Jean-Claude Van Damme starts shooting for ‘The Last Mercenary’

David Charhon's script brings all these elements together in a very successful way - a beautiful story with emotion, a lot of action and a lot of humour,” Van Damme said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm also very happy to work alongside a new generation of talent such as Alban Ivanov, Assa Sylla and Samir Decazza, but also to be reunited on screen with the creme de la creme of French actors such as Patrick Timsit, Eric Judor, Miou-Miou and Valerie Kaprisky,” he added.

Action icon Jean-Claude Van Damme has started filming action-comedy "The Last Mercenary", to be directed by David Charhon. The Netflix film, which is currently being shot in France, also stars Alban Ivanov, Assa Sylla, Samir Decazza, Patrick Timsit, Eric Judor and Miou-Miou. In the film, Van Damme plays a mysterious former secret service agent who must return to the country when his estranged son (Decazza) is falsely accused of arms and drug trafficking by the government, following a blunder by an overenthusiastic bureaucrat (Ivanov) and a mafia operation. "'The Last Mercenary' is an incredibly exciting project and allows me to take on a new genre. I've always been a fan of Jean-Paul Belmondo and I hope to take up the torch of action comedy in my own way. David Charhon's script brings all these elements together in a very successful way - a beautiful story with emotion, a lot of action and a lot of humour," Van Damme said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

"I'm also very happy to work alongside a new generation of talent such as Alban Ivanov, Assa Sylla and Samir Decazza, but also to be reunited on screen with the creme de la creme of French actors such as Patrick Timsit, Eric Judor, Miou-Miou and Valerie Kaprisky," he added. Charhon and Ismael Sy Savane have penned the film.

Jean-Charles Levy, Nicolas Manuel of Forecast Pictures, Olivier Albou, Laurence Schonberg from Other Angle Pictures, Mony Film' David Charhon, Jakema Charhon, Eponine Maillet and Apple Tree's Olias Barco and Vlad Riashyn are attached as producers..