Zack Snyder‘s MMA movie Brawler is moving ahead, and with the UFC-backed project needing some seasoned martial artists to fill out its cast, there are multiple martial arts stars who fit the bill. Snyder’s Brawler will reportedly focus upon a fighter from Los Angeles who gets a chance at the MMA big time when he makes his was into the UFC. While Zack Snyder is mainly associated with fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero movies, Brawler marks arguably Snyder’s first truly grounded project. With that said, Snyder’s filmography leans heavily into action-oriented stories, with Snyder showing a particular flair for fight scenes. With Snyder stepping into a new arena that is the Octagon with Brawler, fans can likely anticipate some powerful and captivating MMA action with a packaging of Snyder’s trademark visual fireworks.
Given Snyder’s skill at delivering phenomenal fight scenes, Brawler will undoubtedly be looking to bring as many actors skilled in various disciplines of martial arts as possible, and there are some particularly strong choices in the martial arts movie world for Snyder to enlist. Whether they would be cast as the main protagonist, an antagonist, or a different kind of supporting role, these are seven martial arts movie stars who would be great choices for Zack Snyder’s Brawler.
Bren Foster
Australian martial arts champion Bren Foster has brought his acting chops and fighting skills alike to action movies like Maximum Execution and Force of Conviction, along with the TV series The Last Ship, 2020’s Deep Blue Sea 3, and National Geographic’s Fight Science martial arts documentary series. However, Foster’s 2024 directorial debut Life After Fighting launched him to instant martial arts movie superstardom with Foster’s gripping leading man performance and the movie’s beyond-astonishing fight sequences. Life After Fighting‘s finale in particular – an extended 40-minute The Raid-style smackdown filmed in Foster’s own martial arts school – is one of the best action sequences any set of human eyes have glimpsed this century. That combined with Foster’s real-life versatility as martial artist (Foster being a high-level exponent of Tae Kwon Do, Hwarangdo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Hapkido, Silat, and multiple other disciplines) makes Foster a prime candidate to join Snyder’s foray in MMA action with Brawler ten times over.
Scott Adkins
The Undisputed franchise. The Accident Man films. Isaac Florentine’s Ninja movies. Avengement. Triple Threat. Ip Man 4: The Finale. One could simply grab almost any Scott Adkins movie at random and see some of the most intricate, elaborate, jaw-dropping fight scenes of modern times. Delivering outstanding fight choreography is all in a day’s work for Scott Adkins, and audiences outside of hardcore martial arts fans have also taken more and more notice of that with Adkins’ villainous turns in Doctor Strange and John Wick: Chapter 4. Adkins also consistently shines whether he’s a hero or a villain, which would give Snyder quite a few different options of how best to incorporate Adkins’ talents into Brawler. Even better, with Adkins having screen-tested for the Dark Knight in Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and ultimately not landing the role, Brawler could also be a great second chance for a Zack Snyder movie to bring Scott Adkins-style action into play.
Michael Jai White
The world first knew Michael Jai White as Al Simmons’ in 1997’s Spawn, and White has since become a titan of the martial arts movie world. With many black belts to his name, White has showcased his martial arts skills and commanding screen presence in hits like Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, Blood and Bone, Black Dynamite, Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, Never Back Down: No Surrender, Falcon Rising, and Triple Threat. White is also highly respected in the real-life MMA world, regularly training and sparring with real-world champions. With White’s truly in-depth knowledge of martial arts, MMA, and moviemaking in both frameworks (White having also directed the second and third Never Back Down movies), he would be another superb candidate for the Snyderverse version of the Octagon in Brawler. With White’s versatility as an actor having also seen him tackle hero, villain, and mentor roles alike, he’s equally well-suited for all of the above in Brawler.
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Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves is often the first one to say in interviews that he didn’t grow up as a trained martial artist, having learned fight choreography and different disciplines of martial arts for his various action-heavy roles. However, Reeves’ dedication to his training and the skill he’s brought to his career as an action hero cannot be denied in his outstanding fight scenes in The Matrix and John Wick franchises. When it comes to major Hollywood stars who have learned martial arts specifically for one or two roles, Keanu Reeves is very much at the top of the upper echelon, and as a devoted martial arts movie fan himself (Reeves having made his directorial debut with 2013’s terrific Man of Tai Chi), Reeves clearly has a profound respect for martial arts that would translate well into Reeves joining Snyder’s plans for Brawler.
Marko Zaror
Hailing from Chile, Marko Zaror gradually climbed up the action hero ladder with low budget martial arts films like Kiltro, Mirageman, and Redeemer in his homeland, and frequently also astonishes fans right alongside Scott Adkins in movies like Undisputed 3: Redemption, Savage Dog, The Killer’s Game, and 2025’s Diablo. 2023 was really Zaror’s mainstream break-out year with the back-to-back hits of the big-screen juggernaut John Wick: Chapter 4 and the streaming success of The Fist of the Condor, and one of Zaror’s biggest trademarks has been his talent for adding flash and aerial flair to his fight scenes that would be more associated with a man half his size. With the aforementioned Undisputed 3 and Redeemer bringing Zaror’s skills to an MMA setting along with his appearance in the 2016 Bollywood MMA hit Sultan, Marko Zaror would be nothing less than a tornado of speed and power under Snyder’s direction in Brawler.
Jeeja Yanin
One of the staples of Zack Snyder’s filmography is the strong warrior women he consistently features, from Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman to Sofia Boutella’s Korra in the Rebel Moon movies. With women just as prolific in the MMA world as men, Brawler could do the same with some female MMA fighters, and Jeeja Yanin could be just the fighting lady for the job. The Thai-born Yanin first broke out with 2008’s martial arts hit Chocolate, with Yanin later appearing in action hits like Raging Phoenix, The Kick, Tom Yum Goong 2, Hard Target 2, and Triple Threat, with Yanin also boarding 2025’s Hong Kong martial arts powerhouse ensemble The Furious. Additionally, Yanin also brought her talents in Tae Kwon Do and Muay Thai to Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, showcasing her fighting skills and screen presence in a relatively brief but highly impactful MMA fight. As one of the most respected female martial arts movie stars around, Jeeja Yanin could be one of the strongest candidates for a female fighter for Snyder’s vision for Brawler.
Henry Cavill
While not a martial arts star per se, Henry Cavill’s proclivity for action-heavy roles, his talent for bringing his physical dexterity to fight choreography, and his built-in working relationship with Snyder could make Brawler the perfect reunion project for the two. Obviously, Cavill is best known for his portrayal of Superman in Snyder’s DCEU movies Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, all of which called upon Cavill to bulk up greatly and bring everything he had to each movie’s superpowered fight scenes, both tasks that Cavill tackled tremendously well. Meanwhile, Cavill’s non-caped action roles have seen him bring the same energy to fight scenes and stunt work, such as his performance as Geralt of Rivia in the first three seasons of Netflix’s The Witcher and his antagonist role in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Cavill is also attached to Chad Stahelski’s forthcoming reboot of the Highlander franchise, indicating that diving head first into action and fight choreography are simply in Henry Cavill’s blood. Cavill is also a devoted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in real-life, showing that his love of martial arts extends beyond movie sets. Henry Cavill and Zack Snyder will both undoubtedly be associated with Superman and DC for all time, but the duo can just as easily transplant that same power into Snyder’s plans for Brawler for an equally winning MMA movie formula.
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