WARRIOR Official Season 1 Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96t24BxMm-I

TONG WARS DRAMA SERIES WARRIOR, IS BASED ON THE WRITINGS OF MARTIAL ARTS LEGEND BRUCE LEE, DEBUTS APRIL 5 ON CINEMAX

WARRIOR is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances. After proving his worth as a fighter, Ah Sahm becomes a hatchet man for the Hope Wei, one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs (Chinese organized crime family).
Befriended by Wang Chao (Hoon Lee), a fixer and profiteer in Chinatown, Ah Sahm is taken under the wing of Young Jun (Jason Tobin), the hard-partying son of the Hop Wei’s leader, Father Jun (Perry Yung), who is facing an imminent opium war with a rival tong. As he is indoctrinated in the rules of Chinatown gangs, Ah Sahm wins the confidence of a canny brothel madam, Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng), revealing to her the true intentions of his journey to America.
Over the course of the season, Ah Sahm crosses boundaries inside and outside Chinatown, bringing him into contact with tong rivals Mai Ling (Dianne Doan), a beautiful and ruthless Chinese woman who has achieved a position of power in one of the tongs, and Li Yong (Joe Taslim), a tong lieutenant and Gung Fu master. As violence erupts, Sergeant “Big Bill” O’Hara (Kieran Bew) and Richard Henry Lee (Tom Weston-Jones), a transplanted southerner and rookie cop, are tasked with forming a Chinatown squad.
Meanwhile, working-class leader and tough Irishman Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger) is fighting for all Irish laborers by trying to inflict as much damage as possible on the Chinese immigrants he says are stealing their jobs. Amidst the strife, power-hungry San Francisco Mayor Samuel Blake (Christian McKay) and Deputy Mayor Walter Buckley (Langley Kirkwood), who has his own political aspirations, engage in widespread corruption, while the mayor’s young wife, Penny (Joanna Vanderham), finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage.

The drama series WARRIOR begins its ten-episode season FRIDAY, APRIL 5 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on CINEMAX. Filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, the show is based on the writings of martial arts legend Bruce Lee and is created and executive produced by Jonathan Tropper (CINEMAX’s “Banshee”) under Tropper Ink Productions, executive produced by Justin Lin (director of “Fast & Furious 6”) for Perfect Storm Entertainment and executive produced by Shannon Lee for Bruce Lee Entertainment.

Starring Andrew Koji (“Fast & Furious 6”) as martial arts prodigy Ah Sahm, WARRIOR also features series regulars Kieran Bew (“The Street”), Olivia Cheng (“Marco Polo”), Dianne Doan (“Vikings”), Dean Jagger (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Langley Kirkwood (“Invictus”), Hoon Lee (CINEMAX’s “Banshee”), Christian McKay (“Me and Orson Welles”), Joe Taslim (“Fast & Furious 6”), Jason Tobin (“The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift”), Joanna Vanderham (“The Paradise”), Tom Weston-Jones (“Copper”) and Perry Yung (CINEMAX’s “The Knick”).

Season Episode Breakdown

Episodes include:
Episode 1: “The Itchy Onion”
Debut date: FRIDAY, APRIL 5 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
San Francisco, 1878. Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a newly arrived Chinese immigrant with serious fighting skills, is introduced to Chinatown’s most ruthless tong, the Hop Wei, by Chao (Hoon Lee), a fixer. After impressing Young Jun (Jason Tobin), son of tong leader Father Jun (Perry Yung), Ah Sahm is branded and taken to a brothel, where he befriends Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng), a courtesan with connections.

Later, in search of a woman who left China two years earlier, Ah Sahm crosses paths with Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) and Li Yong (Joe Taslim), followers of the rival tong leader Long Zii (Henry Yuk), who is trying to avoid an opium war with the Hop We – a war that Walter Buckley (Langley Kirkwood), deputy to San Francisco Mayor Samuel Blake (Christian McKay), actively promotes. Meanwhile, after two Chinese laborers are killed by white thugs, police sergeant “Big Bill” O’Hara (Kieran Bew) is tasked with creating a Chinatown squad. Enlisting southern-born cop Richard Henry Lee (Tom Weston-Jones), Bill soon finds that the hostility between the Chinese and white dock workers, whose unofficial leader is Irish tough Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger), is unlikely to end anytime soon.

