James R | On 03, Feb 2019

Narcos director José Padilha is reteaming with Netflix to helm new martial arts movie Dead or Alive.

The film, which is not based on the video game franchise of the same name, will still pack a fighting punch: the period thriller will chart the origins of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Dead Or Alive is the untold saga of two mixed martial artists, Mitsuyo Maeda and Rickson Gracie, who helped pioneer Brazilian jiu-jitsu and how the ultimate martial arts traveled from Tokyo, Japan to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Padilha, who also directed the remake of Robocop and created the TV series Elite Squad, will co-write the film with Peter Maguire and will produce alongside Greg Silverman for Stampede. Stampede is an independent entertainment media company founded by Silverman, the former President of Warner Bros. Pictures. The company’s lead investor and Co-Chairman is Gideon Yu, former CFO of Facebook and YouTube, and Co-Owner of the San Francisco 49ers.

The deal comes on the heels of Padilha’s successful collaborations with Netflix, Narcos and the hit Brazilian series O Mecanismo, which will soon launch its second season.

Silverman says: “This is a film with universal appeal with remarkable real-life characters. Rickson Gracie is one of the greatest fighters of all time and we are honored to share his story. I have been an admirer of José’s for years, and we are honored he has chosen Stampede to collaborate with on Dead or Alive, and to share it with Netflix’s global audience.”

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