Paige VanZant joins cast for 'Kickboxer: Retaliation'
UFC strawweight Paige VanZant will go from the dance floor to the movie screen for a new role she's just landed in "Kickboxer: Retaliation."
The news was first reported by Deadline.
According to the casting news, VanZant actually had a part written specifically for her after the producers saw her on the latest season of "Dancing with the Stars."
VanZant is currently in the finals of the dance competition, with the last episode scheduled to air Monday night on ABC.
VanZant will play Gamon in "Kickboxer: Retaliation" -- "a 26-year old with high level fighting and shooting skills and has some strong criminal connections."
"Paige is the up-and-coming darling of the UFC, and her star quality shines through on camera," producer Rob Hickman said Monday. "She's a tremendous asset to the film both as an on-screen talent and as a trainer fighter."
"Kickboxer: Retaliation" is set up as a sequel to "Kickboxer: Vengeance," which comes out this fall and served as a reboot to the martial arts franchise first launched in 1989 starring Jean Claude Van Damme.
VanZant is the latest MMA fighter to join the franchise following appearances from Georges St-Pierre and Gina Carano in "Kickboxer: Vengeance."
The cast also stars Alain Moussi and "Game of Thrones" star Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who is best known for his portrayal of Ser Gregor Clegane, aka "The Mountain," on the popular HBO series.
VanZant's move into acting is just the latest project the 115-pound superstar has participated in lately, in addition to modeling and her appearance on "Dancing with the Stars" this season.
VanZant last fought in December 2015, and she's expected to make her return to action in the UFC in late summer. Filming for "Kickboxer: Retaliation" is under way in California and Nevada before shifting to Asia in June.
