Casting the 'Iron Fist' Superhero

Jan, 4 -- You may have seen the last of Darth Maul, but not of the actor who helped make the baddie of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace a cult figure.

Scottish martial arts expert-turned-actor Ray Park, who played Darth Maul in Menace and long-tongued villain Toad in X-Men, will star as — what else — a martial arts superhero in Iron Fist, based on the Marvel Comic.

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Iron Fist is the story of Danny Rand, an orphan who is raised in a secret temple in the Far East, where he handily picks up some martial arts skills. Handy, we say, because Rand, like many a superhero, has his parents’ murder to avenge. His superpower lets him channel his “chi,” or energy, into his fist (hence the moniker “Iron Fist “).

The heavy-handed hero is being brought to the screen by a joint venture from Artisan Films and Marvel Comics. The joint is also planning to bring Mighty Thor (you know, the guy with the thunderbolts and the groovy horned helmet) to the small screen.