The official trailer to Phillip Rhee’s return to films has been unveiled with an official release date on DVD, video on demand, and digital download.
UNDERDOG KIDS tells the story of a group of kids who aren’t accepted for various reasons. They train together in martial arts but when their teacher quits, they unexpectedly find a new mentor: former MMA champion Jimmy “The Lightning Bolt” Lee. Learning from each other, Lee and the kids train together for an upcoming competition against the Beverly Hills Scorpions karate team.
The film can be best described as BEST OF THE BEST meets THE BAD NEWS BEARS. In addition to writing and directing the film, Rhee marks his return in front of the cameras as Jimmy “The Lightning Bolt” Lee. The film co-stars veterans Beau Bridges, Lauren Bowles, Tom Arnold, Ted McGinley, and Patrick Fabian alongside young talents such as Adam Irigoyen, Ryan Potter, Rayna Vallandingham, Cade Sutton, and in his film debut, Phillip Rhee’s son Sean.
The film will also feature cameos from some martial arts legends. Simon Rhee, Dan Inosanto, Richard Norton, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, and Jun Chong will appear in the film as themselves.
Hollywood stunt legend James Lew and martial artist turned stuntman Marc Canonizado worked on the action of the film, which is geared towards families, something that is passionate for Rhee. After his departure from films in 1998, Rhee worked on children’s programming as well as working on visual effects for various projects. UNDERDOG KIDS is a very personal project for Rhee.
The film’s official release date is set for July 7, 2015 from Anchor Bay Home Entertainment. The film will be available on DVD, digital download, and Video on Demand.
If you want to see Phillip Rhee back in action, check him out in UNDERDOG KIDS on July 7.