BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Hong Kong movie star Daniel Wu is bringing martial arts back to TV in the U.S. with his upcoming series "Into the Badlands," premiering Nov. 19 on AMC.

Wu, who stars on the show and is also an executive producer, shared his backstory with a panel of TV critics Friday.

Born in California, Wu fell into acting while on a post-college trip to Hong Kong. He was discovered in a bar for a TV commercial, which quickly led to his film career. He's gone on to make more than 60 movies.

The six-episode first season of "Badlands" is based on the Chinese novel "Journey to the West."

Wu plays a skilled warrior named Sunny who teams up with a young boy named M.K. (Aramis Knight) on a search for enlightenment in a dangerous land. Sunny teaches M.K. martial arts and he becomes an unrivaled fighter.

Each episode is to have at least five minutes of fight scenes, but Wu says both the story and martial arts are equally important.

"I knew the action had to be kick-ass but also knew we really needed a compelling story," he said.

The actor is excited to expand his career to America but says he is grateful to Hong Kong for making him a star.

"Everything I have now is because of what the Hong Kong (film) industry gave me," he said.

___

Online:

http://www.amc.com/shows/into-the-badlands