Martial Arts Icon Ernie Reyes Jr. Enters Ninjaverse with Glowcraft Films
The film marks Reyes’ first foray into independent filmmaking as a producer directing his own IP, and will leverage Glowcraft expertise in ARwall’s award-winning ARFX Infinite Studio virtual production technology to bring his mystical martial arts world to life
Los Angeles – February 18, 2025 Glowcraft Films announced today that it has entered into a co-production agreement with beloved actor Ernie Reyes, Jr. and his production company, The Ninja, to create his feature film, Ninjaverse. The narrative, written by Reyes, follows a noble warrior family secretly living in North Hollywood who must return to a mystical martial arts kingdom to reclaim their castle from an evil dictator. The project reinforces Reyes’ commitment to independent production, adding to his credits for famous roles in The Last Dragon, Red Sonja, Sidekicks, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Surf Ninjas and The Rundown.
Ninjaverse announcement poster art
In addition, the production process with Glowcraft will be structured to accommodate The Ninja’s 360-degree business model, which will extend Ninjaverse components into games, music and other consumer experiences, including merchandise.
A well-respected martial artist, Reyes began that craft at 8 years old, also garnering acting success at a very young age with the series Disney built around him, Sidekicks. Even early on Reyes desired to emulate his hero Bruce Lee as a multi hyphenate actor-writer-director-producer.
“I never wanted to be just an action star,” Reyes explains. “I found the ‘Golden Age of Indies’ in the ‘90s to be extra inspiring. It seemed smart to take a cue from George Lucas, stay outside the studio system. Developing Ninjaverse’s hidden kingdom with its own rules, inhabitants and social codes took some time. I knew the action sequences needed to defy the regular laws of physics. But when I sent the script out and got feedback it was clear that making my movie with traditional VFX would require a sky-high budget. That’s where Glowcraft and ARwall came in to save the day.”
Reyes first came across ARwall technology when scouting for a Wiz Khalifa video and found it impressive, staying connected with ARwall co-founders Rene Amador and Jocelyn Hsu. When ARwall announced its Glowcraft shingle, Reyes knew he’d found a home for Ninjaverse.
“We’re committed to transforming Ernie’s vision from impossible to possible,” notes Glowcraft CEO Rene Amador. “We’ll use every tool and technical trick in ARwall’s ARFX Infinite Studio ecosystem to allow Ninjaverse’s story to come to life. Ernie’s project is very personal, but still commercial, and now we’re adding a technical solution that seems tailor-made for the project. He has a great advantage as an indie producer in that he’s had a long, successful career from day one, and a network of creators and storytellers who share his vision. Glowcraft will continue that streak.”
In a bit of kismet, as a kid Amador trained at Reyes’ family’s martial arts school in Santa Clara. And the circle continues to expand with the inclusion of Reyes’ own children in the production. His daughter, Lotus Blossom, a star of the popular feature, We Can Be Heroes on Netflix directed by Robert Rodriguez will take a leading role in Ninjaverse. And son Phoenix is making his acting debut in Ninjaverse. An honor roll student at an arts and sciences school for highly gifted children in Los Angeles, Phoenix is well prepared for the task.
For Reyes, one of the greatest benefits of using ARwall’s virtual production system is that it allows his children to experience creative freedom earlier in their careers. And the process will make it easier to extend his Ninjaverse IP into games, music and other media environments in tandem with working on the film.
“I’m all in on the indie train,” he elaborates. “Producing with Glowcraft, using ARwall’s Infinite Studio will allow me to be free from the usual constraints of budget and time, free from executives looking over my shoulder. Virtual production gives an exhilarating sense of creative license, a fluidity of process that affects my creativity, opens up imagination. A safe space for my kids to co-create with me. Elements will be revealed, expanded and deepened, and the concept refined. Working with Glowcraft allows my vision to evolve as the production proceeds.”
Ernie Reyes, Jr.
Lotus Blossom
Phoenix Reyes
The Ninja, LLC
The Ninja LLC is a martial arts entertainment company specializing in developing and producing martial arts films and video games that appeal to the global marital arts audience. Our mission is to create martial arts experiences that inspire, uplift, educate, and entertain the world. The Ninja LLC is founded by martial artist and actor Ernie Reyes Jr., known for his roles in The Last Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Surf Ninjas and The Rundown.
About ARwall & Glowcraft Films
ARwall is an award-winning XR/AI technology and services company, leaders in XR virtual production (VP), software development and XR/VP content development, including film, TV, advertising and immersive XR experiences. Its diverse multi-disciplinary team comes from TV, VFX, design, mobile, games, and brands, experience which they applied in creating innovative, patented proprietary software and systems optimized for a wide range of industry sectors. Glowcraft Films, the company’s creative production division, incorporates ARwall’s technology into a full range of filmmaking resources for genre and historical period projects in the $3MM to $25MM budget range, offering co-production, co-development and packaging, creative direction, VP Line Producing, VAD virtual set design, a turnkey virtual production department and XR stage in Los Angeles, and post VFX. LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube
