Around the same time, Lettich was writing numerous spec screenplays. One of these, co-written with
Josh Becker, subsequently became the cult classic
Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except (also known as ''Stryker's War''), which starred
Bruce Campbell, and directed by Becker, both frequent collaborators of
Sam Raimi. Eventually his screenplays began attracting the attention of producers in Hollywood. He co-authored the
Cold War drama
Russkies, which was the first starring role for a young
Joaquin Phoenix. Around the same time he wrote the screenplay for the now-classic martial arts film
Bloodsport, which launched the career of
Jean-Claude Van Damme. One of his Vietnam-based screenplays caught the eye of
Sylvester Stallone, which resulted in an overall deal with Stallone's White Eagle Productions, and led to him co-writing
Rambo III with Stallone. The success of
Bloodsport not only turned Jean-Claude Van Damme into an international action star, but it also forged a long and ongoing friendship with the man who wrote it. Van Damme helped to launch Lettich's directing career with the film
Lionheart, which became Van Damme's first movie to be released theatrically by a major U.S. studio. This was followed by
Double Impact, which was filmed in Hong Kong, with Lettich directing Van Damme in a challenging double role as twin brothers seeking revenge for their parents' murder. Lettich next discovered
Mark Dacascos, who made his starring debut in
Only the Strong, a film that introduced the Brazilian martial art of
capoeira to international audiences. He also directed
Dolph Lundgren in
The Last Patrol and
Daniel Bernhardt in
Perfect Target. Continuing his long association with Van Damme, Lettich was a writer and a producer on the historical
French Foreign Legion film,
Legionnaire, which was filmed on location in
Morocco. And he directed
The Order, an action-thriller starring Van Damme and
Charlton Heston, which was filmed on locations in
Israel and
Bulgaria. In 2006 he directed and co-wrote
The Hard Corps, an urban action-romance. Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and
Vivica Fox, the film was shot on locations around
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and on sound stages in
Romania, and was financed and released worldwide by
Sony Pictures Entertainment. Lettich stated he has always wanted to make a
Vietnam War movie that he wrote, but after seeing
Tropic Thunder he felt that no one would take a Vietnam war movie seriously anymore. ==Filmography==