I have to admit my once huge respect for Jackie Chan was fading, much like his previously good movie career. Even IMDB is listing him as the star of Rush Hour 2, what happened to all those excellent Asian movies he was in, when he combined amaazing stunts with a strong film?
Yet just having read a story over at 940 News, I think I might just be going back to being a fan:
Jackie Chan says he prefers making movies in Asia because he can try risky new genres on his home turf, while in Hollywood, he stars in action comedies that are more likely to be box office hits.
“In America, it’s just Rush Hour 1, Rush Hour 2 and Rush Hour 3, then Rush Hour 4. If Rush Hour 4 fails, that’s it. But if it doesn’t fail, there will be Rush Hour 5,” Chan said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Now there’s something I’d never have expected him to say, I thought he was all Hollywood nowadays.
In his new film, The Myth, he plays an ancient Chinese general who is reincarnated in modern times and searches for his love interest from his previous life, who has survived because she took a longevity pill.
Stanley Tong, director of The Myth, said he was impressed by Chan’s ability to handle a stoic character, given his predisposition to physical comedy
Sounds like a real actor there, not a Hollywood gimmick pulled out for a row of sequels which is what he really has become with the Rush Hour franchise. As he says himself, he’s always picked to play a Hong Kong Cop or Killer. It looks like he’s trying to turn things around again though and he’s been returning to where he started. With a good few Hong Kong movies under his belt it looks like he might be in another Hollywood crossover.
He’s also working on a project with famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers, Hero), but won’t reveal details.
Now, I am excited about that, you can chuck Rush Hour 3 in the can.
