Action star Donnie Yen’s latest battle with intergalactic foes remains pending with the December release of Gareth Edwards’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In the meantime and with fate unknown as for other titles previously announced for the actor, Yen is reportedly picking up on another property – its performance immortalized in film history by actor Ray Lui, who co-starred opposite Yen in the 2007 martial arts crime hit, Flash Point.
The news regards Poon Man-Kit’s riveting, violent and sprawling biopictoral triad drama, To Be Number One, which now bears the new title, Chasing The Dragon according to Asian Film Strike. Acclaimed cinematographer Jason Kwan (Young Bruce Lee, Cold War, Cold War 2) will make his directorial debut, featuring see Yen in the role of real-life crimeboss Ng Sek-ho, whose Scorsesean rags-to-riches story, and the ascension of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) are at center of Poon’s 1991 film, produced by Wong Jing. Yen is said to be planning more fight sequences for the new film compared to its predecessor which also entailed with its own share of gritty, gruesome, less-stylish brawling action with fights coordinated by Tony Leung Siu-Hung.
Clocked at close to two and a half hours, the original film presents one of the most sensational and intriguing dramatic crime tales brought to film. It eventually earned a raft of nominations, of which it won two awards at the 11th Hong Kong Film Awards – namely Best Film and Best Screenplay.
Chasing The Dragon marks Yen’s latest remake stint since Iceman 3D which still awaits its currently unreleased sequel. Yen is also set to make his latest return to the big screen in the U.S. courtesy of Paramount Pictures for the Vin Diesel-led threequel, xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, which opens on January 20, 2017.