Steven Seagal to Promote More than Thai Tailors

According to Khaosod English, US actor Steven Seagal, best known for being featured in photographs of him shaking the hands of tailors throughout Thailand (as well as some films he apparently appeared in during the 1980's - so we've heard), has approached the Thai government about making two movies in Thailand that promote the country's "locations, cultures, arts and martial arts."

National Reform Steering Assembly member, Alongkorn Pollabutr, told reporters, “Mr. Steven practices Buddhism, and he loves and respects His Majesty the King,” which apparently are the only requirements one needs.  

The last film Seagal made in Thailand was "Belly of the Beast" in 2003 featured Seagal playing an ex-CIA agent bent on finding his lost daughter.  Apparently nobody in the Thai government has seen the movie as the plot involves a Thai military general being corrupt and using a fake terrorist kidnapping as an excuse to wipe out his competition giving him control over the drug trade in Thailand.  

Apparently someone at Cracked.com has seen the film and notes:

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For the most part, Seagal's post-Patriot output is kind of short on political messages, aside from the sort of CIA villains and corrupt cops that pop up in about half of all the action movies that have been made since the eighties. One notable exception, though, is Ching Siu-Tung's Belly of the Beast, an indictment of Thailand's military. For a little context, the Royal Thai Army was recently in the news for overthrowing the administration of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and they've been making veiled threats about possibly overthrowing the new government as well. Belly of the Beast is also notable for including a scene where Seagal beats a transvestite to death.

With credentials like this, I can't wait to see what Seagal eventually releases.