When the Mr. Beaks came to live out his name...

File this under "What took you so fucking long?": the RZA is making his writing-directing debut with a kung-fu flick called THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST. The brilliant hip-hop producer has been obsessed with the genre for ages, and there have been intimations lately that he might try his hand as a filmmaker. But no one thought to ask around until today. All it took was an email from CHUD's Devin Faraci to Eli Roth to get the info:

Yes, it is true. RZA's script is amazing. He has been studying directing with Tarantino for years, and he's really ready to get behind the camera.

Okay. A Roth-produced, Tarantino-mentored Shaw Brothers homage directed by RZA has serious potential. If I could get worked up over Rob Zombie's HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES, I can certainly get giddy at the thought of the Wu-Tang Clan's nerve center transferring his imagination to the visual medium. Roth is promising plenty of blood, so don't expect no four-quadrant bullshit. This shit sounds good, Bill Murray!