Written by Jonathan Tropper; directed by Assaf Bernstein.

Episode 2: “There’s No China in the Bible”
Debut date: FRIDAY, APRIL 12 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Intercepting a shipment of opium at the docks, Young Jun (Jason Tobin), with Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) and his Hop Wei lieutenant Bolo (Rich Ting) in tow, decides to send a message to Long Zii (Henry Yuk). Big Bill (Kieran Bew) and Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) investigate a grisly murder scene in an alley next to an Irish bar, The Banshee. Penny Blake (Joanna Vanderham), the young wife of San Francisco’s mayor (Christian McKay), finds herself in a bind while visiting the wharf with her Chinese manservant, Jacob (Kenneth Fok). Ah Sahm pays a steep price for playing the hero. The Long Zii clean up a mess, and brace for more bloodshed.
Written by Jonathan Tropper; directed by Loni Peristere.

Episode 3: “John Chinaman”
Debut date: FRIDAY, APRIL 19 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Leary (Dean Jagger) pressures gentleman industrialist Byron Mercer (Graham Hopkins), who is Penny’s father, to hire his men for a cable-car track job – despite the fact that Mayor Blake (Christian McKay) hasn’t yet awarded Mercer the contract. Accused of assault and perhaps worse, Ah Sahm

(Andrew Koji) gets a cold shoulder from the Hop Wei, with his fate in the hands of an unexpected ally. Buckley (Langley Kirkwood) urges Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) to eschew restraint and start a war with the Hop Wei.
Written by Adam Targum; directed by Loni Peristere.

Episode 4: “The White Mountain”
Debut date: FRIDAY, APRIL 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Big Bill (Kieran Bew) finds himself compromised by his gambling excesses, but discovers a possible solution after an opium-den raid. Penny (Joanna Vanderham) reveals the circumstances that prompted her to marry Mayor Blake (Christian McKay), who’s determined to show voters he won’t tolerate San Francisco’s “Yellow Peril.” After meeting with leaders of the Fung Hai tong, Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) offers Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) a way out of a protracted – and bloody – tong war.
Written by Kenneth Lin; directed by David Petrarca.

Episode 5: “The Blood and the Sh*t”
Debut date: FRIDAY, MAY 3 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Transporting precious cargo via stagecoach through the Sierra Nevada, Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) and Young Jun (Jason Tobin) are forced to spend the night with three strangers at a frontier saloon in the middle of nowhere. The detour turns perilous when Harlan French (Christiaan Schoombie), a notorious outlaw, shows up with his henchmen, looking for a lucrative payday.
Written by Kenneth Lin; directed by Kevin Tancharoen.

Episode 6: “Chewed Up, Spit Out, and Stepped On”
Debut date: FRIDAY, MAY 10 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Tensions escalate between the Hop Wei and Long Zii after an assassination attempt during a boisterous Chinatown parade. Big Bill (Kieran Bew) sets out to pay his debt to Jack Damon (Brendan

Murry), leaving Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) to keep watch over Lucy (Emily Child) and the kids. Mayor Blake (Christian McKay) and Deputy Mayor Buckley (Langley Kirkwood) get a mandate from Robert Crestwood (Patrick Baladi), a senator with eyes on the White House.
Written by Evan Endicott & Josh Stoddard; directed by David Petrarca.

Episode 7: “The Tiger and the Fox”
Debut date: FRIDAY, MAY 17 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) faces a dilemma when Father Jun (Perry Yung) sends Bolo (Rich Ting) to hunt down Long Zii (Henry Yuk) and Mai Ling (Dianne Doan). Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng) recruits a special girl from a whore monger, and takes on a business partner for a land deal. Penny (Joanna Vanderham) is faced with an unsavory choice in order to save her home. Lee’s (Tom Weston-Jones) past catches up with him.
Written by Brad Caleb Kane; directed by Lin Oeding.

