Here's your weirdo totally unexpected news of the morning. Mike Tyson is set to square off against Chinese action star Donnie Yen in Ip Man 3, the global franchise based VERY LOOSELY on the life of the man who mentored Bruce Lee. Why is he in it? Pfft, your guess is as good as mine, but there he is.
While Mike Tyson would have made for an awesome Balrog in a Street Fighter movie (how did that never happen??), his turning up in Ip Man 3 is weird. According to THR this is how the whole thing came to be...
"Two years ago Mike Tyson opened up a Weibo [the Chinese microblogging site] account and the first question he asked was, 'Who is the best fighter in China?'" Pegasus chairman and Ip Man 3 producer Raymond Wong told THR. "Someone answered him 'Donnie Yen,' and that gave me an idea. For the third installment in the Ip Man series, we want to have an explosive fight, and Mike Tyson versus Donnie Yen fits the bill."
Tyson said in a statement: "Who is the best boxer and kung fu master in China? Wait for me, I am coming. Thank you for introducing me to Chinese kung fu."
Donnie Yen vs. Mike Tyson would have been amazing 15 years ago, not so much now. Tyson will play a property developer who doubles as a street fighter, which makes total sense. Not only that, but Bruce Lee will have a role in the film, in CGI, of course. They couldn't find an actor to match Lee's intensity so decided to go this route instead. The funny thing is that Donnie Yen would have been the perfect guy to play Lee. Production on Ip Man 3 begins today for release next year. If you haven't seen the first two movies they can be found here. It's also worth noting that another Ip Man 3 exists but it's a prequel not really associated with Yen's movies. Ip Man's story was also told in Wong Kar-Wai's breathtaking The Grandmaster.
