After Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and XXX: Return of Xander Cage (quietly the #1 movie of 2017 with $331M worldwide) in rapid succession, Hong Kong martial arts superstar Donnie Yen has found another project that will keep him very busy. Deadline reports Yen will star in Sleeping Dogs, based on the hit Square Enix video game set, conveniently, in Hong Kong.
The Fast & the Furious producer Neal Moritz is on board for the adaptation but a writer and director have yet to be named. Sleeping Dogs was published for consoles in 2012, and centered on a Hong Kong detective charged with taking down a powerful criminal organization. The game was notable for its open world and extensive use of martial arts, which is obviously right up Yen's alley.
Yen will next be seen in Rogue One 2, reprising his role as Chirrut Imwe. Just kidding. It's probably too early to know when Sleeping Dogs will begin shooting, but taking advantage of Yen's surge of stateside popularity might be a good idea, and of course he's also a huge international draw.
