As “Kung Fury 2” is being held hostage, David Sandberg has decided to shoot a new film, which sounds like another genre-busting spectacle.
Sandberg is now developing a feature titled “Dragonlord.” Described as a “fantasy punk” adventure, the film blends elements of action, sci-fi, and comedy. Think dinosaurs and robots coexisting in a chaotic, over-the-top world filled with oversized weapons and outlandish characters.
At the center of the story is Dragonlord (played by Sandberg himself), a treasure hunter whose closest companion is Blaze, a lazy but lovable Tyrannosaurus Rex who’d rather game than go adventuring. Trouble erupts when Blaze is abducted by a villain named Dreadmancer — imagine a Skeletor-style baddie — prompting Dragonlord to assemble a bizarre team of heroes for a daring rescue mission.
Among the characters joining the quest are the Dread Riders (a Stormtrooper-like force), Quantum Cobra (the tech expert), and Sword Lord, a former henchman who switched sides after falling for his unicorn. There’s also Titanus, whose name repeatedly gets mispronounced as “Tight Anus,” and Budgie, a bird-man with the unfortunate ability to excrete acid. According to Sandberg, the film’s tone will feel similar to Kung Fury — absurd, self-aware, and totally unfiltered.
“There’s nothing else quite like it,” Sandberg said. “It’s this insane blend of influences — He-Man, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Mad Max, even Ninja Turtles — but still feels uniquely its own.”
The film is currently in the scripting phase, with casting expected to begin soon. Aiming to shoot in spring 2026, “Dragonlord” will be filmed using cutting-edge virtual production techniques, a step up from the green screen-heavy Kung Fury. The budget is reportedly around $20M.
This new project comes as “Kung Fury 2,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Fassbender, which was filmed in 2019, remains in limbo. Legal complications with a Chinese financier have since left the project stuck in post-production limbo. Despite multiple lawsuits and years of delays, a leaked 10-minute sizzle reel recently sparked renewed excitement online.
Sandberg has called the experience of seeing “Kung Fury 2” stall “heartbreaking,” admitting it led to a deep depression. Yet out of that creative setback came “Dragonlord “” — a new world, a new story, and a new shot at delivering the kind of unhinged cinema that made him a cult favorite in the first place.