Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (องค์บาก 2) is a 2008 Thai martial arts film co-directed by and starring Tony Jaa. It is a follow-up to Jaa’s 2003 breakout film Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior. Initially claimed to be a sequel to Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Ong Bak 2 was then announced to be a prequel to its predecessor. Unlike its predecessor however, which had a contemporary and realistic setting, Ong Bak 2 is actually set in 15th century Thailand and as such, could be described as a historical epic with elements of fantasy combined, and has nothing to do with the original Ong-Bak. Ong Bak 2 also has nothing to do with Jaa’s 2005 film Tom-Yum-Goong, which was sometimes incorrectly labelled Ong Bak 2 in the West, as well as The Protector and The Warrior King. Tom-Yum-Goong had a contemporary setting similar to Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, although it too had different characters and plot. Jaa’s films had yet to tie into each other, although Jaa had claimed they would do so with the release of Ong Bak 3 in 2010, which they did. As well as the different historical setting to Jaa’s previous films, Ong Bak 2 has taken a notably grittier and bloodier direction.