Episode 8: “They Don’t Pay Us Enough to Think”
Debut date: FRIDAY, MAY 24 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
After a bloodbath on the streets of Chinatown, the Hop Wei and Long Zii consider a novel way to end hostilities. Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng) and her real-estate business partner, Leonard Patterson (Francois Rautenbach), hit a fork in the road in their effort to buy a valuable piece of land. After promising jobs to Leary’s Irish workers, Mercer (Graham Hopkins) toasts Crestwood (Patrick Baladi) at a fundraiser, while Penny (Joanna Vanderham) struggles to hold her tongue. Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) warns her brother against waging a battle he may not win.
Written by Evan Endicott & Josh Stoddard; directed by Lin Oeding.

Episode 9: “Chinese Boxing”
Debut date: FRIDAY, MAY 31 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Chinatown gathers to witness a “prize fight” between elite warriors from the Hop Wei and Long Zii. Buckley (Langley Kirkwood) plays a bluff in hopes of getting Mercer (Graham Hopkins) to lower his fee.

Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) remembers his roots as a fighter, as Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng) warns him of the dangers that await. Bill (Kieran Bew) and Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) question Wang Chao (Hoon Lee) about the recent series of sword killings in San Francisco.
Written by Jonathan Tropper; directed by Loni Peristere.

WARRIOR is produced for CINEMAX by Perfect Storm Entertainment, Tropper Ink Productions and Bruce Lee Entertainment; created and executive produced by Jonathan Tropper. Justin Lin and Danielle Woodrow executive produce on behalf of Perfect Storm Entertainment. Shannon Lee executive produces for Bruce Lee Entertainment. Executive produced by Brad Kane and co-executive produced by Richard Sharkey. The pilot was directed and executive produced by Assaf Bernstein.

Production Team

ANDREW KOJI as “AH SAHM”

Character Description:
A martial arts prodigy who travels from China to San Francisco and ends up becoming a hatchet man for the most powerful tong in Chinatown.

Andrew Koji is an actor and writer, known for Call the Midwife (2012), The Wrong Mans (2013) and Fast & Furious 6 (2013).

OLIVIA CHENG as “Ah Toy”

Character Description:
35, Chinatown’s most accomplished courtesan and madame.

Olivia Cheng, is a Canadian actress, broadcast journalist, and former correspondent for Entertainment Tonight Canada. Olivia booked her breakout, leading role in Netflix’s series, “Marco Polo” in 2014. She is also known for CW’s “Arrow” (2013- 2017) and “Supernatural” (2012).

DIANNE DOAN as “Mai Ling”

Character Description:
A beautiful and ruthless Chinese woman who, through sheer force of will, has achieved a position of power in one of the tongs.

Dianne Doan is a Canadian actress, known for Disney’s “Descendants” & “Descendants 2” (series & movies since 2015), History Channel’s “Vikings” (2016), TV Land’s “Impastor (2015),” ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” (2011-2013).

JASON TOBIN as “Young Jun”

Character Description:
The hard-partying son of a powerful tong boss.

Jason Tobin, credited in Chinese as To Jun Wai, is a British Chinese film and television actor and director. He is best known for Jasmine (2015), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) and Better Luck Tomorrow (2002).

HOON LEE
as “Wang Chao”

Character Description:
A wiley fixer and profiteer in Chinatown.

Hoon Lee is best known for Cinemax’s “Banshee” (2013-2016) and “Outcast” (2017). In Banshee, Hoon played Job, a dangerous transvestite computer hacker.He has been featured in the action movie, “Premium Rush” (with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon), “The Oranges” (with Hugh Laurie and Oliver Platt) and as the voice of Master Splinter
in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (with Jason Biggs). Other television and film credits include “We Own the Night,” “Blue Bloods” (NBC), “White Collar” (USA), “Royal Pains” (USA) and “Sex and the City” (HBO).

He has performed on Broadway in such shows as “Pacific Overtures,” “Urinetown” and “Flower Drum Song.”

DEAN S. JAGGER as “Dylan Leary”

Character Description:
He’s a large menacing man, a former Irish bare knuckle fighter, savvy and charismatic, the head of the unofficial labor movement.

Dean is a former professional extreme sports athlete known for his role as Smalljon Umber in HBO’s “Game of Thrones” (2016). He can also be seen in other shows such as “Corbin Nash” (2018), “The Hunter’s Prayer” (2017).

KIERAN BEW
as Officer “Big Bill O’Hara”

Character Description:
A hard-drinking Irish cop charged with forming a Chinatown squad.

