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Amazon comedy will star Jean-Claude Van Damme as a more badass version of himself

Amazon comedy will star Jean-Claude Van Damme as a more badass version of himself

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Jean-Claude Van Damme will star in an upcoming comedy pilot for Amazon, the Hollywood Reporter says, in which he'll play a fictionalized version of himself who secretly works as a black ops operative. Jean-Claude Van Johnson will cast the Belgian action star as a famous actor who comes out of retirement to play the lead in a high-kicking version of Huckleberry Finn, a cover that allows him to continue his work as a private security contractor.

Van Damme has played fictionalized versions of himself before

Van Damme is no stranger to playing fictionalized versions of himself. He memorably appeared in 2008's JCVD, a crime drama that saw a semi-fictionalized version of the Belgian caught in the middle of a post office robbery in his home country. Where JCVD took a darker tone, with Van Damme addressing the camera about the breakdown of his multiple marriages, his drug abuse, and his waning career, Jean-Claude Van Johnson is described as a comedy thriller, the actor's still-limber legs allowing for some over-the-top stunts.

The actor found big screen success again alongside many of his musclebound 80s action star peers in The Expendables 2, and Amazon's upcoming pilot will reunite Van Damme with series creator Dave Callaham. Callaham will act as executive producer, alongside big names Ridley Scott and David Zucker, via Scott's production company Scott Free. There's no word yet on whether the pilot will become a full-fledged series, but Amazon seems to be in a buying mood when it comes to TV and movie projects.