Wild Stories From Ninja Films That Are Actually True

Though they'd lost their in-house ninja, Sho Kosugi, The Cannon Group saw that money was still being made in the shiruken and sword business, so they set out to launch a new ninja picture. As These Fist Break Bricks noted (via Collider), the company pre-sold "American Ninja" as a vehicle for Chuck Norris. The problem? Norris wasn't interested, so the studio set a casting net for a new action star.

Enter Michael Dudikoff, a former model-turned-actor who had amassed a resume of modest film and television roles playing affable boyfriends and best pals in movies like "Bachelor Party," and "Uncommon Valor." Director Sam Firstenberg was instantly smitten with Dudikoff, telling Kung Fu Magazine.com, "It was like, 'Who! This is the American Ninja!' The way he talked, the way he behaved, his body language, everything."

Unfortunately, what Dudikoff didn't have was American Ninja-level martial arts skills. He knew some Aikido and Judo, but wasn't entirely believable as someone who could fight multiple ninjas or jump out of a helicopter — as his character, Joe Armstrong, does in the film. As Firstenberg said, "He is not a martial artist in the sense that Sho Kosugi ... is." Thankfully, Cannon had Mike Stone on hand to choreograph the fights and help Dudikoff achieve ninja-level prowess. It certainly didn't hurt that he was paired on-screen with Steve James, a brawny real-life martial artist who lent credibility as Armstrong's partner.

Dudikoff would play Joe Armstrong in three sequels, sharing lead billing with actor David Bradley (not the "Harry Potter" actor) on "American Ninja 4." He then turned over the franchise to Bradley, who left the acting business soon after and maintains a low profile to this day.