Kieran Bew was born in Hartlepool, England. He is an actor and producer, known for Cinemax’s “Rellik,” “Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016)” and Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairy Tale (2003).

JOANNA VANDERHAM
as “Penelope ‘Penny’ Blake”

Character Description:
The aristocratic heir to a railroad fortune, trapped in a loveless marriage to the mayor.

Joanna was cast in her first professional role as ‘Cathy’ in The Runaway (2010) together with Keith Allen, Ken Stott, Alan Cumming and Jack O’Connell among other members of an excellent cast. Her solid course also includes brilliant TV works such as Stephen Poliakoff’s Dancing on the Edge (2013), The Paradise (2012), Banished (2015) and Retribution (2016), as well as excellent cinema performances in What Maisie Knew (2012) and other films. The range of her acting qualities is also expressed through her stage work, which includes roles such as Lika in Aleksei Arbuzov’s “The Promise” (London’s Donmar Warehouse, 2012) and Milly in Richard Greenberg’s “The Dazzle” (Soho Theatre, 2015-16).

LANGLEY KIRKWOOD as “Walter Buckley”

Character Description:
A civil war veteran and Deputy Mayor with his own political aspirations.

Langley Kirkwood was born in Bromley, Kent, England, UK and his family moved to South Africa when Kirkwood was young. He made an award-winning debut at Johannesburg’s Market Theatre as Billy the Kid and followed that up by award- nominated performances in other theatre productions in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, and winning another award as Biff Loman in Miller’s Death of a Salesman.

Langley is best known for Cinemax’s “Banshee” (2015), “The Catch” (2017), Starz’ “Black Sails”

TOM WESTON-JONES as “Richard Lee”

Character Description:
A transplanted Southerner and rookie cop.

Tom was born in Burton-on-Trent in the English West Midlands. He is best known for his TV series “The Terror” (2018), “Troy: Fall of a City” (2018), “Dickensian” (2015- 2016)), “Copper” (2012-2013) and “World without End” (2012).

CHRISTIAN McKAY as “Mayor Blake”

Character Description:
He is now the Mayor of San Francisco with an eye toward becoming the Governor of California.

Christian received international acclaim for his performance of the title role in Richard Linklater’s Me and Orson Welles (2008). Christian has subsequently appeared in films including Rush (2013), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), The Theory of Everything (2014) and Florence Foster Jenkins (2016). He can also be seen in the TV series “Frontier” (2016) and “Jekyll & Hyde” (2015).

PERRY YUNG as “Father Jun”

Character Description:
He’s the leader of the Hop Sing, and Young Jun’s father, who rules the most powerful tong in Chinatown with an iron fist.

Perry Yung is an American actor and musician from Oakland, CA. He is best known as fan favorite Ping Wu on Cinemax’s/ Steven Soderbergh’s “The Knick” and has guest starred on “Gotham,” “The Blacklist” and “Blue Bloods.” Principle roles in films include Condemned, Jade Pendant and John Wick:Chapter 2. Perry is a member of La Mama Theater’s Great Jones Repertory Company of New York City.

JOE TASLIM as “Li Yong”

Character Description:
A tong Lieutenant and gung fu master.

Johannes Taslim is an Indonesian model, actor, and former Judo athlete.

Taslim is best known for his roles as Manas in Star Trek: Beyond (2016) and in the 2013 feature film Fast & Furious 6 where he played villainous Jah, a cold-blooded killer who uses his martial arts to fight the films protagonists.

In 2010, Taslim won the role of Jaka, a sergeant in a special police squad, in the award-winning The Raid: Redemption, after a series of impressive fight auditions and reading. Following The Raid, Taslim took part in HBO Asia’s first action horror, “Dead Mine,” which had a theatrical release in selected Asian territories in September 2012, followed by exclusive television premieres across the HBO Asia network.

In July 2012, Variety reported that Taslim had joined the cast of the 2013 feature film Fast Six. Taslim will play the villainous Jah, a cold-blooded killer who uses his martial arts

RICH TING as “Bolo”

Character Description: Universally feared fighter and top lieutenant of the Hop Wei Tong.

Actor Rich Ting can next be seen in the Paramount Network limited series “Waco” (2018) and Cinemax’s “Warrior” currently in production.

