Wu Assassins
Wu Assassins is an American supernatural action web television series, created by John Wirth and Tony Krantz that premiered on Netflix on August 8, 2019. The series stars Iko Uwais, Byron Mann, Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao, Celia Au, Li Jun Li, Tommy Flanagan and Katheryn Winnick. The first season received positive reviews, with critics praising the fight choreography, although there was criticism of the plot.
Premise
Kai Jin, a young Chinatown chef in present-day San Francisco, becomes entangled with the Chinese Triad's pursuit of deadly ancient powers known as the 'Wu Xing.' After an encounter with a mystical spirit, Kai reluctantly becomes the Wu Assassin, using his enhanced martial arts skills to recover supernatural powers from five modern day criminals threatening to use them to destroy the world."Cast and characters
Main
- Iko Uwais as Kai Jin, a Chinese-Indonesian chef in San Francisco's Chinatown, who learns that he is the last of the Wu Assassins, who are destined to kill the five Wu Warlords, who possess supernatural powers based around fire, wood, earth, metal and water. As the Wu Assassin he has increased physical strength and agility, is able to change his appearance to hide his identity, and can withstand the Wu Lords' supernatural attacks.
- Byron Mann as Uncle Six, a leader of the Triad with supernatural abilities who runs the criminal world in San Francisco's Chinatown and is Kai Jin's adoptive father. As the Fire Wu he can create tendrils and projectiles made of fire, and can heat up and set objects alight.
- Li Jun Li as Jenny Wah, a young restaurateur who runs her family's Chinese-American restaurant, Master Wah's, and is Kai Jin's friend.
- Celia Au as Ying Ying, a woman who teaches Kai the ways of a Wu Assassin. She was the first Wu Assassin to hunt and fight the Wu Warlords.
- Lewis Tan as Lu Xin Lee, Kai's friend who owns Lee's Wheels, a custom garage, which he also uses as front for car theft for the Triad and Alec.
- Lawrence Kao as Tommy Wah, Jenny's older brother who is a heroin addict and a member of the Triad.
- Tommy Flanagan as Alec McCullough, a Scottish crime boss who operates mostly in Europe, who relocates to San Francisco to try to take over the criminal world of the Triad in San Francisco's Chinatown. He is a former Wu Assassin who became the Wood Wu Lord, who can manipulate plants and trees, and has healing powers that result in him having an extended lifespan.
- Katheryn Winnick as Christine "CG" Gavin, an undercover inspector of the San Francisco Police Department, recently hired to work at Lee's Wheels.
Recurring
- Tzi Ma as Mr. Young, Kai's neighbor and a Chinese grocery owner
- JuJu Chan as Zan, the triad's lieutenant and Uncle Six's right-hand woman, though she is determined to become the triad's leader
- Mark Dacascos as an unnamed monk, whose body and face disguises Kai's identity when he fights as the Wu Assassin
- Cranston Johnson as Frank Fletcher, the police captain of San Francisco Police Department and CG's boss
Guest
- Jeff Fahey as Jack, a retired cop whom CG visits for information on Uncle Six
- Robin McLeavy as Maggie McCullough, Alec McCullough's late wife
- Kevin Durand as James Baxter, the Earth Wu, who can control the earth, telekinetically move rocks, and turn flesh to stone
- Summer Glau as Miss Jones, the Water Wu, who can turn into and manipulate water
- Travis Caldwell as Gideon, the Metal Wu, who can manipulate metal, electronics, electricity and possess people's bodies through their hemoglobin
Episodes
Production
Development
On June 29, 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a ten-episode first season. The series is co-created, executive produced and co-written by John Wirth. Other executive producers include co-creator Tony Krantz and Nomadic Pictures’ Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev. Stephen Fung will direct the first two episodes, with Krantz expected to helm another. In addition to playing the lead, Uwais also will serve as producer, lead martial arts and fight choreographer and stunt coordinator.Casting
In June 2018, Uwais was cast in the lead role of Kai Jin. In the same month, it was announced that Byron Mann was cast in the series regular role as Uncle Six. In July 2018, it was announced that Tzi Ma, Tommy Flanagan, Lewis Tan and Katheryn Winnick were cast in their respective main roles of Mr. Young, Alec McCullough, Lu Xin Lee and Christine Gavin. In August 2018, it was reported that JuJu Chan and Mark Dacascos were cast in recurring roles. In October 2018, Lawrence Kao and Celia Au joined the main cast. In November 2018, it was revealed that Summer Glau was cast in the minor role of Miss Jones. In January 2019, Li Jun Li joined the main cast in the role of Jenny Wah.Filming
Principal photography for the first season took place on location in Vancouver, Canada from August 8, 2018 to November 20, 2018.Release
Marketing
On July 23, 2019, the official trailer for the series was released.Critical reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported the first season had 83% approval rating based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 6.79/10. The critical consensus reads "Though its story at times leaves something to be desired, Wu Assassins exceptional choreography and bold aesthetic makes it an action packed delight."Nick Allen for RogerEbert.com previewed the first three episodes and gave a positive review. Allen wrote: " harnesses Uwais' energy as both a fighter and an actor in an exciting fashion, and creates a giddy opportunity for martial arts awesomeness to flourish."
Stephen Harber from Den of Geek wrote: "I think this show has potential. I like the cast. I like the premise. I like the Shaw Brothers vibes and that faint odor of tokusatsu I'm picking up on, too." He suggests the show is a "guilty pleasure" but is concerned about the B-stories and side characters, which he says feels padded out.
Isaac Feldberg of The Boston Globe says the show "isn’t reinventing the wheel. But it does effectively showcase lead Iko Uwais" and praises the fight sequences, "brawls so carefully choreographed they play like bone-crunching ballets — "Wu" coasts on the same, all-important rule of cool every Hollywood action franchise seems to have forgotten."