Dragonlord: New Film by the "Kung Fury" Director in the Works

10 years ago, the martial arts short film "Kung Fury" became an unexpected hit. The tribute to the over-the-top action movies of the 80s quickly turned into a cult phenomenon. The trailer for "Kung Fury 2" was recently leaked – a genuine fever dream of a film featuring Michael Fassbender, Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Hasselhoff, among others. Unfortunately, the project has been in the midst of legal issues for some time and may never see the light of day.

But as the industry portal Variety reports, director David Sandberg is now working on a new project. The film "Dragonlord" is also set to be a wild mix of sci-fi, fantasy, action and comedy. The description of the movie sounds delightfully absurd: Sandberg himself will play a treasure hunter called Dragonlord who would much rather be playing video games. Dragonlord's best friend is a dinosaur called Blaze Falcon.

What can we expect from "Dragonlord"?

Sandberg describes the world of "Dragonlord" like that of "Star Wars, Mad Max, The Lord of the Rings and He-Man mashed into one – where dinosaurs from the past co-exist with robots from the future." The director is currently still working on the script. Filming is set to begin in spring 2026. We are looking forward to it!

If you now have a lot of question marks on your face and can't imagine what to expect in "Dragonlord": It's probably worth taking a look at "Kung Fury" here. Sandberg announced that "Dragonlord" will be tonally reminiscent of the short film. Fans of the cult film can therefore rejoice. You can once again expect 80s nostalgia, absurd humor and exaggerated action. With "Kung Fury", Sandberg has already proven that he can take the hearts of retro fans by storm. Even a small project can achieve worldwide cult status with great passion.

The surprise success of Kung Fury

Originally conceived as a project close to the heart of Swedish director David Sandberg, "Kung Fury" began its journey as a Kickstarter campaign. With a playful trailer, the 2013 campaign inspired the internet community – so much so that more money was raised than originally hoped for. The final film was released on YouTube in 2015 and quickly reached millions of views. By now, "Kung Fury" has 40 million views. An ambitious do-it-yourself project has become an internationally acclaimed phenomenon.

What is it about?

Police officer Kung Fury – a super-powered martial arts fighter – travels through time to hunt down Hitler, the so-called "Kung Führer". Along the way, he encounters dinosaurs, Thor, Vikings with machine guns and a hacker who calls himself "Hacker Man". The plot is not meant to be serious, but a homage to the excessive action films and trash aesthetics of the 1980s.

What makes "Kung Fury" so special?

The film is packed with visual references to classic action films, arcade games, VHS effects and neon lights. The deliberate use of retro elements – from the synthwave soundtrack to deliberate image noise and exaggerated special effects – make the film look like a lost relic of the 80s that has only just been rediscovered. At no point does "Kung Fury" take itself seriously. The exaggerated plot, the cliché-laden dialog and the over-staged action sequences create an entertaining meta-level for fans of trash cinema and pop culture.

Cult status

"Kung Fury" quickly became more than just an internet meme. It was screened at renowned festivals such as Cannes, won awards and even David Hasselhoff took part with his own song ("True Survivor") and music video. The film became a flagship for creative internet culture and showed how independent projects can achieve a wide reach through crowdfunding, social media and fan power.

"Kung Fury" is therefore more than just a funny short film. It is a prime example of the modern cult film: made by fans, celebrated by fans. What makes it special is the combination of nostalgia, irony and innovation. If you haven't seen the movie yet, you can of course catch up. The movie is still available for free on YouTube.