Just wondering if the character played by Michael Dudikoff (Matt Hunter) is supposed to be the same character played by Chuck Norris in Invasion USA (Matt Hunter)
Just wondering if this was going to be a series of films all starring the same agent?
Anyone got any thought or insight on this?
Most likely was intended to be a sequel to "Invasion U.S.A." but Chuck was committed to "Delta Force" at the time so it was given to Michael Dudikoff instead. They must have also forgotten to change the character's name so it'd leave the door open for Chuck to interpret that character again. Dudikoff's version of Matt Hunter had no references on the events from "Invasion U.S.A."
shareWHO CARES?I MEAN INVASION U.S.A. WASN'T A GREAT FILM ANYWAY. CHUCK ACTUALLY LOOKED BORED WITH IT ANYWAY.
shareLooks can be deceiving, S.L. Chuck actually based his movie on an all-too real statistic during the Cold War. Re: with the right organizer as their version of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Communist-backed terrorist groups of that time would have been a genuine, and almost-unstoppable, threat to American national security.
shareLooks can be deceiving, S.L. Chuck actually based his movie on an all-too real statistic during the Cold War. Re: with the right organizer as their version of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Communist-backed terrorist groups of that time would have been a genuine, and almost-unstoppable, threat to American national security.
Wrong! :P
Quoting a fact Norris, himself, recited on the old Merv Griffin Show.
Everyone seems to have missed the finale of the end title sequence of "Invasion U.S.A." which read "Matt Hunter will return in AVENGING FORCE. Coming soon from The Cannon Group". Okay, just goofin'.
I've always felt that there was a connection between the two films and I never thought it could have been an oversight. Honestly, how can the same studio release two different films with the same named lead hero in '85 then '86, without realizing it?
Perhaps "Avenging Force" was intended for Norris, but that film almost plays better as a prequel involving the same character. Dudikoff's Matt Hunter is younger and appears to have been retired for a small amount of time, versus Norris' more mature interpretation. Or, maybe it was always intended for Dudikoff and perhaps Cannon thought it would be a good idea to implement a prequel continuation based on their previous success with "Missing In Action 2: The Beginning". It's all just speculation. I'm sure Sam Firstenberg could shed some light on the subject.
WE NEED TO CONTACT SAM FOR THE EXPLANATION OF THIS.
shareAs I understand it, Avenging Force was basically the direct sequel to Invasion USA, and certainly the character of Matt Hunter was the same but Dudikoff took the role instead. I'm assuming Chuck had some other commitment? I think this is one of Dudikoff and Firstenberg's best, and Steve James is amazing in it. Also I LOVE the score to it, surprisingly evocative and exciting. Along the same lines, as i understand it, the first American Ninja was originally intended to be a vehicle for Chuck Norris and Sho Kosugi (I'm a massive Sho Kosugi fan) but it ended up being Dudikoff vs. Tadashi *beep* Again whether this comes down to schedule conflicts or some other reaosn I'm not sure, but DAMN i love this movie!
shareTHIS IS THE BEST THING DUDIKOFF DID,BESIDES CRASH DIVE AND THAT UNDERRATED T.V. SHOW HE WAS ON COBRA.
shareWhat would have been really cool would have been if this was meant as a sequel to Invasion USA, then they continued to release a new Matt Hunter film each year; each time starring a different action star in the role. Just think, over the years Matt Hunter could have been played by Van Damme, Lorenzo Lamas, Loren Avedon, Dolph Lundgren, Steven Seagal (bleh) etc etc.
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...Lorenzo Lamas ?...LOL
shareavenging force is a direct sequel to invasion usa i have a trade ad somewhere with chuck norris on it that reads coming 1986 matt hunter is back.
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Your right, it is a sequel. I remember reading Norris was supposed to return but he got busy with other projects so Dudikoff was cast in the role instead.
shareIt's too bad Matt Hunter didn't catch on. He could have been the "Gulf Coast" version of Indiana Jones or James Bond. Just think if he had to team up with Lone Wolf McQuade to tackle some gun dealers, drug runners or human smugglers!
shareBetter yet! Imagine the field day that their fans could have had with a fortieth-anniversary sequel to KELLY'S HEROES starring Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris, Steven Segal, Jean-Claude Van Damme _and_ Michael Dudikoff.
I can see it, now. The old members of the platoon are being killed off by neo-Nazis from Argentina (led by ninja-trained Richard Norton) who want the split-up account number of the Swiss bank where the gold is stored. But, an Interpol agent (played by Van Damme) wants it, too, because the gold rightfully belongs to France! Hence, his team-up with an FBI agent played by Segal.
Norris gets dragged into this after the murder of his father (the ex-platoon member called "Cowboy"). And, Dudikoff also gets involved from playing Eastwood's estranged-but-still-loyal son, "Kelly, Jr.!"
Ah! If only this could have been. :-(
I agree with you, I think it would have been awesome. I always wondered what a movie with Michael Dudikoff, Chuck Norris, Steven Segal (spel?) & VanDamn. Maybe that would be some "Kick A_ _! movie!
shareYes, it was originally written to be a follow-up to INVASION U.S.A. When Chuck Norris decided he didn't want to do it, it was made into a film with Dudikoff instead. The only change to the script was that the little girl, originally Hunter's daughter, was rewritten to be his sister, since Dudikoff was younger than Norris. The director confirmed this in an interview.
shareDirector Sam Firstenberg explained it in an interview. It was originally written as a sequel to INVASION USA, but Chuck Norris was uninterested in returning. So Cannon decided to use it instead as a vehicle for Michael Dudikoff. Matt Hunter (whose name was not changed for reasons unknown) was rewritten as younger, the daughter (from INVASION USA) was changed to his little sister, and references to the earlier film were removed.
In essence, it was first conceived as a sequel, but the finished film (despite still having "Matt Hunter" as the name for the main character) is a stand-alone story with no connection to the earlier film.
It was suppose to be a sequel to Invasion USA but Chuck Norris refused the role. So Cannon got Michael Dudikoff and they changed the movie title but kept the character name.
So no, its not a sequel to Invasion USA nor has any connections to it. Avenging Force is a standalone movie.