It was only a few years ago as action star Donnie Yen was promting the 2013 cop thriller, Special ID, while pitching the idea of possibly casting former boxer Mike Tyson in a hopeful sequel at the time. You least expected that sort of thing would happen even as Tyson himself was bolstering his own acting career in TV and film, namely with Todd Phillips in the first two Hangover movies, and an appearance in Jean-Marc Mineo’s Gates Of The Sun to name a few.
Alas, consider yourself surprised (or not) at the notion that Yen would finally be getting his wish featuring the former world heavyweight champion in the forthcoming production of Ip Man 3D, according to THR. Filming has begun today in Shanghai with Pegasus Motion Pictures and producer Raymond Wong behind the new film which will see Tyson in the role of a property developer as well as a street fighter, therein partaking in the cinematic universe via screenwriter Edmond Wong’s script which will principally center on the title character’s relationship to his most famous student, Bruce Lee.
THR also reports that the performer portraying Lee will undergo computer-generated enhancements since the production couldn’t find an actor able enough to duplicate Lee’s on-screen intensity – a lesson long learned since the days of Bruceploitation no doubt, but we’re bound to see how this one will hold up, for better or worse.
The first film in 2008 was a critical and commercial hit, a fourth in line of films between Yen and director Wilson Yip leading to a fifth with actor and martial arts legend Darren Shahlavi long prior to his passing earlier this year. There have been other iterations of the character, including Tony Leung’s performance in the elongated production of Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster, as well as Herman Yau’s television series with actor Dennis To and actor Anthony Wong’s most recent role in Yau’s Ip Man: The Final Fight with actor Eric Tsang. Production on a third with Yen initially saw a series of stops and starts in the last several while Yen kept things moving with other titles, including the two part remake, Iceman 3D which is still pending the release of its second part.
Other titles with Yen are stil pending, including his long-awaited Hollywood debut, Noodle Man. At any rate though, Ip Man 3D is finally happening, so no more speculation…except for all the fanboys now in an uproar over who would beat Ip Man (or Yen) in a fair fight.
Facebook arguments begin in 3…2…