You are forgiven if you were under the impression that international action star Jackie Chan had begun any principal photography yet on his newest crime comedy flick, Skiptrace. The film was supposed to begin shooting in January of last year with Chan starring and also producing, but apparently no updates have come about since then. This week however, that all changes with reports coming out of Cannes thatThe Legend Of Hercules helmer Renny Harlin will direct the film instead.
Based on an original script written by Jay Longino, Chan joins actor Sean William Scott and actress Fan Bing Bing in a story centered on a Hong Kong detective on an epic mission to rescue his niece from a notorious crimeboss with the reluctant help of a fast talking American gambler on the run from the Mob. The screenplay was later revised by Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka, Geoff Moore, David Posmentier and BenDavid Grabinski, with production officially set to kick off on August 11 throughout China, with locations such as the Gobi Desert and the Huangshan Mountains.
International sales are also being handled by Bloom, with Skiptrace being one of a few Chan films to make headlines as of late, in addition to Thunder Road’s South African thriller, Civilian, which starts rolling cameras next year, and the current production of director Daniel Lee’s new period action thriller, Dragon Blade, with The Expendables 3 co-star Mel Gibson, which just scored itself a brand new Cannes sales poster which you can check out below:
I offer a virtual toast to Chan for never being bored. Ever. Cheers, big brother!
Fan currently stars in the forthcoming release of X-Men: Days Of Future Past which opens this Friday.
Stay tuned for more info!