Ting made his break in TV series, “Beyond the Break” (2009). Additional TV credits include: “NCIS: Los Angeles” (2017), “Supergirl” (2016), “Rush Hour” (2016), “The Messengers” (2015), “Chicago P.D.” (2015), “The Novice” (2014), and “Boston Legal” (2007).

Ting appeared in the film “Lone Survivor” (2013) as “James Suh” opposite Mark Wahlberg and Taylor Kitsch. Additional film credits include: “Make Your Move” (2013), “No Tears For The Dead” (2014), and “Real” (2017).

Ting has a background in martial arts with a 1st degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Jeet Kune Do, and Wing Chun.

JONATHAN TROPPER

Creator and Executive Producer Tropper Ink Productions

Jonathan Tropper is the internationally bestselling author of six novels that have been translated into over thirty languages. He adapted his novel, This Is Where I Leave You as a 2014 feature film starring Jason Bateman and Tina Fey, and is currently adapting his novel One Last Thing Before I Go. He recently produced his original feature script Kodachrome, starring Ed Harris, Jason Sudeikis, and Elizabeth Olsen, which will be released on Netflix in 2018.

Jonathan co-created and executive produced the television show Banshee, which premiered on Cinemax in January 2013 and ran for four seasons. His latest television drama, Warrior, recently received a straight-to-series order and began production in Cape Town, South Africa in November 2017. It will premiere on Cinemax in 2019. Jonathan lives with his wife and three children in Westchester, NY.

JUSTIN LIN

Executive Producer Perfect Storm Entertainment

Justin Lin is a Taiwanese American film director whose films have grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. Lin made his solo directorial film debut in 2002 with Better Luck Tomorrow, with Variety listing him as one of the “Top 10 Directors to Watch.” Lin is best known for his work on The Fast and the Furious Franchise, movies 3-6 (2006-2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016).

His top television projects include directing the first two episodes of the 2015 second season of HBO’s “True Detective” and his work on NBC’s “Community.”

SHANNON LEE

Executive Producer Bruce Lee Entertainment

SHANNON LEE is the CEO and Owner of the Bruce Lee Family Companies. Shannon’s mission is to teach people about Bruce Lee’s philosophy through education and entertainment. In addition to being the daughter of Bruce Lee, Shannon is a singer, actor, producer, speaker, writer and mother. Her first book will be published in 2020 on her father’s philosophy and how to use it in daily life.

Shannon also chairs the Bruce Lee Foundation, a 501c3 charity that serves young people by introducing them to martial arts, philosophy, self-discovery, and harmonious living. The foundation awards scholarships for programs like Camp Bruce Lee—a summer camp that teaches Bruce Lee’s philosophy to kids ages 5-11 by engaging their mind, body and spirit.

Through these different channels, Shannon hopes that Bruce Lee’s energy and ideas will uplift the planet and create harmony among our human family.

DANIELLE WOODROW

Executive Producer Perfect Storm Entertainment

Danielle Woodrow heads up the television arm of Perfect Storm Entertainment. In addition to serving as executive producer on “WARRIOR,” she developed and executive produces the CBS hit dramas “SCORPION” and “S.W.A.T.”

Prior to joining Perfect Storm, Woodrow served as Senior Vice President of Original Programming at FX Networks, where she played a key executive role in shepherding the network’s slate of critically acclaimed series.

She began her career working in scripted programming at MTV.

BRETT CHAN Fight/Stunt Coordinator

Brett Chan is known for his stunt and fight choreography work on I, Robot (2004), Push (2009) and Snakes on a Plane (2006).Current projects include Cinemax’s “WARRIOR” currently in production and Netflix’s “Marco Polo” currently in season 2.

With a background in Kinesiology and human kinetics. Brett is also a personal trainer and is a sports rehab massage therapist along with 30 years’ experience in martial arts in several disciplines-7th degree in Shotokan karate, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, Kung Fu, Kali, Tae Kwon Do, Kick boxing and various weapons styles (European, asian). These skills have helped him develop as a Performer, Fight Choreographer, Stunt Coordinator and 2nd Unit Director.

Through his work travels He has founded a stunt organization called ‘HITZ INTERNATIONAL’ a collective of professionals comprised of stunt performers, stunt coordinators, 2nd unit directors from around the world.

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