"Tekken" Finds Director

Dwight Little has been set to direct "Tekken," a futuristic martial arts actioner based on the bestselling Japanese video game from Namco. Crystal Sky Pictures is financing the film, which begins production February 4th in Shreveport, La. Alan McElroy wrote the script.

Little, who last directed "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" and "Murder at 1600," has directed martial arts pics before, including "Rapid Fire," starring Brandon Lee, and the Steven Seagal starrer "Marked for Death."

"The film plays out as a science fiction story set in the near future, about a rebel who rises up against the Tekken Corp. to seize freedom for his people," Little told Daily Variety. "It's a gladiator story, but the video game has a complicated enough storyline that it provides the template for a martial arts spectacular."

Namco has sold more than 20 million units in the "Tekken" game series and will release the sixth installment in January in North America.