Tony Jaa just hasn't had much luck with these movies in theaters. The first one had a half-assed release, and the second fared even worse. Both came from Magnolia. The Protector did much better when the Weinsteins released it in 2006, but this guy should be a much bigger deal. He can't act worth a lick, but he's the best thing going in the martial arts genre.

Ong Bak 3 apparently comes out in Jaa's native Thailand next month, but there's no word on when it might show up stateside. That deal probably hasn't been hammered out yet. But we'll keep you posted, and you'll want an update after you watch the trailer. So what's it all about? I dunno. Looks like some guy gets beaten three-quarters to death and is really pissed off about it. He also jumps from elephants.

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Yes! A Trailer for Tony Jaa's 'Ong Bak 3'

Today cannot suck, for today is the day we see the first trailer for Ong Bak 3. With the exceptions of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, I've never seen a martial arts actor any better in a fight scene than Tony Jaa. He's pretty lousy whenever he's not fighting, but oh man, can this guy work in an action sequence.

The only drawback to this trailer is that it's not long enough (that's what she said). But if you're new to the world of Tony Jaa, this will give you plenty of motivation to seek out some of his other films, in this series and beyond. Oh, and there's never been anyone, anywhere, who gets more mileage out of elephants. Check out The Protector for all the evidence you'll ever need, or just watch him tusk-swing in the trailer below.

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Another 'Ong Bak 2' Trailer with Tony Jaa

I don't remember specifically how similar this trailer is previous looks at Ong Bak 2, but I think it's shorter, higher quality, and what the hell - it's another chance to see Tony Jaa do what he's doing better than anyone else.

It also gives us the opportunity to tell you that the film will be on Amazon, VOD, and XBOX Live beginning this Friday, about a month before it will be in theaters here in the US. And I may do the VOD thing this weekend; I'm dying to see the film, so why wait? If you're new to Tony Jaa...don't stay that way. He's the real deal. Terrible actor, sure, but he's a physical freak, and is extremely imaginative with his action sequences. So if you want a good martial arts movie, this one looks like it has all the right ingredients.

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Jaa-Dropping New Trailer for 'Ong bak 2'

I've been watching martial arts movies pretty consistently for over 25 years. In that time, I've only seen a few guys on the level of Tony Jaa. Bruce Lee and early Jackie Chan, obviously, but check out the work of Yuen Biao if you've never seen him. I'd take Jaa over anything I've ever seen Jet Li do, if that tells you anything.

The point is Tony Jaa is one of the best martial arts actors we've ever seen, and his unbelievable action scenes and fight choreography is probably unparalleled right now. The good news is Jaa was still in his 20s when the first Ong bak was released, so he's still in his prime. Let's hope that means another couple decades of his films. Ong bak 2 will hopefully get a healthy U.S. release, even though Jaa's The Protector wasn't a very big hit here. Hard to deny there will be some interest if enough people see this trailer, though. Is that a real alligator?

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