Donnie Yen is set to star in and produce the English-language crime thriller “Golden Empire” and has confirmed he’s finally gearing up to start production on the film adaptation of the 2012 video game “Sleeping Dogs”.
In a post on Instagram, the actor says “I am excited to start preparing for the next challenge and aiming to make another breakthrough movie!” along with the hashtags #sleepingdogs and #thenameisweishen.
The original “Sleeping Dogs” game starred Will Yun Lee as Wei Shen, an undercover cop on a mission to take down a powerful criminal organization – the Sun On Yee Triad. The game was mostly notable for offering both a good narrative and a Hong Kong open world setting that is all too rare in gaming – one allowing players to explore a modern real-life city that isn’t New York, LA, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle or London.
Yen has been attached to the role since 2017 but the project is now finally moving. Yen is Hong Kong-born so is a natural choice, though at 56 he is twice the age of his character in the game.
The China-backed crime thriller “Golden Empire” meanwhile will see Yen play a notorious drug kingpin who hits the top of the most wanted list for both the U.S. and Mexican governments. That project will also be shot in the United States and will showcase the inner turmoil of one of the world’s most successful multinational drug lords.
Source: Variety
